(Chicago, IL) "Man makes ghost, man keeps ghost. You cannot give your ghost for someone else's shoulders." Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegraa Hudes unveils The Happiest Song Plays Last—the latest and last play of her acclaimed "Elliot Trilogy"—at Goodman Theatre, produced in association with Teatro Vista.
"A writer of enormous empathic gifts" (Time Out New York), Hudes, who also authored the Tony Award-nominated musical In the Heights, "combines a lyrical ear with a sophisticated sense of structure to trace the legacy of war through three generations of a Puerto Rican family" (New York Times).
Drawing on the cultural heritage of joyful Jabaro music developed and performed by Grammy Award nominee Nelson Gonzalez, The Happiest Song Plays Last was commissioned by the Goodman and supported with a prestigious 2009 Joyce Award for Theater. Edward Torres directs the world-premiere production with an ensemble cast including: Armando Riesco (Water by the Spoonful off Broadway) as Elliot; Sandra Marquez (The Motherfu**er with the Hat at Steppenwolf) as Yaz; Fawzia Mirza (Teddy Ferrara) as Shar; Jaime Tirelli (the independent films 36 Saints and El Cielo Es Azul) as Joaquin; Demetrios Troy (A Christmas Carol) as Ali; and James Harms (The Iceman Cometh) as Lefty. The creative team includes John Boesche (projections), Collete Pollard (set), Christine Pascual (costumes), Jesse Klug (lighting), Ray Nardelli (sound) and Josh Horvath. Bio information and images for The Happiest Song Plays Last can be found in the Press Room.
The Happiest Song Plays Last appears April 13 — May 12 in the Owen Theatre. Opening Night is Monday, April 22. Tickets ($14 - $45; subject to change) can be purchased at GoodmanTheatre.org, 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 N. Dearborn).
Mayor Rahm Emanuel proclaims April 27 "Quiara Alegraa Hudes Day"—when the Goodman gives 75 lucky Chicagoans the FREE chance to experience all three plays in Hudes' "Elliot Trilogy" in one day, under one roof. The day includes Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue (a 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist) in a staged reading by Rivendell Theatre Ensemble; Water By the Spoonful (2012 Pulitzer Prize winner) in a staged reading by Teatro Vista; and a performance of The Happiest Song Plays Last. Visit GoodmanTheatre.org or call 312.443.3800 for performance times and to reserve tickets (limit 2 per person).
"The Goodman is a theater I've long admired for premiering new work by some of my favorite writers in one of the richest theater communities in the country," said playwright Quiara Alegraa Hudes. "It's thrilling to join the Goodman family this spring." Continued director Edward Torres, "What I love about Quiara's writing is her honesty and how she tells her story in a fluid, almost musical, way. The Happiest Song Plays Last is particularly poetic and poignant."
Infused with jabaro music—songs from the rural inhabitants (the Jabaros) of Puerto Rico that are sung at the holidays and communal gatherings —The Happiest Song Plays Last follows two kindred souls as they weather life's trials in a search for love and meaning in a quickly changing world. Amid the Arab Spring uprisings raging across the Middle East, Elliot (Armando Riesco), a tormented Iraq War veteran living in Jordan, embarks on an exciting new adventure—as the star of an action film. Meanwhile, half-way across the world, his fiery community-organizer cousin, Yaz (Sandra Marquez) in Philadelphia takes on a heroic role of her own: as the heart and soul of her crumbling community, providing hot meals and a place to sleep for the needy. The Happiest Song Plays Last features live cuarto music—a type of guitar and the national instrument of Puerto Rico.
The Joyce Foundation, a prominent Chicago institution working to improve the quality of life in the Great Lakes region and across the country, celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Joyce Awards, a prestigious honor that commissions new works from artists of color. Baxter International Inc. and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois are Contributing Sponsors for The Happiest Song Plays Last. The National Endowment for the Arts is the Major Production Supporter. The Boeing Company is the Festival Partner for the 2013 Latino Theatre Festival and AztecAmerica Bank, SPC Educational Solutions and State Farm are Consortium Partners. Hoy is the Print Media Sponsor and Chicago Latino Network is the Digital Media Sponsor.
SPECIAL EVENTS AROUND THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST AFFINITY NIGHT
An evening of fun, food and pre-show networking with Chicago's Latino professional leaders from the arts, business and government
April 18, 5:30pm | At the Goodman |$30 for reception and performance. For tickets, go to GoodmanTheatre.org and use promo code AFFINITY
ARTIST ENCOUNTER + BOOK SIGNING
A conversation with playwright Quiara Alegraa Hudes and director Edward Torres. Following the conversation, Hudes will sign her newly published anthology of plays.
April 21, 5 - 6pm discussion and signing| At the Goodman | $5 for Subscribers, Donors and students; $10 for general public. For tickets, call the box office at 312.443.3800
SCENE NIGHT
Join the Goodman's Scenemakers, the young professional auxiliary group, for a pre-show reception
April 24, 5:30pm reception, 7:30pm show t Sopprafina Marketcaffé and the Goodman |Free with Scene Subscription, $50 for general public, but reservation required. For tickets, call the box office at 312.443.3800
"QUIARA ALEGRA HUDES DAY" IN CHICAGO AND THE ELLIOT TRILOGY READINGS
Free readings of the first two plays of Hudes' trilogy, Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue and Water by the Spoonful, followed by a performance of The Happiest Song Plays Last. Attendance is limited to 75 people.
April 27 |At the Goodman| Free, but reservations required. For tickets and times, call the box office at 312.443.3800
The Latino Theatre Festival at Goodman Theatre has introduced Chicagoans to prominent Latino theater companies around the globe since its inception in 2003. Under the direction of Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez, Latino Fest transforms the Goodman into a hub of international artistic exchange; productions by local, national and international theater artists, plus a variety of events, define the experience. Among the expanding list of international Latino theater
companies that have performed at the Goodman since 2003: Compañia Marta Carrasco (Spain); Comediants (Spain);
Teatro Buenda (Cuba); Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes (Mexico); and Pia Fraus (Brazil). National artists of note have come to the Goodman from New York (Universes' Blue Sweat; Adrianna Sevan's Taking Flight) and Los Angeles (Luiz Alfaro's The Book of Titus and Other Latino Bible Stories; Culture Clash's AmeriCCa). Local participants have included Aguijan Theater Company, Albany Park Theater Project, Chicago Children's Theatre, Luna Negra, Teatro Luna and Teatro Vista.
About Goodman Theatre
The Goodman's 2012/2013 Season features 11 productions on its two mainstages—six in the 856-seat Albert Theatre and three in the 400-seat flexible Owen Theatre, plus a Latino Theatre Festival that includes two additional productions. On stage now is Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, directed by Robert Falls (through April 14, in the Albert) and Cuba's Teatro Buenda's production of Pedro Paramo by Raquel Carrao, co-directed by Flora Lauten and Henry Godinez and produced in association with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (March 22 — March 31, in the Owen). The Latino Theatre Festival also features Albany Park Theater Project's production of Home/Land, written collectively by the Albany Park Theater Project teen ensemble and directed collectively by the Albany Park Theater Project artistic staff (July 18 — July 28, in the Owen); By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage, directed Chuck Smith (April 27 — June 2, in the Albert); and The Jungle Book, a new musical based on the Disney animated film and the stories of Rudyard Kipling, adapted and directed by Mary Zimmerman (June 21 —July 28, in the Albert).
Goodman Theatre, "the leading regional theater in the nation's most important theater city" (Time), is a major cultural, educational and economic pillar in Chicago, generating nearly $250 million in economic impact over the past decade in its state-of-the-art two-theater complex on North Dearborn Street. Founded in 1925 and currently under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert Falls, "Chicago's most essential director" (Chicago Tribune), and Executive Director Roche Schulfer,
Chicago's oldest and largest not-for-profit resident theater has welcomed nearly two million patrons to productions and
events—including 10 festivals celebrating playwrights such as David Mamet, August Wilson and Horton Foote, as well as the
Latino Theatre Festival—and served legions of students through its Education and Community Engagement programs (including the FREE Student Subscription Series and other interactive programs). The Goodman has earned more than 90 awards for hundreds of productions, including the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined by Lynn Nottage—one of 25 new work Goodman commissions in the last decade. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre. Ruth Ann M. Gillis is Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sherry John is President of Women's Board and Lauren Blair is President of the Scenemakers Board, the Goodman's young professionals auxiliary group.
