Cast and production team have been announced for Citadel Theatre's 2025-26 season closing production of RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL. It's a gleefully twisted satire that skewers Broadway classics like GYPSY and MAME, as well as cult films such as THE BAD SEED and ALL ABOUT EVE. The show follows Tina Denmark, an adorably sociopathic eight-year-old who will stop at nothing—including murder—to land the lead role in her school play. Premiering Off-Broadway in 1992, RUTHLESS! has become a cult favorite thanks to its outrageous humor, campy style, and razor-sharp wit. Christina Ramirez, Managing Director of the award-winning Actors Training Center in Wilmette and director of the musical FIRST DATE and the upcoming revue SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, both for Oil Lamp Theatre, will direct. RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL will open on Friday, April 17 following previews on April 15 and 16, and play through May 17.
Two young budding North Shore performers will alternate in the star-making role of Tina Denmark — a role that in 1992 launched the career of an 11-year-old Laura Bell Bundy, who would go on as an adult to star in the original Broadway productions of LEGALLY BLONDE and HAIRSPRAY — and of Britney Spears and Natalie Portman, who understudied the role of Tina. Playing Tina for Citadel are Olivia Mulder and Catharina Araujo - two young performers already have considerable North Shore musical theater credits of their own. Mulder has appeared in ANNIE for Big Noise Theatre, A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL for Theatre 121, and THE MUSIC MAN at Metropolis Arts Center. Araujo's equally impressive credits include ANNIE for Music Theater Works, MATILDA and INTO THE WOODS at Actors Training Center; and NEWSIES for Children's Theatre of Winnetka.
Tina's mother Judy, a naive, bland housewife mother who discovers her own theatrical roots, will be played by Annie Beaubien, a 2024 BroadwayWorld Award nominee for her role as Kitty in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE for Surging Films and Theatrics. Cast as Sylvia St. Croix, a pushy, overbearing agent, a role frequently played in drag by men, is Bob Bullen. Bullen's recent credits include The Old Man in A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL. Lita Encore, a tart-tongued, theater hating critic, will be played by Jenny Rudnick, whose many credits across the Chicagoland area have included FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, CAROUSEL and PIPPIN with Music Theater Works); and THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, and GREY GARDENS with Theo Ubique.
Completing the cast are Samantha Mayer (A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Metropolis) as Miss Myrna Thorn, a frustrated third-grade teacher and aspiring director; and Melody Rowland (Ruby in DAMES AT SEA and Dierdre in THE COTTAGE at Citadel, and A CHORUS LINE at Drury Lane). Rowland will play the roles of Louise Lerman, the untalented, innocent classmate who lands the lead role; and Eve - a reporter and adoptive mother to Louise.
Understudies are Tessa Marie Hoffman (Judy), Julie Bayer (Lita Encore), Kyle Twomey (Sylvia St. Croix), and Elizabeth Bushell (Eve, Louise and Mrs. Thorn). The production team includes Aaron Zimmerman (Musical Director), Brian Fimoff (Music Orchestration), Bob Knuth (Set Design), Taylor Pfenning (Costume Design), Rachel Hemm (Lighting Design), Alex Trinh (Sound Design, Sound Board Operator), Ellen Markus (Properties Design), Mitchell Pollitt (Master Carpenter), Natalie Barowsky (Run Crew), Nora Hubert (Assistant Director), and Abby Truett (Stage Manager), Scott Phelps and Ellen Phelps, Producers.
Tickets are priced at $45 are now on sale atwww.citadeltheatre.org.
Citadel Theatre is in residence in the West Campus of the Lake Forest School District at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Further information and ticketing are available on the company's website at https://www.citadeltheatre.org
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RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL
Book and Lyrics by Joel Paley, Music by Marvin Laird
Directed by Christina Ramirez
Friday April 17 - Sunday May 17, 2026
(Previews April 15-16 @ 7:30 pm)
Thursdays*, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Wednesday matinees at 1 pm on April 29 and May 13. *No performances on Thursdays, April 30 and May 14.
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Preview ticket prices $20 plus $2 ticketing fee. Regular run prices $45.00 plus $3.00 ticketing fee. Discounts available for groups, seniors and students.
Citadel Theatre, located in the West Campus building of the Lake Forest School District 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL
Tickets available online atwww.citadeltheatre.orgor by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1
8-year-old Tina Denmark is a charming, sociopathic child star who'll stop at nothing to land the lead role in her school musical. As her ambitious mother, Judy, transforms from a naive housewife to a Broadway diva, Tina's psychotic drive for fame escalates, leading to a hilariously dark and twisted musical journey.
BIOS
Christina Ramirez (Director, RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL) is a Chicago-based theatre maker known for her work as a director, teaching artist, private audition coach, and college audition coach. She currently serves as Managing Director of the award-winning Actors Training Center in Wilmette. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, she earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from Webster University's Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts and performed at renowned venues such as The MUNY, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Hope Repertory Theatre, Maples Repertory Theatre, Insight Theatre Company, Union Avenue Opera, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Christina's Chicago-area directing credits include the musical FIRST DATE and the upcoming revue SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, both for Oil Lamp Theatre.
Joel Paley (Bookwriter and Lyricist, RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL) was an American theatre director, lyricist and playwright. He was perhaps best known for co-creating the all-female musical RUTHLESS! with his creative partner and later husband Marvin Laird. In 1993, he won a Drama Desk Award and was nominated for one more in the categories Outstanding Lyrics and Outstanding Director of a Musical for the play RUTHLESS!. Paley and Laird also collaborated on a revue, THE YIDDISH ARE COMING ... THE YIDDISH ARE COMING, a tribute to the Yiddish language, which was produced in Denver in 2006.
Marvin Laird (Composer, RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL) was the composer of the award-winning off-Broadway musical RUTHLESS!. His collaboration with Joel Paley, the author/lyricist of that show, continued for over 25 years. Their piece THE YIDDISH ARE COMING...! THE YIDDISH ARE COMING...! played regionally throughout North America. Beginning in the 1960s, he conducted and/or wrote dance and vocal arrangements for over two dozen Broadway and West End shows, including the award-winning production of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and the 2003 Broadway revival of GYPSY, both starring Bernadette Peters.
Scott Phelps (Artistic Director) is in his 24th year as the Artistic Director at Citadel. He's acted in and directed dozens of Citadel productions over the last decade and a half since founding this North Shore theatre in 2002 with his friend and lifelong companion, Ellen. In 2023, he starred in the leading role of Pastor Paul in THE CHRISTIANS. He has acted/directed in NYC, and in his home state of California; trained as an actor at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, CA; received his BFA from the University of Utah and did an apprenticeship at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. For 18 years Scott worked for a promotional company and raised his three daughters and his son in Lake Forest. Recently he has been taking on the next chapter of his life — the role of "Beepa" to his grandchildren. Although he is unsure if he is old enough to play that part, he's been enjoying the challenge.
Citadel Theatre is one of Chicagoland's premier live theatres, producing hundreds of performances annually and inspiring audiences for nearly 24 years. Founded by Scott and Ellen Phelps in 2002, Citadel Theatre is comprised of its Main Stage performances and its theatre acting classes for children. A proud member of the League of Chicago Theatres and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff ArtsLink, Citadel Theatre offers a unique intimate theatre experience that transports you to another setting and leaves you feeling exhilarated and wanting more. A recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Citadel can accept tax-deductible donations. For more information, ticketing, and to donate, please visit Citadel online at www.CitadelTheatre.org or call 847.735.8554.
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