KEEPING IT LOCAL

KEEPING IT LOCAL

It is perhaps ironic, given that we live in a city that is considered one of the country's leading theatre centers, that we see more theatre in other cities, primarily in New York, than in our own. There's a reason for that.

At the risk of offending folks in my hometown, I simply find theatre in New York more exciting and vibrant than theatre in Chicago. There's many reasons for that. Foremost is the preponderance of talent in New York. Stop gasping in horror, Chicago, it's true. Chicago, of course, has an impressive lineup of talent, and TimeLine Theatre is one of our favorite companies, but New York is the nation's theatre capital and as such is a magnet for creative and acting talents. Another is an attitude of smugness and pretension that sometimes infects Chicago theatre. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's something I noticed back in the early 70s when I was a student. It went away for a long time, but now it's back. I didn't like it then; I don't like it now. What is a plus for Chicago is its relatively recent renaissance as a tryout city (recently Ann and Kinky Boots). We like that. And it was the tryout of the new musical Big Fish that sparked this streak of local theatre-going.

In the mix is one tryout, one Equity tour, one non-Equity tour, a production of a musical classic mounted by the Lyric Opera, a slight detour up to Milwaukee for a one-man show and, back to Chicago, three productions, two musicals/one play, mounted by local theatre companies.

Welcome to my hometown!

April, 2013. A non-Equity production that played like an Equity one with top-notch production values, a smoking orchestra, crisp choreography, a talented chorus and engaging performances including a star-making turn by 2012 (!!) FSU grad Stephen Anthony as Frank Abagnale, Jr. Mark my words...that young man is going places. Personally, I liked the score better than their "Hairspray," but felt the book wasn't as strong. A solid "B" show that deserved a longer Broadway run. Highly entertaining! - at the Palace Theatre, Chicago

April, 2013.  Preview performance. Well, it needs work. Quite a bit, in fact. But that's what pre-Broadway tryouts are for. I couldn't decide if the first act was quirky charm or just messy. The second act was better, but the ending needs a rethink. Considering it's Susan Stroman, there was some surprising directorial and staging sloppiness and one really terrible segment involving a witch. With all the bells and whistles, the show frequently loses its humanity and works best during its quieter moments. The score has a couple of pretty ballads, but overall is forgettable. I can only imagine what Flaherty & Aherns could have done with this. The talented cast works hard, especially Norbert Leo Butz, Bobby Steggert (solid performance, but his character needs to be revisited since at the moment it's pretty unlikeable) and, best for last, the radiant Kate Baldwin, whose touching "I Don't Need a Roof" is reason enough to see the show. I hope they can pull it together since there's a lot of potential. At this stage of the game, I'd give it a solid C+. - at the Oriental Theatre, Chicago

April, 2013. About 90 minutes away on I-94 lies the fabulous city of Milwaukee. We made the trip up to see the amahzing Seth Rudetsky and his wonderful Seth's Big Fat Broadway Show. In between howling with laughter, you actually learn something and when you're in the audience with a couple hundred theatre-savvy folks, well, it just makes for a delightful evening. If you ever get the chance to see him….go! - at Vogel Hall, Milwaukee

 (Yes, this is the famed Biograph Theatre where John Dillinger and the Feds got up close and personal.)

April, 2013. At 110 intermissionless minutes, it's either about 20 minutes too long or needs an interval. The acting was uniformly good (Bob's former student did a very nifty turn as the daughter), but I felt the writing went all over the place. Is the play anti-Mormon? Anti-religion? Anti-Idaho? A play about regret? A play about love? Why does the ex-wife make an entrance? Although nicely done, I felt it added nothing to the plot and the play sort of went from one sub-plot to the next and never really landed on one. And, I know I'm in the minority here since many of the critics raved, but I felt the lead character as written was terribly self-indulgent and as such, I didn't care for him or his situation. He's gay. His partner died. Okay, that's sad. Been there, done that. But my reaction to Steve's death wasn't to eat myself to death. Oh, boo hoo, poor Charlie. Yeah, the death of your partner sucks...big time, but Charlie's way to deal with it just majorly pissed. me. off. Didn't hate it; didn't love it. I think the playwright overreached and wrote about things he doesn't really know about. - at Victory Gardens Theatre, Chicago

May, 2013. The book may be creaky, but damn!, that Cole Porter dude knows how to write a tune! The book scenes seemed to be played a bit broader than in New York, but that actually made them funnier. This Equity tour featured Kathleen Marshall's sensational choreography, a glorious orchestra, a top-notch cast and Rachel York's dazzling star turn. Kudos to Jeremy Benton and Jeff Brooks who superbly filled in as Billy Crocker and Moonface Martin and a big shout-out to the gloriously wonderful Joyce Chittick as Erma. Her "Buddy Beware" was smoking hot! This is classic musical theatre at its best. Thanks, Roundabout Theatre Company for including Chicago as a tour stop! - at the Palace Theatre, Chicago

May, 2013. I was most definitely not bewitched, bothered and bewildered. Porchlight's production of the Rodgers & Hart classic was, sadly, pretty awful. Dull, misdirected characters, a really ugly and cheap-looking set and some really unfortunate performances by the ensemble made this difficult to sit through. To be fair, the singing was good, if bland, and it had some decent "Cabaret" dances. No, I'm not confused. One of the numbers appeared to have been lifted directly from the film of "Cabaret." Most reviewers really liked it, but it's getting so our main reviewers have lost their edge and pretty much like anything, unless a production in New York is being reviewed, in which case they nit-pick about everything. There was no sophistication; no edge. Joey was charming and kind of a bad boy,  but not the slimy douche he's supposed to be. Vera was played like she was nipping down to the kitchen for some coffee rather than a worldly, seen-it-all, done-it-all woman of means and, in the most perplexing performance of the show, Melba ("Zip") was played by an actress fresh out of Columbia College, in other words, at least a decade too young. The critics fainted over her despite the fact she didn't understand what she was singing. You could tell. No clue. None. And all her choreography was missing was a pole for her to gyrate against. Again, just so wrong for the song… and the show. Ah, well. Glad we got 1/2 price tickets. This company claims to produce "classic musicals Chicago style," whatever the hell that means. If this is an example, I think I'll pass on their "Chicago style" approach. A huge misfire. - at Stage 773, Chicago.

May, 2013. Cy Coleman provided the tasty score for this rarely done musical. While it may not have had the "wow" factor that I experienced when I saw the original production in New York, it did remarkably well considering the relatively small space it was performed in. I didn't like that the characters, except for Barnum and Chairy, always wore their circus clothes (really, you couldn't put Jenny Lind in a gown?) and the second act fell apart somewhat, almost as though the director ran out of staging ideas. The actress playing Joyce/Blues Singer was vocally meek and the actress playing Jenny Lind had inexcusably poor diction. Solid performances by Gene Weygandt (Bob's known him for years) as Barnum and Cory Goodrich as Chairy gave the show a nice professional sheen. Sadly the show has been playing to very small houses and that's a shame since it's an enjoyable time in the theatre. - at the Mercury Theatre, Chicago

May, 2013. A 37 piece orchestra! 23 strings, real strings!! Bliss! I can't even imagine the thrill those first audiences felt in 1943 as this trailblazing iconic musical unfolded before them. The amplified sound was a bit dicey, but perhaps we were simply too close, and the supertitles were not necessary (there's someone in the world who doesn't know the lyrics? Seriously?), but those are mere quibbles in an evening of pure pleasure. John Cudia and Ashley Brown were terrific as Curly and Laurie. Understudy Paul La Rosa was a powerful Jud. Curtis Holbrook was an energetic Will, Usman Ally a very funny Ali Hakim and Tari Kelly was simply sensational as Ado Annie. And the singing? Fantastic. The Agnes De Mille choreography? Classic. The sets and costumes? First class all the way. It's perhaps ironic that this show, the first truly integrated musical, plays homage to a conservative, politically homophobic red state. Perhaps the state needs to pay heed to Oscar Hammerstein's timeless lyrics, slightly paraphrased to make my point, "Oh the straight folks and the gay folks should be friends…."  Oklahoma! performed by professionals. What a concept! Loved it. - at the Civic Opera House, Chicago

That's it for now. Until later.