Mercury Theater Chicago has announced their 2017 calendar year season, which will kick of in January with the Chicago Premiere of I LEFT MY HEART: A SALUTE TO THE MUSIC OF TONY BENNETT, including songs such as ‘Rags to Riches,’ ‘Put On a Happy Face’ ‘The Good Life’, ‘The Best Is Yet to Come’ and ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco.’

Disney’s MARY POPPINS will run late March through May, and “the American tribal love-rock musical” HAIR will have a summer run late July through mid-September. For the fall, the Mercury is producing a straight-play adaptation of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA just in time for Halloween.

“Mercury Theater Chicago’s new season offers joy and happiness in these uncertain times,” said Executive Director L. Walter Stearns. “Leave your troubles outside, we invite you to come on, get happy.”

The year will close with the Mercury’s annual holiday show, THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER. Tickets and more information at mercurytheaterchicago.com.

From the press release:

I LEFT MY HEART: A SALUTE TO THE MUSIC OF TONY BENNETT (January 27 to March 5, 2017)
Created by David Grapes and Todd Olson, Musical Arrangements by Vince di Mura

Take a walk down memory lane in this sexy, new musical revue I LEFT MY HEART: A SALUTE TO THE MUSIC OF TONY BENNETT. Called “the greatest singer in the world” by Frank Sinatra, the always charming, classy and debonair Tony Bennett crooned his way into the heart of America. I LEFT MY HEART features three superb singers performing Bennett’s best work—including ‘Rags to Riches,’ ‘Put On a Happy Face’ ‘The Good Life’, ‘The Best Is Yet to Come’ and, of course, ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco.’ This is a musical event for anyone who loves the classics and holds a song in their heart.
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MARY POPPINS (March 24 to May 28, 2017)
A musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney Film.
Original Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Book by Julian Fellowes
New Songs and Additional Music and Lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe
Co-Created by Cameron Mackintosh

Disney’s MARY POPPINS is a Supercalifragilistic hit! Combining the best of the original stories by P. L. Travers and the beloved Walt Disney film, the Tony Award-winning Mary Poppins is everything you’d hope for in a Broadway musical—and like nothing you’d ever expect. Get swept up in tunes like ‘Spoonful of Sugar,’ ‘Feed the Birds’ and of course ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee’ as young Jane and Michael learn life lessons from their unconventional nanny and the lovable jack-of-all-trades Bert. So, bring the whole family and spend a ‘Jolly Holiday’ with Mary and an irresistible cast of characters.

HAIR: THE AMERICAN TRIBAL LOVE-ROCK MUSICAL (July 27 to September 17, 2017)
Music by Galt MacDermot
Book and Lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni

A celebration of life, a love letter to freedom, and a passionate cry for hope and change, HAIR defined one generation and continues to inspire today. Join the tribe of the Age of Aquarius for the story of a group of friends choosing to speak up and sing out in celebration of love, life, and freedom. The first great rock musical, it has some of the most rousing and soulful songs ever written for the stage, including ‘Let the Sun Shine In,’ ‘Good Morning Starshine,’ ‘Aquarius,’ and the infectious title song, ‘Hair.’

DRACULA – A PLAY (October 7 to November 5, 2017)
Adapted from the novel by Bram Stoker

Just in time for Halloween, this wildly theatrical work weaves an engaging story of passion, yearning, cruelty and sacrifice. Bram Stoker’s haunting story comes to life as the friends and family of the beautiful Lucy Seward try to discover the cause of her mysterious illness. With the help of the supernatural specialist, Dr. Van Helsing, they discover that the mysteriously charming Count Dracula is a vampire who has made Lucy his latest victim. This production stays faithful to Bram Stoker’s enduring novel, creating an eerie mood through mesmerizing choreography and a haunting musical soundscape. Dracula just might stake its claim as this Halloween’s most thrilling adventure.

THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER (November 24 to December 31, 2017)
Book by John Reeger, Music and lyrics by Julie Shannon

Returning for its annual voyage, THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER has become Chicago’s holiday tradition. The whole family will enjoy this heartwarming story of the first Christmas tree ship and the family who risked their lives to fill Chicago with the Christmas spirit. The Chicago Tribune calls this show “a sacred part of a Chicago Christmas”. The Chicago Sun-Times raved, “An inheritance to be treasured”. A timely and uplifting tale of love and loss, THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER reminds us of tradition, and our responsibility to celebrate the living while honoring our heritage.