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Suzanne Petri is a Jeff nominated actor who has performed, produced and directed on dozens of Chicago stages including the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Apple Tree, Chicago Dramatists, Chicago Shakespeare, Next, Northlight and the Chicago Humanities Festival. Suzanne is an Ensemble member of American Blues Theater, celebrating 25 years in 2010. An ensemble member of American Theater Company for ten years, she was seen as Aunt Eller in the highly acclaimed “Oklahoma!” the Midwest premiere of "Kid-Simple," as well as “The People’s Temple,” “True West,” "The Hairy Ape," "Two Rooms," "A Lie of the Mind," "The Threepenny Opera," and she presented several musical tributes including 1940's Holiday Radio Spectacular! tributes to Hoagy Carmichael, Mel Torme & Cole Porter, Kander & Ebb, Kurt Weill and a tribute to Rosemary Clooney.
She has appeared in many of the city's leading stage productions including her Jeff-nominated performance as Madame Hortense in "Zorba" at Apple Tree Theatre and Malvolio in "Twelfth Night" at the Goodman Theatre and Carson Grace Becker's "Book Of Mercy" at Chicago Dramatists. A passionate advocate of cabaret, Suzanne is the president and a founding member of the Chicago Cabaret Professionals (www.chicagocabaret.org.) “Noted Chicago actress and cabaret darling,” Suzanne has brought her "marvelous voice... vivacious performance... wry sophistication" to such venues as Maxim’s, Park West, Davenport's, Katerina's, the Chicago Cultural Center, the late great Toulouse on the Park, Skokie Theatre and “Musical Mondays” at the Drury Lane Water Tower Place. Her show, "Marlene Muzik," A Tribute To Marlene Dietrich: The Actress, The Music, The Desire, receives raves as do her many musical concoctions, including “A Little Touch Of Coward in the Night” The Words and Music of Noel Coward. She was pleased to appear at the Mabel Mercer Foundation's 3rd Chicago Cabaret Convention at Park West and at the New York Cabaret Convention: The Mabel Mercer's 21st Anniversary Celebration at Jazz at Lincoln Center. She was honored with Chicago’s "After Dark" Award for Outstanding Cabaret Artist and in 2007 she released her debut studio CD “Das Grand Tour,” with musical director and collaborator on so many projects, After Dark Award winner Bob Moreen. She has been the president of the Chicago Cabaret Professionals, since it’s inception in 1998 and looks forward to CCP’s annual Gala benefit at Park West Theater on October 11th 2009, where she and Bob Moreen will be honored by our peers with the Gold Coast Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award, respectively. Suzanne was a 2000 Cabaret Fellow at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center's Cabaret Symposium where she studied with Julie Wilson, Margaret Whiting, Carol Hall, Lina Koutrakos, Rick Jensen, Lincoln Mayorga, Tex Arnold and other cabaret luminaries. Her debut studio CD "Das Grand Tour" with the multi-talented Mr. Moreen, was released in 2007. ”Das Grand Tour” is available on Itunes, CDBaby and many digital outlets. Suzanne and Bob have appeared regularly at Cyrano's Cafe Simone; A Parisian Cabaret, Katerina’s, Cornelia’s and many Chicago venues and private parties. As a cabaret artist, she performs a wide variety of music from European and American cabaret to jazz standards and show tunes. Her show "A Marvelous Party!" was listed best of 2003 by Cabaret Hotline and her live CD was recorded at Davenport's and is available on the "Shop" page. She loves mixing costumes, songs and stories to illuminate the characters she sings. She chooses music that connects to her heart with a passion that moves her audience's heart, whether revealing a specific artist, or work of great composers and lyricists, in songs from "The Bilbao Song" by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht and 'La Vie En Rose" by Edith Piaf, to "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" by Cole Porter and "Send In The Clowns" by Stephen Sondheim as well as original songs by contemporary composers. She has co-produced and performed in CCP's Galas at the Cultural Center, Maxim's, the Royal George, Second City etc. plus annual "A Holiday Cabarets" which benefit Teen Living Programs and Save The Children. Her film and TV work includes "Just Visiting," "Milwaukee, Minnesota," "Early Edition" and "Evil Has A Face." download portrait page |