The University of Chicago Quadrangle Club Revels return this year with a new production titled One Touch of Nature, a tale filled with passion and wealth, as Gypsy magic tames the eternal struggle of North Side vs. South Side.
Started in 1904, the Revels is a UChicago tradition in which members of the faculty, staff, alumni, and the Hyde Park community comprise the cast of a satirical musical, which brings to life, and laughs, a slice of University life. This year,Andy Austin wrote the script, and Ted Fishman, Julian Harvey, Sara Paretsky, Noel Taylor and Will White, wrote the music and lyrics; Noel Taylor also directs.
One Touch of Nature will feature cast members Shakespeare expert Professor David Bevington; Rockefeller Memorial Chapel's Dean Elizabeth Davenport; Illinois House Representative Barbara Flynn Currie; hematologist/oncologist Philip Hoffman; renowned author and alumna Sara Paretsky; Judge James Zagel; and many others.
The plot revolves around money and passion; a humorous portrayal of University officials scrambling to boost the endowment, a rich matron's philanthropic desires, and a band of Gypsies encamped outside Rockefeller Chapel that wishes to produce a magical money machine. Will a glamorous University fundraiser's matchmaking lure the wealth of a Gold Coast matron, recently offended by a Quad Club fireside chat? Can romance heal the battle wounds between North and South sides? All will be revealed in unexpected and silly ways as the Revelers sing, dance and make merry.
From the very early Revels' casts, featuring all-male roles, to Professor James Cate's post World War II years of leading the Revels on stage, to a 50-year, on-and-off Revels run launched by Bob Pollak, Bob Ashenhurst and Ned Rosenheim, to the current Revels, reborn in the early 2000s, a changing troupe of players has kept the laughter going for 106 years.
For more information about this year's shows, contact Nancy Levner at (773) 241-6680 (nlevner@lipmanhearne.com) or Lorraine Brochu at (773) 702-7059 (lcbrochu@uchicago.edu).
