DUKE ELLINGTON'S GREATEST HITS Coming to Music Theater Works

The music of American composer, pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington will be celebrated at Music Theater Works, October 6-15, 2017, at Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston.

The concert presentation, Duke Ellington'S GREATEST HITS, includes "Satin Doll," "Mood Indigo," "Sophisticated Lady," "Take the 'A' Train," "It Don't Mean A Thing (if it Ain't Got That Swing)" and other well-known songs.

The opening night reception for Duke Ellington'S GREATEST HITS is sponsored by Found Kitchen and Social House, Evanston.

Duke Ellington'S GREATEST HITS is Music Theater Works' third production of 2017. The season concludes with PETER PAN (December 23, 2017-January 1, 2018).

Tickets for Duke Ellington'S GREATEST HITS begin at $34. Ages 25 and younger are half price. To order tickets, or for more information, call the Music Theater Works box office at (847) 920-5360 or order online 24 hours a day at www.MusicTheaterWorks.com.

Rudy Hogenmiller (Director), artistic director of Music Theater Works, has directed and choreographed many productions for the company including GYPSY, CANDIDE, DIE FLEDERMAUS, LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU: Jule Styne'S GREATEST HITS, MAME, MY FAIR LADY, GUYS AND DOLLS, SOUTH PACIFIC, THE FANTASTICKS, THE MERRY WIDOW, Cole Porter'S GREATEST HITS, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, H.M.S. PINAFORE, OLIVER!, MAN OF LA MANCHA, CAMELOT, BRIGADOON, HELLO, DOLLY!, THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, KISS ME, KATE, SOUTH PACIFIC, THE MIKADO and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Hogenmiller was seen on stage at Music Theater Works in 2014 as Mr. Applegate in DAMN YANKEES, and as the Emcee in CABARET in 2013. He has been recognized with six Joseph Jefferson Awards and 17 nominations for best direction and choreography in Chicago, and has been a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers for more than 35 years.

Joey Zymonas (Music Director), a multi-talented musician, played drums in the last two Music Theater Works fall concerts, LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU: Jule Styne'S GREATEST HITS and HOLLYWOOD'S GREATEST SONG HITS, as well as GYPSY this past August. He played keyboards for this spring's production of MARY POPPINS at Mercury Theater. Other recent highlights include drums for A CHRISTMAS SURVIVAL GUIDE, and bass for FIRST DATE, both at Williams Street Repertory, where he also played keyboard and mandolin as well as served as associate conductor for the Midwest premiere of HANDS ON A HARDBODY. At the Woodstock Musical Theatre Company, he was musical director for LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. He is the house pianist for the 1920s-style Members Speakeasy at the Maxwell Mansion in Lake Geneva, and plays regularly across the country with CLOSE TO YOU: THE MUSIC OF THE CARPENTERS.

Music Theater Works (formerly Light Opera Works) is a resident professional not-for-profit theater in Evanston, founded in 1980. The company's mission is to produce and present musical theater from a variety of world traditions, to engage the community through educational and outreach programs and to train artists in musical theater. All productions are presented in English, with foreign works done in carefully edited modern translations. Maximum scholarship is employed to preserve the original vocal and orchestral material as well as the spirit of the original text whenever possible. Audiences know that at Music Theater Works they will experience repertoire often unavailable on the stages of commercial theaters and opera houses, in modern productions with professional artists and full orchestra.