Kaitlyn Davis portrays Carole King in Marriott Theatre’s production of Beautiful. The musical won four Jeff Awards, including Davis for Best Performer in a Principal Role. The Lincolnshire venue is marking its 50th anniversary this year. (Photos courtesy of Liz Lauren)

Peter Blair has done it all at Marriott Theatre.

The theater’s executive producer started at the Lincolnshire venue in 2005 as a production assistant.

“I mopped the floors. I made the coffee. I took care of the props,” Blair remembered. “I did other jobs too. I am just lucky to have a stable job in the arts.”

Stability and Marriott Theatre go hand in hand. The Chicago area’s longest-running musical theater will enter its 50^th season in February.

“The Marriott has a unique stage setup which creates challenges, but artistically, it is so unique,” Blair said. “We have so many people who are loyal subscribers.

“The theater, with all the obstacles we have had to overcome, is embarking on a landmark season. The work we are doing is excellent. We have a lot of diversity on stage.”

Blair said even though the theater’s setup surrounding the actors is unique, the venue’s biggest plus is the actors and patrons.

“It all boils down to the people I work with and the people who come in the door,” Blair said.

He said the annual combination of shows makes the Lincolnshire site a marquee venue.

“We have a great mix of shows,” the executive producer said. “We are known for everything from local premieres to world premieres to classics. Next year, we are performing Titanic. That is not performed often.”

Show lineup

The theater’s 50^th season will feature a world premiere, the return of a family classic, and three titles new to Marriott Theatre audiences.

“We will have Joseph (and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat), a classic. This year in our annual survey of subscribers, that was the number 1 show they wanted back,” Blair said.

Brandon Springman (left) and Bart Shatto perform in Marriott Theatre’s The Bridges of Madison County. (Marriott Theatre photo)

Under the leadership of Blair and Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan, the theater’s 50^th season will feature Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Titanic the Musical, Always Something There…, Catch Me If You Can and Million Dollar Quartet Christmas.

The 50^th anniversary season will kick off with Joseph, directed and choreographed by Jeff Award nominee Amber Mak, who previously led Marriott Theatre’s Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.

The musical is a reimagining of the story of Joseph; his father, Jacob; 11 brothers; and the coat of many colors.

Joseph previews Feb. 5, opens Feb. 12 and runs through March 30.

Cast members of In The Heights perform. (Marriott Theatre photo)

Next in the lineup is Titanic the Musical, directed and choreographed by Conner Gallagher in his Marriott Theatre debut. Gallagher’s work includes Broadway’s Beetlejuice, Off-Broadway’s The Big Gay Jamboree, The Robber Bridegroom and Into the Woods, and Disney Cruise Lines’ The Tale of Moana, Beauty and The Beast, and Tangled.

Titanic captures the triumph and tragedy of the hopeful passengers on the ill-fated Ship of Dreams.

It previews April 9, opens April 16 and runs through June 1.

A world premiere of the musical Always Something There… by Sandy Rustin of The Cottage, Clue and Mystic Pizza is slated for this summer.

The play is a musical homage to the teen flicks of the 1980s.

Always Something There… previews June 18, opens June 25 and runs through Aug. 10.

With the fall season comes Catch Me If You Can.

The musical comedy, based on a true story, is about chasing dreams and not getting caught.

Catch Me If You Can previews Aug. 27, opens Sept. 3 and runs through Oct. 19.

The season will close with Million Dollar Quartet Christmas.

Rock ‘n’ roll legends return for a holiday musical experience. Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley gather to celebrate the holidays at Sun Records studios.

Million Dollar Quartet Christmas previews Nov. 5, opens Nov. 12 and runs through Jan. 4.

“The shows come from all different angles,” Blair, the theater’s executive producer, said. “When you look at what’s available, four of the plays have never been on our stage, and Joseph is the number 1 show people wanted to see.”

By his own admission, Blair was late to the theater game.

John Cudia (left) as Valjean and Richard Todd Adams as Javert in Marriott Theatre’s production of Les Miserables (Marriott Theatre photo)

“I did a tiny bit of theater in high school. In college, I realized performing was not going to be my path,” he said. “After college, I moved to Chicago with little aim or organization. I did a lot of stage-managing. I worked off-stage, backstage, figuring out where I fit in best.”

Highlights

Blair noted the Lincolnshire theater started in 1975 with plays with marquee names like Neil Simon, but relatively quickly moved into the musical niche.

He pointed to Les Miserables in 2008 as the theater’s highlight performance.

“People thought, ‘How are they going to do this?’” Blair said. “It was a challenge, but it worked beautifully.”

Other memorable performances, according to Blair, have been Beautiful in 2023, In the Heights in 2024, and The Bridges of Madison County in 2017.

He said In the Heights was not assured of being a success.

“It was a bit of a gamble, but I loved it,” Blair said. “The cast put so much heart into it; and the reaction it got was amazing.”

He said part of the Marriott’s ambiance is its seating setup.

“There are only eight rows of seats,” Blair noted. “The farthest seat is nearer the stage than some other theaters’ best seats, which are past the orchestra pit.

“Actors love performing here. They can really feel the audience energy and reaction.”

The Highland Park resident noted that another theater highlight was Jennifer Hudson making her stage debut in Big River in 2002.

Marriott Theatre was also home to Jessie Mueller before she headed to New York and won a Tony Award in 2014.

“We have had a lot of great performers,” Blair said. “New York performers love to come here. It’s intimate, more personal.”

He noted the bulk of Marriott Theatre subscribers are North Shore residents, but added patrons come from Chicago, Milwaukee and as far as Indiana and Michigan.

The Drifters perform as part of Beautiful. (Marriott Theatre photo)

“Some subscribers have been with us for years. A lot of them spend the winter elsewhere, but find a way to come back for the shows,” Blair said. “They may come to an early performance for one show and a later performance for another show, but they make it work.”

Subscriptions for Marriott Theatre’s 50^th anniversary season, as well as single tickets for upcoming shows and concerts are available at MarriottTheatre.com. You can follow the theater on social media @marriotttheatre.

kbeese@chronicleillinois.com