CHICAGO - A Theater in the Dark’s original audio play THE WHITE CITY: AN AUDIBLE EXHIBITION ON H.H. HOLMES, MURDERER, which premiered online in March 2023, will be presented in a live, immersive staged reading with members of the original cast, for two nights only in the Coach House of the historic Glessner House, located at 18o1 S. Prairie Avenue in Chicago’s South Loop. The play by Evanston-based playwright Rick Kinnebrew will again be directed by Corey Bradberry, Artistic Director of A Theater in the Dark and director of the original audio production. WHITE CITY is a theatrical thriller surrounding the notorious Chicago serial killer H. H. Holmes, who is said to have murdered more than 20 people during the World’s Columbian Exposition.in 1893. The story focuses on the victim of the only murder for which Holmes was convicted, that of his business partner Ben Pitezel. Kinnebrew is author of the screenplay for the Windy City Film Festival finalist FOG CITY and the play TEN DOLLAR HOUSE. The production features an original musical score composed and performed by Nick Montopoli and sound design created by Jake Sorgen, engineered by Bradberry. Performances are Friday, October 6 and Saturday, October 7 at 8 pm each night. There will be a post-show Q & A with playwright Rick Kinnebrew after each performance.
The original audio production premiered in mid-March with three live performances presented online and was featured on WGN Radio’s “Dean Richards’ Sunday Morning” and ABC Chicago 7’s Weekender Report. A recording of the production was launched on March 30 and is available online at www.atheaterinthedark.com.
Ethan Carlson will reprise his role from the audio production as the murderous H.H. Holmes. Holmes’ doomed business partner Ben Pitezel will again be played by Keenan Odenkirk, seen in 2022 as Nick in Invictus Theatre’s Jeff Award-winning WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Carlson and Odenkirk will be joined by other members of the original cast. Full casting for the immersive reading to be announced.
A Theater in the Dark emerged in fall 2019 with its innovative in-person production of its original noir thriller THREE STORIES UP, performed for audiences sitting in complete darkness, When the COVID pandemic shut down all live performances in 2020, the company was perfectly positioned to pivot to streaming productions of audio plays. Returning to the traditions of the golden age of radio, they received critical acclaim and popular success with their live audio play productions of A WAR OF THE WORLDS, A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN THE DARK, and A WHITE WHALE. Their previous productions of the 2022-23 season are the noir comedy-mystery A MATTER OF RED HERRINGS and the mystery A MURDER IN THE COURT OF XANADU.
The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES said A Theater in the Dark’s 2021 A WHITE WHALE (an original adaptation of Melville’s MOBY DICK) was “packed from stem-to-stern with some of the best, most evocative writing I’ve heard from a theater this year.” The production was honored with the “Critics Choice Award” of the 2021 Atlanta Audio Fringe Festival and the “Best Audio Production” at the 2021 Thornhill Theatre Festival.
A Theater in the Dark presents the first staged reading of playwright Rick Kinnebrew’s captivating examination of one of the late 19th century’s most notorious characters. Directed by Corey Bradberry and presented in the style of classic radio dramas of the 1930s and 1940s, the production combines the written word, human voices, original music, and rich soundscapes ranging from the Ferris wheel to the gallows where Holmes was executed.
SYNOPSIS
The White City is based on the true story of Chicago’s multi-murderer Dr. H. H. Holmes. Guiding us through the story is a devilish carnival barker named Hatch. An edifying spectacle not to be missed!
Ben Pitezel scores a bit of luck with a promising job in Chicago, but soon discovers that his new position with the smooth-talking, successful Dr. H. H. Holmes is, in reality, a deal with the devil. Can Ben reap the rewards of his station without paying the price?
WHO WAS H. H. HOLMES?
Herman Mudgett (1861-1896), better known as Dr. H. H. Holmes, was a con artist, murderer, forger, swindler, and bigamist who built and resided in the infamous “Murder Hotel” at 611 W. 63rd Street during the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. (The building was demolished in 1938.)
Although many people refer to Holmes as a serial killer, he wouldn’t fit the bill! Motivated by self-advancement and greed rather than psychopathy, Holmes eventually confessed to over two dozen murders - but how many of them were real?
Rick Kinnebrew takes us inside Holmes’s mind to help us understand why so many people fell under his spell, and why we are still fascinated by his story 130 years later.
The production runs approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes including intermission.
$30 per person / $25 for members
Tickets at GlessnerHouse.org