Theatre News Wire

American Blues Theater announced the World Premiere of the Polish version of The Last Wide Open by Audrey Cefaly (book & lyrics), Matt M. Nielson (music), and Katarzyna Müller (Polish adaptation and consultant). The production, directed by Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside with music direction by Ensemble member Michael Mahler, will be the first production to be held in the studio theater at American Blues Theater's new permanent home, 5627 N Lincoln Ave in Chicago.

The Last Wide Open at American Blues Theater

A diner. 10PM. Chicago. What if you found your person, but the timing was off? Three times! Lina and Mikołaj's lives intersect and parallel as three alternate realities unfold in this beautiful love story with music. This worn-out waitress and Polish immigrant dishwasher show us the mystical ways the universe conspires to bring us all together. You'll be charmed by this quirky, heartfelt, made-for-Chicago World Premiere! If you like "Groundhog Day" and "Sliding Doors," you won't want to miss this must-see romantic comedy.

The cast includes Ensemble members Michael Mahler (Mikołaj), Dara Cameron (Lina), and J.G. Smith (Stagehand).

The creative and production team is Grant Sabin* (co-scenic), Marcus Klein (co-scenic & scenic charge), Christopher Neville* (costumes), Katy Viccellio (lights), Rick Sims* (sound), Elyse Dolan* (props & set dressing), Matilda Szydagis (dialect coach), Richard Lundy (stage manager), Michael Trudeau* (technical director), Rachel West* (lighting supervisor), Lily Walls* (wardrobe supervisor), & Joe Court (audio supervisor).

Notes of Interest about The Last Wide Open:

• In the original version of The Last Wide Open (which premiered at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Audrey Cefaly wrote the immigrant character as an Italian immigrant, setting the play in an Italian restaurant. American Blues Theater received permission to adapt the play with an immigrant from Poland and set in Chicago to reflect the large population of Chicago's Polish-Americans.
• Cefaly worked extensively with adaptor and American Blues Artistic Affiliate Katarzyna Müller to immerse the production in the Polish community in Chicago. The adaptation is more than a mere translation. The adaptation dramatizes the Polania diaspora and Chicago's rich and vibrant Polish customs.
• Polish adaptor and American Blues artistic affiliate Katarzyna Müller and her sister/production dialect coach Matilda Szydagis (The Sopranos, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)-are first-generation Polish immigrants raised in the Marquette Park neighborhood in Chicago.
• Co-stars and married couple Michael Mahler and Dara Cameron live in Oak Park. They are frequently romantic partners on stage, including Little Shop of Horrors and It's a Wonderful Life at American Blues Theater. As well-known musical theater performers in Chicago, they both sing and play acoustic instruments in the production.
• The Last Wide Open will be performed in English with some Polish spoken by the character MikoÅ‚aj.