PicksInSix Review: Inherit the Wind - Goodman Theatre

“THE RIGHT TO THINK ON TRIAL”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The image has all the makings of a Norman Rockwell painting.

The citizens of rural Hillsboro, clustered four-deep in the steamy courthouse, leaning in and transfixed by the sudden turn of events at the trial of Bertram Cates (Christopher Llewyn Ramirez), accused of teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution in his 2nd grade classroom. Leading Cates’s defense is Henry Drummond (Harry Lennix) who is grilling the prosecuting attorney—and his old friend—Matthew Harrison Brady (Alexander Gemignani) on the witness stand about philosophy and scriptures after the judge (Kevin Gudhal) has refused to allow any men or women of science to testify for the defense.

The fiery courtroom interchange between the two men leads to the scintillating climax of the Goodman Theatre’s superb revival of “Inherit the Wind” directed by Henry Godinez that opened Monday. The 1955 play, written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, is a fictionalized account of the 1925 Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee that challenged the Butler Act outlawing the teaching of evolution in the classroom. Indeed, the injustice of suppressing alternate opinions and attempting to eliminate the free exchange of ideas flows throughout the play which explains its universal appeal on stage and in the memorable 1960 film starring Spencer Tracy and Frederic March.

For context, the title refers to Proverbs 11:29: “He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: And the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.” Exemplified in the overbearing nature of Reverend Jermiah Brown (Ryan Kitley) toward his daughter Rachel (Tyler), who is torn between the love she feels for Cates and her strict religious upbringing, and in the exchanges between Drummond and Brady, “Inherit the Wind” lays bare the differences in the individual beliefs of our existence. Perhaps the most salient point belongs to Drummond, who says: “The man who has everything figured out is probably a fool. College examinations notwithstanding, it takes a very smart fella to say ‘I don’t know the answer!’”

Director Godinez has assembled a stellar cast and creative team around the central characters involved in the trial. Lennix is commanding as Drummond, his folksy charm every bit a match for Gemignani’s swaggering fire and brimstone. Together they are simply terrific to watch. In supporting roles, Lawrence Grimm has a slick featured role as the radio man and among the townspeople in the fine ensemble that includes William Dick (Mayor), Terry Bell (Sillers), Charin Álvarez (Mrs. Brady) and Meighan Gerachis (Elijah). On the fringe of the proceedings is E.K.Hornbeck (Mi Kang), the cynical reporter who is covering the trial. The real life father/daughter team of Christopher Kale Jones as the trial attorney Tom Davenport and  Melinda (Presley Rose Jones) who is the friend of Thomas Murphy Molony’s Howard and Robert Schleifer (Meeker) all deserve special mention.

There is a down-home, natural and overall timeless vision on the creative side of the show that is first-rate. Collette Pollard’s elegant scenic design includes a stunning vista of the Hillsboro skyline above the stage, ever present within a shimmering skylight that mirrors the raked stage surface that serves as both the townsquare and the courtroom. Jessica Pabst’s costume design fits the period nature of the piece perfectly along with Jason Lynch’s crisp lighting and the subtle but effective original music and sound design by Richard Woodbury. While the sense is that the action is occurring at another place and time, this thought-provoking piece reflects the here and now, or for that matter, any instance when the threat to free speech and our personal liberties is so great that we must take an active stand and always seek the truth.  

(Note: An earlier version omitted Robert Schleifer..)      
PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Goodman Theatre
presents
Inherit the Wind
EXTENDED through October 20

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PicksInSix Review: Big Fish - Marriott Theatre

“Stories Under Every Leaf And Stone.”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

“Big Fish,” the musical based on Daniel Wallace’s novel about an alluring travelling salesman and his larger-than-life experiences that also spawned the 2003 Tim Burton directed film, had its 2013 pre-Broadway tryout in Chicago. With music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and a book by John August, Edward Bloom’s exploits, were expanded and enlarged to epic proportions by director/choreographer Susan Stroman. The show had too much happening, for so long, that it was hard to believe it would be able to survive its fall opening in New York. The script was considerably reworked over the summer, however, the show did not see the new year.

But that was only an early chapter in the “Big Fish” story, a musical that deserved to live on. It has been regularly produced including at the Boho Theatre in a blackbox space at Chicago’s Greenhouse Theatre a few years ago. The scaled down production fit the space well and captured the essence of the central story that tracks Bloom’s son Will on a journey to learn the truth behind his father’s wide-eyed stories. What resonated most to me at the time was how the score had coalesced and matured. In such an intimate setting, and even at the expense of the sizable scope of the stories being told, this sparkling gem of show had me hooked.

Now comes an exciting, new Equity production that brings together the best of all possible creative Chicago worlds to the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Director Henry Godinez and Associate Director and Choreographer Tommy Rapley have expertly infused the small-cast version of the show, designed for a dozen players, into a sweeping musical tapestry of fabric, color and light. The work is superbly paced, the staging fresh and creative, and the crowning achievement is that it takes full advantage of Marriott’s in-the-round, ramped access configuration, effortlessly flowing from one scene to the next, beginning to end. The stunning first act closing number is a sight to behold!

Leading the all-star cast and ensemble is Alexander Gemignani as the always engaging Edward Bloom, a husband, father, salesman and teller of stories. Thirty-six to be exact, with many multiple versions of encounters: a prediction from a witch, a gentle giant friendship, the first kiss from a girl in the water, a hyperbolic werewolf and the love of his life, a vivacious redhead named Sandra played by the equally vivacious Heidi Kettenring. Gemignani and Kettenring are terrific together.  That goes for Michael Kurowski as Will and his Josephine, Lydia Burke, too.

The ensemble, all under the musical direction of Ryan T. Nelson, is a force to be reckoned all its own, top drawer Chicago talent all worthy of mention including:  Brandon Dahlquist, Allison Sill, Christopher Kale Jones, Ayana Strutz, Lucy Godinez, Emma Rosenthal, William Daly and Archer Geye, splitting the role of Young Will, and the commanding presence of Jonah D. Winston.  Strutz does some nifty aerial work and you will want to have the Alabama Lambs at your garden party this summer. Conductor Kevin Reeks and the orchestra are in fine form.

Godinez has assembled a diverse production team with wide-ranging credits from theaters across Chicagoland. With the ruddy scenic design by Collette Pollard with its many surprises, hidden panels, trap doors, tiny towns and reams of fabric that appear out of thin air exploding in the colors of Jesse Klug’s lighting design, Amanda Vander Byl’s costumes and Michael Daly’s sound, Marriott’s “Big Fish” is a magical night of theater not to be missed.  

PHOTO | Liz Lauren

Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire
presents
BIG FISH
through March 19, 2023

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(847) 634-0200

HEALTH PROTOCALS

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PicksInSix Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

“LOOKS LIKE PLANT FOOD TO ME!”

Spring has sprung and world-domination waits just a few turns off a major artery on North Southport, courtesy of the delightfully comic infusion of L. Walter Stearns’s crisply directed production of the Alan Menken/Howard Ashman 1982 musical “Little Shop of Horrors” that opened over the weekend at Mercury Theater Chicago. With an all-star company that includes the enormously talented duo of Christopher Kale Jones and Dana Tretta, rocking music direction by Eugene Dizon and Alan Donahue’s Skid Row set, a fantastic fit in the historic confines of the Mercury, “Little Shop” is a twisted, taut and terrific hit!

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As the story goes…stuck away on the other side of town in a rundown neighborhood, Mushnik’s Skid Row Florists caters to, well, nobody. Desperate to keep the store open and with no options in sight, Mr. Mushnik (Tommy Novak) has been taking out his frustration on those closest to him: his loyal-yet-extremely timid horticultural protégé Seymour Krelborn (Jones) and the sweet, but emotionally disturbed, assistant Audrey (Tretta), who is cowering in fear of her abusive boyfriend, the maniacal dentist Dr. Orin (David Sajewich). As a Greek chorus—the charming and talented trio of Nicole Lambert, Adhana Reid, Shantel Cribbs—leads us along the not-so-rosy garden path, Seymour happens on an extraterrestrial solution:  a hungry, carnivorous plant that feeds off people’s hopes and dreams and whatever else they can humanly offer, that he affectionately names “Audrey II.”

Before you think that this sounds heavy, the truth is that all of the despicable activities in “Little Shop” are driven by and meant to fulfill the evil machinations of Seymour’s blood-thirsty companion. So, with that much of the absurd story in hand, you are free to lean forward into the lush performances of the tunefully rich Menken/Ashman score to see how this all turns out for the star-crossed lovers. It is familiar territory for the versatile Jones who played Seymour at Ford’s Theatre, has toured with “Jersey Boys” and recently headlined a sold-out Bobby Darin concert series at the Mercury. He takes a deep dive into Seymour’s milquetoast skin, displays a brilliant comic range, oozes the simple charm of the role’s innocence and showcases his formidable vocals all night long—but at no point more so than in his soaring anthem with Tretta, “Suddenly Seymour.”

It is easy to see why Seymour, and everyone else, falls for Tretta’s Audrey—a sensitive and touching turn for one of Chicago’s bright rising stars who appeared last season as Gilda Radner at the Mercury. Tretta’s nuanced and heartfelt performance of the signature ballad, “Somewhere That’s Green,” is truly remarkable.    

Novak is perfect as Mushnik, whose suspicious nature causes things to start unravelling. As the evil Dr. Orin, Sajewich is diabolically delightful and then has loads of fun in a multitude of characters, from Bernstein and Mrs. Luce to Skip Snip.  The leafy, lounging flycatcher-in-the-room is a technical marvel designed by Martin P. Robinson, expertly animated by Sam Woods and voiced by the phenomenal Jonah Winston, who also has a big finish.

Ashman’s script continually winks to the colorfully uncoordinated costumes which are the stellar work of designer Serena Sandoval. With Kristof Janezic’s lighting and top-flight sound by Carl Wahlstrom, every detail of Stearns’s high-flying production, from the Christopher Chase Carter choreography to the ruddy Skid Row atmosphere and fanciful suburban billboards promising “TRAIN fares are SO CHEAP!” combine to make “Little Shop of Horrors” a slithering, smashing success!

PHOTOS|Brett Beiner

MERCURY THEATER CHICAGO
Presents
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
through April 28th
3745 North Southport Avenue
Chicago, IL
(773) 325-1700

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