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American Blues Theater to produce the World Premiere Adaptation of Audrey Cefaly’s play with music
The Last Wide Open
directed by Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside
featuring Dara Cameron, Michael Mahler, and J.G. Smith
July 5 – August 18, 2024
at American Blues Theater’s new building, 5627 N. Lincoln Ave.
American Blues Theater announces the World Premiere of the Polish version of The Last Wide Open by Audrey Cefaly (book & lyrics), Matt M. Nielson (music), and Katarzyna Müller (Polish adaptation and consultant). The production, directed by Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside with music direction by Ensemble member Michael Mahler, will be the first production to be held in the studio theater at American Blues Theater’s new permanent home, 5627 N Lincoln Ave in Chicago.
The Last Wide Open will run July 5-August 18, 2023. Tickets are on sale at www.americanbluestheater.com or by calling (773) 654-3103.
A diner. 10PM. Chicago. What if you found your person, but the timing was off? Three times! Lina and Mikołaj’s lives intersect and parallel as three alternate realities unfold in this beautiful love story with music. This worn-out waitress and Polish immigrant dishwasher show us the mystical ways the universe conspires to bring us all together. You’ll be charmed by this quirky, heartfelt, made-for-Chicago World Premiere! If you like “Groundhog Day” and “Sliding Doors,” you won’t want to miss this must-see romantic comedy.
In the original version of The Last Wide Open (which premiered at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Audrey Cefaly wrote the immigrant character as an Italian immigrant, setting the play in an Italian restaurant. American Blues Theater received permission to adapt the play with an immigrant from Poland and set in Chicago to reflect the large population of Chicago’s Polish-Americans.
The cast includes Ensemble members Michael Mahler (Mikołaj), Dara Cameron (Lina), and J.G. Smith (Stagehand).
The creative and production team is Grant Sabin* (co-scenic), Marcus Klein (co-scenic & scenic charge), Christopher Neville* (costumes), Katy Viccellio (lights), Rick Sims* (sound), Elyse Dolan* (props & set dressing), Matilda Szydagis (dialect coach), Richard Lundy (stage manager), Michael Trudeau* (technical director), Rachel West* (lighting supervisor), Lily Walls* (wardrobe supervisor), & Joe Court (audio supervisor).
*Denotes Ensemble member or Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater
About the Artists
AUDREY CEFALY (Book & Lyrics) – Her plays include The Gulf (Edgerton, Lammy, Charles MacArthur Nominee), Alabaster (NNPN Record-Breaking RWP, Kilroys, Calicchio Prize, and Pulitzer-Prize Nominee), Maytag Virgin, The Last Wide Open, The Story of Walter, Tell Me Something Good, Trouble (Blue Ink Featured Finalist), and Love is a Blue Tick Hound. Cefaly is a Dramatist Guild Foundation Traveling Master. She is published by Concord Theatricals and TRW and her plays have been produced by Cincinnati Playhouse, Florida Studio, Florida Rep, City Theatre, Penobscot Theatre, Gulfshore Playhouse, Merrimack Rep, Signature Theatre, Barter Theatre, Peterborough Players, Vermont Stage, and countless others. Her play Alabaster received a 10-city Rolling World Premiere, the largest in NNPN history.
MATTHEW M. NIELSON (Music) – Off-Broadway sound design and original music credits include The Public Theater/NYSF, Lincoln Center Theater and 59E59 Theaters. Regional credits include Denver Center Theatre Company, Portland Center Stage, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Barrington Stage, Round House Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Theater Alliance, Olney Theatre and Contemporary American Theater Festival. Film and television credits include Death in Time, Elbow Grease, Blue, Epix Drive-In, From Hell to Here and Too Like the Lightning. Matthew is the creator of the audio drama series Troublesome Gap. He has won several awards for his work in the Washington, DC area, regionally and in film. He is currently enrolled in the Songwriting and Music Production program with the Berklee College of Music Online. Samples can be heard online at CuriousMusic.com.
Cefaly worked extensively with adaptor and American Blues Artistic Affiliate Katarzyna Müller to immerse the production in the Polish community in Chicago. The adaptation is more than a mere translation. The adaptation dramatizes the Polania diaspora and Chicago’s rich and vibrant Polish customs.
KATARZYNA (KATHY) MÜLLER (Polish Adaptation & Consultant) – is a proud Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater. She was born in Poland and grew up on the South Side of Chicago. English is her second language. As an emerging playwright, she writes and workshops plays in Chicago and New York. Kathy also works in other media, including award-winning short films. Most recently, her short screenplay Again (Znovu) has been recognized internationally: Best First-Time Screenwriter, Košice International Film Festival (Slovakia); Runner-up, Best Short Screenplay, Polish International Film Festival (Poland); Finalist, Big Apple Film Festival (NYC); Official Selection, Pasadena International Film Festival; among others. Artistic Affiliate, American Blues Theater. BA, PhD, University of Chicago.
Polish adaptor and American Blues artistic affiliate Katarzyna Müller and her sister/production dialect coach Matilda Szydagis (The Sopranos, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)—are first-generation Polish immigrants raised in the Marquette Park neighborhood in Chicago. More about their experience as Polish immigrants in Chicago can be read here: https://americanbluestheater.com/2024/06/03/interview-with-katarzyna-muller-matilda-szydagis/
GWENDOLYN WHITESIDE (Executive Artistic Director/Director) is an Ensemble member of American Blues Theater and has served as Executive Artistic Director since 2010. In her tenure, she created the nationally-recognized Blue Ink Playwriting Award and new work development program, implemented community service into the company’s mission, and adapted the arts education program. She led American Blues through its reorganization in 2009, building the operational budget from zero to $1 million. She secured the company’s first-ever operating reserve, endowment, and permanent home. Whiteside served on numerous panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and Board of Directors for Network of Ensemble Theaters and League of Chicago Theatres. She’s a graduate of Northwestern University (BS), The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (MFA), and a Kellogg Executive Scholar in Nonprofit management (Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University). As a producer, she’s received 15 Joseph Jefferson nominations or awards. As an actress, she’s received 5 Joseph Jefferson Awards, Citations, and nominations; 2 After Dark Awards; and 1 Broadway World Chicago Award. She directs Chicago’s holiday staple It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!.
DARA CAMERON (Lina) is a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater. Favorite credits include It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!, The Spitfire Grill (Jeff nomination) and Little Shop of Horrors (American Blues Theater); Old Jews Telling Jokes (Royal George and Off-Broadway); The Secret of My Success (Paramount Theatre); Elf, Hero (Jeff nomination), South Pacific, October Sky, Sister Act, City of Angels, Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof (Marriott Theatre); Addams Family (Mercury Theater); Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Theatre at the Center), and Sunset Boulevard, Seussical, and Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story (Drury Lane Theatre). She is a graduate of Northwestern University and a member of Actors’ Equity.
Co-stars and married couple Michael Mahler and Dara Cameron live in Oak Park. They are frequently romantic partners on stage, including Little Shop of Horrors and It’s a Wonderful Life at American Blues Theater. As well-known musical theater performers in Chicago, they both sing and play acoustic instruments in the production.
MICHAEL MAHLER (Mikołaj and Music Director) is an Ensemble member of American Blues. Past Blues productions: It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!, Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story (Jeff Award – Best Music Direction), Little Shop of Horrors, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, and Side Man. Other recent roles include The Baker in Into the Woods (Writers); Jim Hardy in Holiday Inn, and Jack Singer in Honeymoon in Vegas (Marriott Theatre). Michael co-wrote the songs for the Netflix movie My Little Pony: A New Generation and contributed additional lyrics to Cameron Mackintosh’s most recent Broadway production of Miss Saigon. Other works as a composer/lyricist include The Secret of My Success, Miracle (Jeff Award – Best New Work), Diary of a Wimpy Kid, October Sky, The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes (Jeff Award – Best New Work), and Hero (Jeff Award – Best New Work). Michael is married to fellow Ensemble Member Dara Cameron and proud father to their son Ezra.
J.G. SMITH (Stagehand) is an Ensemble member of American Blues. She has performed with Blues in It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!, On Clover Road, Ripped, and virtual readings of The Thanksgiving Play, On the Greenbelt, and The Cratichits (in America). Theatre: I And You (Peninsula Players); Mother of the Maid (Northlight); Plantation! (Lookingglass); The Art of Sisters (Vision Productions); MARYSHELLEYSHOW (National Tour, Chicago Fringe, TheTankNYC); Peter and the Starcatcher (City Equity Theatre); Alice in Wonderland, As You Like It, King Lear, A Christmas Carol (Alabama Shakespeare); and Censored on Final Approach (The GYM at Judson). Film/TV credits include Jennifer Reeder’s Knives and Skin, MTV’s Short Comings, The Dancing Monkey, Dreaming Grand Avenue, Pry Me Open, and Dorm Therapy. Her original films and performance art have shown at New Orleans’ Hell Yes Film Festival, Williamsburg Circus, Salonathon!, Undiscovered Countries: The Infinite Fest, and TransVisions’ virtual SOFT PALETTE festival.
Book & lyrics by: Audrey Cefaly
Music by: Matt M. Nielson
Polish adaptation & consultant: Katarzyna Müller*
Director: Gwendolyn Whiteside*
Music Director: Michael Mahler*
Featuring: Michael Mahler* (Mikołaj), Dara Cameron* (Lina), J.G. Smith* (Stagehand).
Creative Team: Grant Sabin* (co-scenic), Marcus Klein (co-scenic & scenic charge), Christopher Neville* (costumes), Katy Viccellio (lights), Rick Sims* (sound), Elyse Dolan* (props), Matilda Szydagis (dialect coach), Richard Lundy (stage manager), Michael Trudeau* (technical director), Rachel West* (lighting supervisor), Lily Walls* (wardrobe supervisor), & Joe Court* (audio supervisor).
*Ensemble member or Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater
Dates: July 5 – August 18, 2024
Schedule:
Wednesdays: 2:00pm, July 24 and July 31 only
Thursdays & Fridays: 7:30pm
Saturdays: 4:30pm & 7:30pm
Sundays: 2:30pm
The run time is approximately 80 minutes, no intermission.
Location: American Blues Theater, 5627 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago
Ticket prices: $25-$65, plus a $4.50 ticket fee
Box office: Buy online at www.americanbluestheater.com or by calling (773) 654-3103.
The Last Wide Open will be performed in English with some Polish spoken by the character Mikołaj.
About American Blues Theater
Winner of the prestigious National Theatre Company Award from American Theatre Wing (Tony Awards). American Blues Theater is an Ensemble of artists committed to producing new and classic diverse American stories that ask the question: “What does it mean to be American?”
The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Ensemble theater in Chicago. As of 2023, the theater and artists received 233 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and 44 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades.
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