But for anyone that has an interest in new shows that push the boundaries of musical theatre, this is a polished jewel. Despite its extreme charms, the show doesn’t seem to have the emotional heft it would have with a traditional book. Indeed fans of the movie will find that the musical omits many essential plot details. While there is much to admire about this lyrical production, it may veer too far from traditional storytelling for general audiences. Doyle seems to rely on the music and fluid staging to tell his story and every moment is thoughtfully crafted. The Book by Glen Berger is minimal dialogue and lyrics are practically nonexistent by the end of the show. The ensemble’s virtuoso musicianship and singing is frequently thrilling. The orchestrations are a constant delight-this is the ideal show for anyone who appreciates acoustic music. There are several extended instrumental numbers leading up to a rhapsody. “August Rush: The Musical” is a curious hybrid-a performance piece that seems to be as much concert as musical theatre. With the minimal scenery, Sound Designer Dan Moses Schreier is frequently called upon to provide a soundscape to suggest the primarily urban scene. Costume Designer Ann Hould-Ward provides street wear and concert dress in the same black and white palette with splashes of red. Scenic Designer Scott Pask provides a textured white backdrop suggestive of a cityscape which Lighting Designer Paul Toben paints with color and upon which Projection Designer Joe Burke occasionally adds details. The story plays out on a simple, elegant stage featuring a gleaming black grand piano and four white stools. Also prominently featured is Leenya Rideout as Hope. But when August/Evan proves to be a musical prodigy, the Wizard tries to control his musical career. George Abud plays Lewis, a rock musician who won Lyla’s attention with “Pig In the Moonlight.” John Hickok plays the dual roles of Lyla’s protective father and the Wizard who offers the homeless August/Evan a safe haven. Sydney Shepherd portrays Lyla, a classical cellist whose father forces her to give up her baby in order to further her career. The leading players include Jack McCarthy (on press night) as August Rush/Evan Taylor (Huxley Westemeier shares the role), an 11-year-old boy who has run away from foster care in order to seek out his birth parents. “August Rush: The Musical” features a cast of fifteen playing an array of handsome musical instruments, both popular and unusual, with Musical Director/Conductor Greg Jarrett on keyboard. Internationally acclaimed Director John Doyle has become known for his unusual approach to musical theatre, often featuring casts who are both actors and musicians, accompanying one another on musical instruments while simultaneously playing roles. at 3:00 pm Expand George Abud is Lewis and Jack McCarthy (standing on piano) plays August Rush in the Paramount Theatre's world premiere of 'August Rush: The Musical.' (Liz. “August Rush: The Musical”, based on the original Oscar-nominated film about a musically gifted orphan, marks Paramount Theatre’s first world premiere production. During the last four seasons, Paramount productions have been nominated for 55 Jeff Awards winning 18 of them. "August Rush," which has a story seemingly well-suited for a stage-musical treatment, then will be redesigned and restaged for the 1,888-seat proscenium theater that is the historic Paramount and readied for an intended Broadway berth, presumably for fall 2019.Since launching its Broadway Series in 2011, Aurora’s Paramount Theatre has become one of the most successful musical production houses in the Chicago area. The Signature - a prestigious but much smaller theater in suburban Washington - will produce the show first, in an intimate, workshop-style production in February of next year. The show, slated to open in April 2019 in Aurora, will be directed by John Doyle, a British director who has become one of Broadway's most prominent names. In 2019, the nonprofit theater west of Chicago will join with the Signature Theatre outside Washington, D.C., to stage the world premiere of “August Rush," a new musical based on the 2007 movie that starred Robin Williams and told the story of musically gifted orphan who runs away to New York City to look for his parents. The ascendant Paramount Theatre in Aurora now plans to muscle in on the big Chicago business of new, pre-Broadway musicals. The story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and a sheltered young cellist (Keri Russell) who have a chance encounter one magical.
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