produced by Whoopi Goldberg
with director and choreographer Sergio Trujillo
 

Chicago, IL – Whoopi Goldberg and her fellow producers for the provocative new rock musical White Noise will celebrate its World Premiere at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street.  Directed and choreographed by Broadway’s Sergio Trujillo, White Noise will play for an eight-week limited run, with previews beginning on April 1, 2011 and the official opening on Saturday, April 9, 2011.

White Noise pulls back the curtain at a major record label where a top-selling producer stirs up an explosive cocktail of shock and spin with a splash of controversy to package talented artists into blockbuster stars. Steadily baited by the lure of mainstream fame and power, two diametrically opposed groups—“White Noise,” an irresistible pop band that churns out catchy tunes of coded rhetoric and “Bloodbrothas,” the hip-hop-turned-gangsta rap duo—meet at the top of the charts and collide with consequence.



The "Bloodbrothas" rap duo is played by Rodney Hicks, as Tyler and Wallace Smith, as Dion.
Photo by Carol Rosegg



MacKenzie Mauzy, as Eva and Emily Padgett, as Eden
Photo by Carol Rosegg

Inspired by real life, White Noise is a timely and cautionary tale that challenges conventional notions of free speech, media and the power of pop culture.

The cast includes MacKenzie Mauzy (Next to Normal, Guiding Light, The Bold and the Beautiful) as Eva, Emily Padgett (Rock of Ages, Grease, Legally Blonde) as Eden, Patrick Murney (The Abingdon Theater, Edinburgh Fringe Festival) as Duke and Eric Morris (Mama Mia!, Coram Boy, As The World Turns) as Jake lead the “White Noise” band.  The "Bloodbrothas" rap duo is played by Wallace Smith (American Idiot, Hair, Lion King) as Dion and Rodney Hicks (The Scottsboro Boys, Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar) as Tyler.  Also featured are Douglas Sills (Tony nomination for The Scarlet Pimpernel, Little Shop of Horrors) as Max, Luba Mason (How to Succeed…, Chicago) as Laurel and Michael Buchanan (Cry Baby, Urinetown at the Mercury Theatre) as Teal Waters.  The cast of 21 also includes Joseph Anthony Byrd, Kelli Eileen LaValle, Tess Soltau, Ashley Adamek, Erin McGrath, John Arthur Greene, and Constantine Rousouli.  Also featured in White Noise are Jesse Vargas (Musical Director, keyboard), Matt Hinkley (keyboard), Hannah Ford (drums), Ben Mason (bass) and Mike O’Meara (guitarist).

White Noise is directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, whose recent Broadway credits include Jersey Boys (2006 Tony Award and 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical), Next to Normal (Pulitzer Prize for Drama), Memphis (2010 Tony Award for Best Musical), The Addams Family, Guys and Dolls and All Shook Up.  Jesse Vargas is the Music Director.  White Noise features a book by Matte O’Brien and music and lyrics by Robert Morris, Steven Morris and Joe Shane.  White Noise was originally conceived by Ryan J. Davis with a story and characters by Joe Drymala.


The set is designed by Robert Brill, costumes by Paul Tazewell, lights by Jason Lyons, sound by Garth Helm, and multi-media design by Raj Kapoor.

Producer Whoopi Goldberg comments, “White Noise smacks you in a challenging, emotional and entertaining way.  The producing team looks forward to bring this unflinchingly honest new production to Chicago where audiences are sophisticated, aware and open to a musical that will certainly remind them of today’s headlines and might awaken a new awareness of current social issues.”

Tickets are currently on sale for the 8-week limited engagement, April 1-June 5, 2011, at the Royal George box office, 1641 N. Halsted Street, by phone (312) 988-9000, through TicketMaster or www.whitenoisetickets.com.
   
Tickets for the regular run, on sale through June 5, 2011, are $54.50-$74.50.  Student tickets are available at the Royal George box office for $20.  Student tickets must be purchased in-person with a student I.D.

The performance schedule is:

    Tuesdays        7:30pm
    Wednesdays    7:30pm
    Thursdays       7:30pm
    Fridays            8:00pm
    Saturdays        5:00pm and 8:00pm
    Sundays          2:00pm and 5:00pm
               
Note: There will be added matinee performances on Wednesday, April 20 and May 18 at 2:00pm.  There will be no evening performance on Tuesday April 19 or May 17 and no matinee performance on Sunday, April 10.

White Noise is produced by Holly Way, Jay Strommen, Jimmy Mack, Deborah Taylor, Chris Bensinger, Tom Leonardis and Whoopi Goldberg. 

For more information, visit www.whitenoisebroadway.com.  Follow White Noise on Twitter, http://twitter.com/wnbroadway and http://www.facebook.com/wnbroadway.