PicksInSix Review: SOPHISTICATED LADIES Porchlight Music Theatre
“SOPHISTICATED LADIES” – A SINGING, SWINGING SENSATION!
You may ask: What could possibly top the effervescent sound of Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean A Thing” delivered by the extraordinary Donica Lynn (The Chanteuse), charismatic Donterrio Johnson (The Jazzbo) and an ensemble whose spot-on talent puts the snap, crackle and pop into Porchlight Music Theatre’s terrific production of “Sophisticated Ladies” now playing at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts?
Well, buckle up, baby. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
Take, for instance, Lorenzo Rush Jr., Chicago’s father of cool, in the role of The Raconteur, working “Music is a Woman“ with the captivating Lydia Burke (The Danseuse); the masterful Johnson’s dreamy steamy “Caravan” which takes wings with shimmering dancers on the runway; Burke’s sultry “Solitude,” with a lovely dance number by Terri K. Woodall; or, a glorious sequence—one of two—that begins with the sassy “Hit Me With a Hot Note,” featuring the powerhouse Molly Kral (The Soubrette), followed by the crisp “Love You Madly/Perdido” (Burke, Johnson and Eustace J. Williams, The Danseur) straight into the charming solo “Everything But You” which introduces a breakout performance for The Hipster, John Marshall Jr.
It’s still Act I when the company shifts into high gear for “Rockin’ in Rhythm,” which is so darn good, you are sure to tap your toes in the lobby at intermission. The hits continue after the break with “In a Sentimental Mood,” “Dancers in Love,” “Ko-Ko,” “Beginning to See the Light,” “I’m Just a Lucky So & So” and the title song that features the talented Rush Jr. with the take-your-breath-away elegance of Woodall.
The Donald McKayle-conceived compilation of the 34 biggest hits from the Ellington songbook, with original musical direction by Mercer Ellington, received eight 1981 Tony Award nominations, and won two. Expertly directed and choreographed by Brenda Didier and Florence Walker-Harris, Porchlight’s “Sophisticated Ladies” is a singing, swinging sensation that flies by in a breezy two hours with glitz, vitality and panache.
Musical director Jermaine Hill rips up the score with a seven-piece band from his lofty perch at a swanky white grand piano. The gleaming, split-level Angela Weber Miller set, with Teresa Ham’s gorgeous 1920’s glam, fill the Ruth Page Center stage and massive stairways on either side leading to the bandstand above with color to match the rich and supple tones of the “Duke.”
PHOTOS|Michael Courier
PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
presents
DUKE ELLINGTON’S
SOPHISTICATED LADIES
Ruth Page Center for the Arts
1016 N. Dearborn St.
through March 6, 2020
(773) 777-9884
WEBSITE
TICKETS
For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago