Hero will be featured in upcoming editions of Playbill with this 3-page story. Click any image above to view larger, or download a PDF of the whole article.

A stage ‘Hero’: World premiere stage musical at Marriott explores life’s ‘super’ moments

BY Philip Potempa | June 15, 2012

When Aaron Thielen and Munster’s Theatre at the Center acting favorite Michael Mahler decided to team up to create a new stage musical dedicated to the panel by panel artistic and creative world of comic books, they both agreed the production should “feel and look” like stepping inside an actual comic book.

After many months of collaboration, their virtual comic book is ready to be opened by audiences.

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At the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, they’re holding out for a “Hero”

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune | June 21, 2012

“Despite its long-standing love of traditional Broadway fare like ‘Hairspray’ and ‘A Chorus Line,’ the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire is no stranger to new musicals. Among other titles, the commercial theater-in-the-round with the huge, if graying, subscription base has premiered ‘Annie Warbucks,’ ‘Windy City’ (now there’s a show ripe for revival), ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’ and ‘The Phantom of the Country Palace.’ Also ‘The Bowery Boys’ (a show not unlike “Newsies”) in 2009 and, just last year, a new Marriott musical based on the Bette Midler movie ‘For the Boys.’ … ‘Hero’ is a homegrown musical in every sense of the word: The music and lyrics are by Michael Mahler, a familiar figure to Chicago audiences from his acting gigs (mostly recently in ‘The March’ at the Steppenwolf Theatre); the book is by Aaron Thielen, who also is the Marriott’s co-artistic director. The director is David H. Bell, who helmed ‘The Bowery Boys’…

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