Performing Songs from the American Radio Songbook of 50’s-70’s, Doo-Wop, Rock ‘N Roll & Motown Classics

Tickets Now on Sale!

Fans of PBS are in for a special treat when Under the Streetlamp performs an electrifying evening of classics from the American radio songbook at the Merriam Theater on October 24, 2012 at 8 p.m.The new quartet consists of the dreamy voices of four young lead singers, as they embark on national 32-city tour beginning in Sioux City, IA on October 16 and continuing through December 31 in Aurora, IL.

Perennial audience favorites, Under the Streetlamp have just completed the first leg of their national tour.  Their live show taped at the Star Theatre in Indiana has now aired over 1,500 times on PBS stations across the country reaching over 90 percent of the U.S. market and was one of the highest rated shows on PBS in the last 12 months.    Exuding the irresistible rapport of a modern day Rat Pack, the quartet’s vocal talents include Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones and Shonn Wiley, recent cast members of the Tony® Award-winning musical, Jersey Boys.

Accompanied by a band of seven elite musicians, Under the Streetlamp will introduce an entirely new generation to hits from The Drifters, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Four Seasons, and many others, along with reminding the original fans why great music is timeless.

Tickets for Under the Streetlamp are available at $39.50, and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office located on Broad and Spruce streets, Philadelphia, Pa. (open daily from 10am to 6pm, later on performance evenings).

“I was instantly struck by the boys’ clearly authentic love for this music, their amazing showmanship and rapport with one another, their numerous standing ovations and their total commitment to delivering these classics songs in a phenomenal fun filled way...they are having a big party and the audience is invited to join in.” – Charlie Blum, President of Star Plaza Theatre and Manager of Under the Streetlamp

Under the Streetlamp—Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones and Shonn Wiley—are, without a doubt, a modern classic. They have packed concert venues across America and been featured on Broadway, in film and television, and showcased on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Emmy Awards and The Oprah Winfrey Show during their Jersey Boys tenure. Formed in Chicago in 2010, Under the Streetlamp quickly earned a devoted local following and came to the attention of Charlie Blum who runs the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana. All four members of Under the Streetlamp have appeared at one time or another in the Chicago or national company of Jersey Boys. “When we all started doing cabaret together in the Chicago area, we realized that the audience was responding not just to these great songs but the synergy between the four of us,” explained Michael Ingersoll.

Recent rave reviews of Under the Streetlamp:

"The group is not an extension of ‘Jersey Boys,’ rather, Streetlamp is all about Motown-meets-pop-meets-soul-meets American Top 40 radio of the '50's and'60's, delivered in four-part harmony" -- Miriam DiNunzio, Chicago Sun-Times

“Mike Ingersoll belts out a mean Roy Orbison, Christopher Jones excels on soulful ballads, Michael Cunio rocks, and Wiley channels Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin" -- Elaine T. Cicora, Cleveland Scene

"Timing just seems right for the four men who make up Under The Streetlamp – the quartet that's taking American stages by storm this summer" -- Jeffery Ellis, Broadway World

Under the Streetlamp is not just an incredible evening of music and laughter, but a project with a mission. The band creatively join forces with performing arts venues and not-for-profit organizations across the country in an effort to raise significant funds for causes ranging from arts in education to fighting cancer, leukemia, and AIDS. Under the Streetlamp has recently surpassed the $2 million mark in raised charitable contributions.

Seattle-born powerhouse Michael Cunio continually beguiles and exhilarates audiences with his edgy charisma, suave confidence, and electric vocals. Cunio is co-founder and lead singer of the alternative rock band Reckless Place with whom he wrote and released Innocence is No Excuse… and most recently Six Shooter, both currently available on iTunes. Cunio’s musical influences include Mavis Staples, Darlene Love, Tina Turner, Willie Dixon, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and The Who.

Michael Ingersoll is an Ohio native with a grounded musical style that exudes all the sincerity, warmth, and generosity of the Rockabilly/Rhythm & Blues greats. He originated the role of Nick Massi on the 1^st National Tour of Jersey Boys and spent three years playing to sold-out crowds in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago for over 1,300 performances. His Chicago theatre credits include a Jeff Award Nomination for Jonathan Larson in Tick, Tick… BOOM! at Pegasus Players and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, as well as headlining his own successful regional concert tour, Steppin’ Out, a Rat Pack style variety show featuring the Ted Hogarth Orchestra. Ingersoll appeared in the feature film Walk The Line.

With an extraordinarily emotive and soulful voice, Christopher Kale Jones’s musical approach brims with quiet intensity, haunting beauty, and palpable longing. A Hawaiian native with an impressive singing range, Jones was raised on oldies and Christian pop greats like Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Sandi Patty, and DC Talk, teaching him that music was a way to escape. A graduate of Northwestern University, Jones was cast as Frankie Valli on the 1^st National Tour of Jersey Boys and has worked at several Chicago theaters including the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Steppenwolf Theatre.

Shonn Wiley finished his run as Bob Gaudio in the Chicago company of Jersey Boys in 2010. In 2009 he played a critically acclaimed run as Jock Donahue in the York Theatre’s production of My Vaudeville Man, and was nominated for both the Lucille Lortel Award and the Drama Desk Award for his choreography. Wiley made his Broadway debut in the original cast of the Tony Award-winning revival of 42^nd Street, and also appeared on Broadway in Dracula The Musical (2004). Other New York credits include several productions for City Center Encores! and the title character in Candide at New York City Opera in 2008. Wiley portrays the curruing role of “Young Josh Lewis” on CBS's Guiding Light, and has appeared in the films Redhook, Tiny Dancer, and Confessions of a Shopaholic.

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Kimmel Center, Inc., a charitable, not-for-profit organization, owns, manages, supports and maintains The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which includes Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, Innovation Studio and the Merck Arts Education Center. Kimmel Center, Inc. also manages the Academy of Music, owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, and the University of the Arts Merriam Theater. Kimmel Center, Inc.’s mission is to operate a world class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience which includes providing arts in education, community outreach and a rich diversity of programming. For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org.