Northlight Theatre Draws from Rich Chicago Roster for 2013-14 Casts

Casting for much of the 2013-14 season at Northlight Theatre has been announced, and it serves as a solid reminder of the depth and breadth of Chicago’s talent pool.

To be featured in “4000 Miles,” by Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Herzog, are Mary Ann Thebus, Josh Salt, Emjoy Gavino, Caroline Neff (currently onstage at the Steppenwolf Garage in “Annie Bosh is Missing”). The show, to be directed by Kimberly Senior, runs Sept. 14 – Oct. 20. It deals with the relationship between “a rudderless 21- year-old guy who has just finished a long bike trip and seeks refuge in his elderly grandmother’s West Village apartment.”

For the Midwest premiere of Dominique Morisseau’s “Detroit ’67,” the lineup will be Tyla Abercrumbie, Cassandra Bissell, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Coco Elysses and Kelvin Roston, Jr. The show, to be directed by Ron OJ Parson, runs Nov. 8-Dec. 15. Set in 1967, it looks at the changing world of the city as seen through the eyes of two siblings who run an after-hours club in the basement of their late parents’ house. “Tensions mount when the siblings discover that their dreams have diverged, their tight-knit community is threatened by the arrival of an outsider, and the city around them erupts in violence. The music of Motown fuels this new play set against the backdrop of America’s Motor City.”

“Tom Jones,” Jon Jory’s new adaptation of the classic Henry Fielding novel, will feature Sam Ashdown (as the title character), Chris Amos, Nora Fiffer, Molly Glynn, Melanie Keller, John Lister, Cristina Panfilio, Eric Parks and Marcus Truschinski. Directed by William Brown, and running Jan. 17 – Feb. 23, 2014, the show follows the exploits of “an amiable young rascal with a fondness for the fairer sex…and for getting into trouble. Caught succumbing to the charms of local girl Molly, and the refined Sophia, poor Tom is banished by his benefactor and sets off on a whirlwind of misadventures.”

As previously announced, John Mahoney and Penny Slusher will appear in the world premiere of “Chapatti,” Christian O’Reilly’s play to be directed by Northlight artistic director BJ Jones, for a March 7 – April 13, 2014 run. The story of a pair of lonely animal-lovers living in Dublin is billed as “a warm and gentle story about two people re-discovering the importance of human companionship.”

Casting for the season’s final show, a revival of Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers,” is still to be announced. It will be directed by Devon de Mayo and run May 2 – June 8, 2014. Simon’s nostalgic memory play, set in the summer of 1942, is about a financially strapped dad who has no alternative but to leave his sons with their grandmother while he struggles to pay off his debts.

Subscriptions to the 2013-14 Northlight Season ($105-$235) are available through the box office at 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Call (847) 673-6300 or visit www.northlight.org. Individual tickets for the season ($25-$75), are available beginning Aug. 13.