Latest news with #TowleTheater
Chicago Tribune
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Of Notoriety: Final weekend for Towle's ‘POTUS,' anniversary free concert at Hard Rock and Bublé salute at TATC
'POTUS' is the term used at times to shorten the title 'President of the United States.' 'POTUS' is also the title of the play continuing performances through this weekend at Towle Theater, 5205 Hohman Ave. in Hammond. The secondary title for this stage comedy written by Selina Fillinger and directed by Anna Maria D'Ortenzio is 'Behind Every Great Dumb*** Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.' When the president unwittingly spins a PR nightmare into a global crisis, the seven brilliant and beleaguered women he relies upon most risk life, liberty and the pursuit of sanity to keep the commander-in-chief out of trouble. The play is described as 'a bawdy and irreverent look at sex, politics and the women in charge of the man in charge of the free world, with a reminder that global crisis is always just a four-letter word away.' A show disclaimer warns that 'this play opens with a strong expletive and continues with raunchy language throughout.' Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $24 in advance and $28 at the door and available by calling 219-937-8780 or visit Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana is celebrating its fourth anniversary this month and hosting a free concert by Gym Class Heroes on the Hard Rock Cafe stage at 9 p.m. Saturday, May 10. With three stages and five dining outlets, more than 8 million people have visited Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana since it opened, ranking as Northwest Indiana's No. 1 tourist attraction. 'When we opened our doors back in May of 2021, the people in our area were thrilled to have a place nearby to see all their favorite artists on stage and wonderful dining and gaming experiences,' President of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana Matt Schuffert said in a release. 'It was truly what the region needed at the exact right time.' Travie McCoy, lead singer of Gym Class Heroes and a celebrated solo artist, is leading his band for the celebration performance. Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana is located at 5400 West 29th Ave. in Gary, IN, directly adjacent to the I80/94 Burr Street Interchange. For more information, call 219-228-2383 or visit Direct from Las Vegas, this Theatre at the Center tribute concert is a must-see for people who appreciate the music of The Great American Songbook. Artists like Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett to superstar rock artists Linda Ronstadt and Rod Stewart are all the inspirations for the stylings and vocals of Canadian singer Michael Bublé. Entertainer Michael Ross Nugent pays tribute to Bublé and other greats, backed on stage by a grand piano and his pianist Michael Clark. At age 31, Michael Ross Nugent describes himself as 'a young man with an old soul and love from the great performers of yesterday and today.' The show is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10. Tickets are $40 available by calling 219-836-3255 or visit 'Forever Plaid' is one of the most popular and successful small cast cabaret style musicals of recent decades. Four musical hopefuls, Sparky, Smudge, Jinx and Frankie travel the small stage circuit as the crooning group 'The Plaids.' Fearful that the close of the decade of the 1950s means the end of the music and song stylings they so love, they fail to embrace the world of the swinging 1960s. A tragic car accident sends the fellows to heavenly limbo where they are given a chance to live their worldly dream of appearing on Ed Sullivan's popular CBS Sunday night variety show. This jukebox musical stars Josh Bachman as Francis, Phil Dietrich as Sparky, Trey Erny as Jinx and Jason Utesch as Smudge as directed by Patti Shaffner. From calypso beats to Perry Como and 'Three Coins in the Fountain,' audiences enjoy a musical trip down a memory lane of tune favorites. Weekend performances start May 9 with 8 p.m. curtains on Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets range from $27 to $60 at or 219-548-9137. Now age 93, the greatest American film composer of all time, John Williams, has written some of the most popular, recognizable and critically acclaimed film scores in cinematic history in a career spanning more than six decades. Williams has won 24 Grammy Awards, five Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. In the final concert installment of the Northwest Indiana Orchestra's 2024-25 Season, Williams' work is highlighted for two nights, 7:30 p.m. both May 15 and 16 at Living Hope Church auditorium, 9000 Taft St., in Merrillville. Hear selections from 'Star Wars,' 'Indiana Jones,' Far & Away,' 'The Patriot,' 'Superman' and more in this tribute to an American icon. Tickets start at $45 with a $10 student option. Visit or call 219-836-0525.
Chicago Tribune
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Of Notoriety: Towle Theater launches 22nd season this weekend in Hammond with ‘The Mad Ones'
The Towle Theater is opening the first show of its 22nd season with the Friday opening night for 'The Mad Ones,' billed as 'a humorously touching musical' with music direction by John Philips and sponsored by Hammond Horseshoe Casino. 'The Mad Ones,' penned by Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk, is directed by Dion Stover, who joined Towle as the new artistic director last summer opposite Emily Nelson as executive director. 'The Mad Ones' follows 18-year-old Samantha Brown as she sits in a hand-me-down car with the keys clutched in her hand. Caught between a yearning for the unknown and feeling bound by expectation, she telescopes back to a time before her world had fallen apart. As she sits in the driver's seat, she faces a choice: Will she follow in her mother's footsteps, or take the dare of her impetuous best friend and chart a new path? Making their Towle stage debuts are Elizabeth Bushell, who hails from Wilmette, Illinois, opposite Tony Calkins, Madison Meeron and Lauren Reece, the latter three all cast members from Chicago. Performances for 'The Mad Ones' are Feb. 28, March 1 and 2, and March 7, 8 and 9 with 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday performances and 2 p.m. Sundays. The box office opens one hour before show time. Tickets are $24 in advance and $28 at the door. Reservations must be paid for in advance, and tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Group rates are available. There is no late seating, and patrons are asked to arrive no later than 15 minutes before curtain. Patrons arriving after the curtain start time will not be seated until intermission. After guiding Towle Theater since its founding in 2003, Jeff Casey and partner Kevin Bellamy spent last season transitioning from their administrative roles to secondary leadership positions in support of the Towle Board of Directors naming Nelson as the new executive director. Last June, Towle Theater unveiled new plush seating for their tiered audience section while also adapting to the exterior landscape changes for street and building renovations by the city of Hammond. Located in downtown Hammond, patron parking is available in front of the building on Hohman Avenue as well as the gravel lot located on Sibley Avenue. For more information and tickets call 219-937-8780 or visit Using the 2025 branding theme 'A Bold New Season,' season tickets are still available for all four shows for $75. Among the remaining three show titles includes 'POTUS,' a comedy by Selina Fillinger May 2-11 using a fantasy spin on a White House tale of what would happen if the U.S. President was at the root of a public relations nightmare, and the seven brilliant women surrounding him in his orbit must 'save the day.' 'Superhero' by John Logan with music and lyrics by Tom Kitt will run July 18-27 to unveil this new musical following the life of Simon, a teenage comic book fan who retreats into an imaginary world after witnessing his father's death two years earlier. 'Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson' by Kate Hamil is a dark comedy Sept. 12-21 and intended to 'desecrate the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.' A December holiday show run has yet to be announced. The Towle produced their first full season in 2004, always located at 5205 Hohman Ave. in Hammond. The Towle Theater building occupies two former storefronts. During Hammond's heyday of the 1940s through 1960s, that building housed retail businesses, with many readers likely remembering the storefront signs of Manlie Jewelry and R&S Shoes. The 'Towle Theater' name is in honor of Marcus Towle, who was the first mayor of Hammond, and he built what was once the Towle Opera House on this same site in 1903.
