PicksInSix Review: Jersey Boys - Mercury Theater Chicago

Sweet, Sassy, Success Story, Richly Told!
PicksInSix® Gold Review | Ed Tracy

After an electrifying opening on Thursday night at Mercury Theater Chicago,  “Jersey Boys,” the mega-hit Tony Award-winning musical has officially launched its first regional production in Chicagoland. Get in step, folks. This will be the hot ticket to get in town!

The Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice book follows the origin story of The Four Seasons, one of the top selling vocal groups of their, or any, time told from the perspective of each of the four guys who traded up from a Newark street corner to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Tommy DeVito (Adrian Aguilar), Nick Massi (Jason Michael Evans), Bob Gaudio (Andrew MacNaughton) and Frankie Valli (Michael Metcalf).

JERSEY BOYS: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons at Mercury Theater Chicago through May 19, 2024.

Along the way, all night long, the memorable Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe hits keep coming, backed by the highly-charged Mercury Theater band under co-musical directors Eugene Dizon and Linda Madonia, and with choreography by Christopher Chase Carter, all under the co-stage direction of L. Walter Stearns and Brenda Didier.

And everyone on and off stage make it look easy, something that this magnificent show is decidedly not. With over 30 numbers, lots of moving parts, and barely over a dozen players covering numerous roles, Mercury’s “Jersey Boys” is a sweet, sassy, success story, richly told. Things move along at lightning speed on Bob Knuth’s mammoth, two-story scenic design framed with G. “Max” Maxin IV graphics that serve to both reinforce the story and provide multiple visual surprises. With Rachel Boylan’s costumes, lighting by Denise Karzcewski and Stephanie M. Senior’s sound design, this marvelous production is everything you could hope for.

The show also serves as a right of passage for a very select group of actor/singers at the top of their craft who can navigate a musical marathon of intricate harmonies, stage show choreography and the rigorous ebb and flow of a dramatic story that allows for multiple narrators to tell their own version of the story about friendship, family, overcoming obstacles and achieving success.

The multi-layered Mercury creative team hit solid gold with this extraordinary cast. Aguilar’s gritty, commanding portrayal of Tommy DeVito, the hardened, street smart leader of the group, propels the origin story forward at the outset while Evans’s superb, more introspective, troubled Nick Massi wins us over, particularly when the stress of keeping up wears him out.

The teaming of MacNaughton and Metcalf is inspired. MacNaughton’s pure voice and vocal range add depth to the musical mix and Metcalf has all the right stuff for the demanding vocal range and lush delivery of Frankie Valli—a star turn of the first order—charming and poised, with just the right mix of confidence and vulnerability.

Grant Alexander Brown shines as the ebullient matchmaker Joe Pesci. Starmaker producer/songwriter Bob Crewe is played by the multi-faceted Adam Fane who hires the group as backup singers to his corral of recording artists and becomes the pivotal driving force in their success co-writing with Gaudio. It’s in Crewe’s studio where the transformation begins, their unique sound starts to coalesce and the show throttles up. And true to the real-life rags-to-riches story, Gaudio delivers the chart busting hit they have been waiting for and “Sherry” vaults the Four Seasons on to fame, fortune and all the trappings that follow.

From top to bottom, strong supporting performances from the ensemble are delivered by Dan Gold (Nick DeVito), Eric A. Lewis (Barry Belson), Kayla Shipman (Mary), Jason Richards (Norm Waxman), Haley Jane Schafer (Lorraine), Carl Herzog (Gyp) and Maya McQueen (Francine).

When we get through the drama of it all, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons find their place in history, and Mercury’s “Jersey Boys” is on a path all its own–another milestone run on Southport for the foreseeable future.

Oh, what a night, indeed!  

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Mercury Theater Chicago
presents
JERSEY BOYS
3745 N Southport Avenue
EXTENDED through July 28, 2024

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PicksInSix Review: Young Frankenstein - Mercury Theater Chicago

Mercury’s “Young Frankenstein” High-Flying Fun!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

The brilliance of the 1974 film Young Frankenstein comes from the ability of Mel Brooks its director and screenwriter (with Gene Wilder) to alternately pay tribute to Hollywood’s past, while parodying scenes from great films. The stage musical version of “Young Frankenstein”—with music and lyrics by Brooks and book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan—now playing at the Mercury Theater Chicago under the direction of J. Walter Stearns and musical direction of Eugene Dizon, delivers a high-flying fun night with all of that same pathos and side-splitting comedy thanks to some spirited performances and a hard-working ensemble of endless invention.

As the story goes: Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (the great and versatile Chicago actor Sean Fortunato) is fighting the family legacy to make his own name, right down to the pronunciation – “Fronk-en-steen.”  He’s a university professor and lecturer who is constantly denigrating his grandfather’s work, calling it the “ravings” of a lunatic mind.  Now that his grandfather has passed away, he is called to Transylvania to settle the family estate. He leaves behind a fiancé Elizabeth (a fine comic performance by Lillian Castillo), who is a truly spoiled girl that he really doesn’t love, it seems. There is a fun song – “Please Don’t Touch Me”— at the pier where Frederick is about to depart that showcases the terrific ensemble that is immensely valuable in this production.  While Elizabeth is distressed that he is leaving right before their wedding, she accepts the inevitable.

Frederick arrives in Transylvania, meeting Igor (Ryan Stajmiger in an energetic turn), hiring a tall demure assistant named Inga (the lovely and talented Isabella Andrews) and meeting the boss of the house, Frau Blücher (Mary Robin Roth, who steals every scene she’s in – cue the horses).  Frederick is convinced, in time, by reading his grandfather’s record on his work – a book entitled “How I Did It” – and assumes the responsibility to replicate the recreation of life at last.

The Monster (the wonderful Andrew MacNaughton, who makes a role with nifty footwork and practically no dialogue a truly enjoyable experience, because he’s enjoying it himself) comes to life and runs to the countryside and freedom.  Jonah D. Winston is an articulate Inspector who rouses the hoi polloi to action against the Monster. There’s an unforgettable scene with the blind Hermit (Samuel Shankman in great voice – “I was going to make espresso…”)

In this production, the ensemble leaves a strong mark on the story, particularly when choreographer Brenda Didier is putting them through their paces.  Playing everything from Elizabeth’s “staff” to the citizenry of Transylvania to passengers at the pier to tap-dancing fools and supporting the Monster and Frederick and, well, everyone else in a finale of impressive tap dancing that’s fit for the Ritz!

I’ve always been a huge Mel Brooks fan but that’s not a requirement to enjoy this stellar laugh-out-loud night of frivolity that’s playing through December 31.  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Mercury Theater Chicago
presents
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
3745 N Southport Avenue
through December 31, 2023

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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

WEBSITE
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PICKSINSIX Review: PIPPIN

“THIS “PIPPIN” IS A CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT!”

It was a busy Saturday night at the Mercury Theater Chicago on North Southport. “AVENUE Q,” — or, as I like to refer to it, the puppet juggernaut “AQ2,” since it recently surpassed 100 performances on its second run in four years and is now extended through December 30th — had capacity crowds at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. While the puppet-handlers were on dinner break, a steady stream of patrons was veering off to the right into the shadowy and steamy Venus Cabaret Theater for the much-anticipated second show at the new venue, the iconic 1972 Stephen Schwartz hit “PIPPIN.”

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In a stroke of genius by the manager of the Mercury’s Traffic Control and Scheduling Department, the staggered performance times allowed for the delay of any lobby mayhem until “PIPPIN” got out, which happened to coincide with the intermission of “AQ2.” Nobody seemed to notice at all because everyone was happily chattering about what was behind Door “P” and behind Door “Q.” Venus is definitely coming into alignment with Mercury. This “PIPPIN” is a crowning achievement! 

The main character of “AQ2,” Princeton and Pippin are each trying to find their “purpose” in shows that could not be more different in musical style, tone and presentation. The absurdly fun “AQ2” is about puppets searching for the inner meaning of life. The Venus production of “PIPPIN” — under the direction of L. Walter Stearns, featuring the expertly stylized, Fosse-infused choreography of Brenda Didier, the razor-sharp musical direction of Eugene Dizon and performed by a trio under the direction of piano/conductor Andrew Milliken – emerges as the realization that if there is hope and love, nothing else matters.

The Leading Player (a commanding performance by Donterrio Johnson) moves in and out among his Players, who frame the familiar story of Charlemagne (Don Forston), Charles son’s Pippin (Koray Tarhan) and half-brother, Lewis (Adam Fane) and Lewis’ mother, Fastrada (a ‘mistressful turn’ for the multi-talented Sawyer Smith). Along the way from soldier, to ruler and ultimately, his corner of the sky, Pippin receives all kinds of guidance and advice from his grandmother, Berthe (the incomparable Iris Lieberman) in “Time To Start Living.” Tarhan’s quiet “With You” and “Love Song” with Catherine (Nicole Armold) are memorable Schwartz ballads. The Ensemble also includes Kayla Boye, Michael Rawls and a nice performance by Gabriel Robert in the role of young Theo.

The big numbers are on full throttle including Johnson and Company in “Magic To Do” and “Right Track”… Tarhan’s “Corner of the Sky” and “Morning Glow”… Armold’s “Average Everyday Woman” …and Smith’s “Spread A Little Sunshine.” There is a special place for everyone in “War is a Science,” a scene that includes a very amusing topographical element (video and projections by G. Max Maxim IV) before the men go marching out into the fray, replete throughout in Rachel Boylan’s dazzling costumes.    

Venus Cabaret Theater is evolving into an epicenter for innovative, high tech, cabaret-style musical productions. For “PIPPIN,” the colorful, new show that works exceptionally well on the darker, more mysterious, side of the cabaret spectrum, veer just to the right through Door “P.”

PHOTOS|Michael Courier

VENUS CABARET THEATER
Presents
PIPPIN
through December 16th
3741 North Southport
(773) 325-1700

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PICKSINSIX Review: AVENUE Q

FAST-PACED, LAUGH-OUT-LOUD HIT!

Far-out puppets... AVENUE Q, that bawdy, irresistibly appealing three-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical about an out of the way New York City neighborhood where far-out puppets and humans alike face life-changing situations, is right back where it belongs at the Mercury Theater. L. Walter Stearns directs a seasoned company of top returning and new talent in a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud hit!

Adult-themed musical... There are more than a few reasons that AVENUE Q had a six-year run on Broadway, can still be seen Off-Broadway and in major productions around the country, of which this is certainly one. The neighborhood is full of lovable and often extremely inappropriate puppets whose take on everything from racism, sex, gender issues, and internet porn have made this adult-themed musical sure-fire, head-bobbing fun.

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Power of giving... Whether you choose to watch the puppets or their handlers - and there is a lot of mischievous handling going on - there is so much to see, hear and enjoy. At the center of the story of Princeton’s quest to find his purpose in life is the touching love story that evolves with Kate Monster whose goal is to establish a school for monsters. Along the way, Princeton and Kate learn from their neighbors about life, love and the power of giving, proving that when you have a puppet in your hand, you can get away with a lot of things.

Delightfully endearing... This production is a bit of a renaissance - with a few carefully chosen script enhancements - of the one that flourished at the Mercury for seven months and 169 performances in 2014. Stearns and Musical Director Eugene Dizon have now assembled a top-flight ensemble around the delightfully endearing return performances of Jackson Evans (Princeton) and Leah Morrow (Kate Monster). Dan Smeriglio is hilarious in his return in the split roles of Nicky (with Jonah D. Winston, who is also a perfect Trekkie Monster) and Bad Idea Bear (with Stephanie Herman, who splits as the salacious Lucy and Mrs. T). Rounding out the superb multi-talented cast are David S. Robbins (Gary Coleman), Christian Siebert(Rod), Matthew Lies(Brian) and Audrey Billings (Christmas Eve).

Subtly nuanced additions... The all-star creative team includes Broadway veteran puppet designer Russ Walko whose work has come to life with the imagination of Rick Lyon, creator of the original Broadway puppets (and Broadway company cast member) who worked extensively with the Chicago cast during the rehearsal process. With Lyons’ subtly nuanced additions, choreography by Kevin Bellie, the picture-perfect set and state-of-the-art digital elements by set designer Alan Donohue, video design by Max Maxin IV, lighting by Dustin L. Derry, sound by Carl Wahlstrom and Rachel Boylan’s costumes, this high-octane AVENUE Q is running on all cylinders.

One naughty night out... Mercury Theater Chicago is again collecting for Season of Concern, an organization that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from generous artists and theater patrons to benefit people in the entertainment industry who are experiencing health-related emergencies and medical issues. There is an opportunity during the show when one could make a substantial contribution to support this worthy cause, so if you are planning only one naughty night out this summer, find your purpose on AVENUE Q.

PHOTOS|Brett A. Beiner

MERCURY THEATER CHICAGO
Presents
AVENUE Q
through September 9th
3745 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL ‎60613
TICKETS: 773 325-1700

WEBSITE
Listen to our June 18th CONVERSATION with Leah Morrow and Jackson Evans
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