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Choir Boy

by Tarell Alvin McCraney

directed by Michael Menendian

September 27 – November 12

Wednesday, September 27 at 7:30 pm

Determined to make his mark like those before him, Pharus is hell-bent on being the best choir leader in his prep-school’s 50 year history. First, he must gain the respect of his peers, but he’s an outsider in a world of ritual and tradition. Laced with soaring gospel music, this coming-of-age drama is an exciting commencement of our 35th anniversary season.


 

Tarell Alvin McCraney is well-known to Chicago audiences for his acclaimed trilogy, The Brother/Sister Plays: The Brothers Size, In the Red and Brown Water, and Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, which were performed at Steppenwolf Theatre in 2010. He was named a Steppenwolf ensemble member that year, and his play Head of Passes received its world premiere there in 2013, the year he received a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant.” On February 26 of this year, he shared an Academy Award with Barry Jenkins for “Best Adapted Screenplay” of Moonlight, which was also named “Best Picture” of 2016 by the Academy. The screenplay was based on McCraney’s short play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.

Watch the Trailer

Reviews

  • "Throughout, in a show of grand ensemble playing across the board, the solo voices and group harmonies are superbly rendered"

    HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

    Chicago Sun-Times
  • "This play soars lyrically in the way all of McCraney’s works ascend to the poetic."

    Chicago Tribune
  • "The young actors are an embodiment of camaraderie, their performances blending as well as their superb voices."

    Newcity Stage
  • Jeff Award Recommended!

    Joseph Jefferson Awards
  • Raven Theatre Chicago Raven Theatre Chicago Raven Theatre Chicago Raven Theatre Chicago

    "This is quite the feather in [Raven's] cap."

    HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

    Around the Town Chicago
  • "Thanks to Michael Menendian’s painstaking staging, these 85 minutes feel like actual turning points, choices that will resonate across the decades for these choir boys."

    Stage and Cinema

Cast

Patrick Agada (Bobby Marrow)
Robert Hardaway (Headmaster Marrow)
Tamarus Harvell (AJ James)
Christopher W. Jones (Pharus Young)
Darren Patin (David Heard)
Julian Terrell Otis (Junior Davis)
Don Tieri (Mr. Pendleton)

Understudies

Benjamin Jenkins (u/s Bobby Marrow)
Jabari Khaliq (u/s David Heard)
Ben F Locke (u/s Junior Davis)
Ki-Jana Moore (u/s Pharus Young, AJ James)
Tom Porter (u/s Mr. Pendleton)
Varris Holmes (u/s Headmaster Marrow)

Creative Team

Mike Menendian (Director)
Ray Toler (Set Designer)
JoAnn Montemurro (Costume Designer)
Diane Fairchild (Lighting Designer)
Sebby Woldt (Sound Designer)
Mary O’Dowd (Props Designer)
Frederick Harris (Music Director)
Breon Arzell (Choreographer)
Kathryn “Kat” McNall (Stage Manager)
Destiney Higgins (Assistant Director)
Dan Laushman (Technical Director)