PicksInSix Review: Anything Goes - Porchlight Music Theatre

Blow Gabriel! Murphy is Heaven Sent!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Porchlight Music Theatre celebrates the Chicago Cole Porter Festival and launches their 29th Season with a sparkling, effervescent 90th anniversary production of “Anything Goes” superbly directed by Michael Weber featuring Meghan Murphy in a big, boisterous star turn as the seaworthy siren Reno Sweeney. The book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman, was adapted for the 1987 Broadway revival from the 1934 original by P.C. Woodhouse, Guy Bolton, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It tells the story of an oceanic crossing with a zany cast of characters with Murphy’s Sweeney at the delectable center of Porter’s most beloved music and lyrics.

Luke Nowakowski shines in the role of Billy Crocker who yearns for Hope Harcourt (played beautifully by Emma Ogea) even as he falls in with a gangster named Moonface Martin (an inspired performance by Steve McDonaugh) and his partner Erma (a scintillating Tafadzwa Diener) who all want to flip the tables on the wedding between Harcourt and Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Jackson Evans). At the matinee on Saturday, Evans—in one of the most hilarious of his many stage appearances to date—and Murphy create an irresistible comic cosmos in “The Gypsy in Me” that literally brought tears to my eyes. In the end, of course, love conquers all and everything works out, except for a few clay pigeons off the starboard bow and anyone who actually sold their Amalgamated stock.

Under the lush musical direction of Nick Sula, Porter’s rich, melodic score comes vibrantly alive in “You’re The Top,” “Friendship” and “It’s De-lovely.” And when conductor Linda Madonia’s band kicks into high gear, it’s time to clear the decks for Tammy Mader’s rock-solid, toe-tapping choreography—and one of the finest singing and dancing ensembles seen on a Porchlight stage—to blast the big production numbers like “Anything Goes,” and “Blow, Gabriel Blow” straight to the heavens, with Murphy leading the way.

Jeffrey D. Kmiec’s magnificent two-story ship deck is dressed in navy blue and white with seaworthy stairs that frame a series of three revolving doors providing access to the main stage area. Kmiec’s masterfully sturdy design, complete with ship’s railing and arched pylons, reveals more than a few surprises along the way.

Under the steady hand of artistic director Michael Weber, Porchlight Music Theatre has built a superb reputation for developing exceptional new talent. In recent years, on the intimate Ruth Page Center for the Arts main stage, the company has forged full steam ahead through harsh winds and heavy seas to stay on course despite the challenges that the performing arts community has been navigating. Weber and Executive Director Jeannie Lukow’s bold, innovative, award-winning, musical productions include a long list of outstanding veteran performers like the late Hollis Resnick in a memorable production of “Sunset Boulevard,” E. Faye Butler’s showstopping performance as Mama Rose in “Gypsy” and Broadway veteran Felicia P. Fields in “Blues in the Night” who elevate the performances of everyone around them to new heights.

Add the exquisite Meghan Murphy to the company of Chicago’s all-time brightest stars. What a performance. What a show! 

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
presents
ANYTHING GOES
Ruth Page Center for the Arts
EXTENDED
through March 10, 2024

WEBSITE

TICKETS

DIGITAL PROGRAM

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PicksInSix Review: Cabaret - Porchlight Music Theatre

Barrelling Down the Track of Life!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Scott Gryder

Perhaps you would have thought you’d gotten lost along the way to the opening night performance of Porchlight Music Theatre’s “Cabaret” at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, for the stage had been transformed into a magnificent train depot the depth of the theater. Although I was familiar with the musical beginning with a trip, I was in no way prepared for the runaway train experience coming down the track brought on by an engine of brute force talent fueled by the finest directorial and choreographed momentum.

John Kander and Fred Ebb’s “Cabaret,” based on the 1951 Broadway play “I Am a Camera” by John Van Druten, appropriately starts with a train ride to Berlin by aspiring American novelist Clifford Bradshaw, who’s seeking inspiration for his latest work. The first German he meets, Ernst Ludwig, punches his personal ticket to rapture and ruin. Beyond the intimate bonds Clifford forges with vulgar club performers and hardworking, hardened day dwellers, the backdrop of “Cabaret” is a Germany politically seething with the growing threat of Hitler’s Nazi Party agenda, which eventually sends Clifford’s new life and loved ones scrambling to find their footing amid the inevitable devastation.

What really charges the show is the synergy between every single member of the cast. Whether a featured or ensemble role, each performer brings fully formed characters to the stage. Even cameos are dynamically developed. There were times when, even as the stage is filled with rambunctious activity at the Kit Kat Club, one can readily identify each character from across the show’s scenes thanks to their nuanced behaviors. This cast is committed to character. Between hit novelty numbers at the Kit Kat, multiple characters completely saturate the book scenes with profound truth. The glamor and vulnerability of Erica Stephan’s Sally Bowles is breathtaking, while Mary Robin Roth brings a fierce compassion to her Fräulein Schneider to a degree that would make even Lotte Lenya green. Additionally, Neala Barron’s brash Fräulein ‘Fritzie’ Kost, with a vocal apparatus that bellows, belts and sears, comes through with humor and heart. While, lastly, wreaking of a smarmy charm, Josiah Haugen’s Ernst Ludwig is nearly irresistible, embodying the Nazi nature with a frightening charisma.

As an intensely avid fan of the legendary Broadway songwriting team, this production, on the whole, is just what a production of “Cabaret” ought to be. It’s bawdy. It’s sincere. It’s disturbing. And each actor fits firmly into their roles, fully embracing the subtext of every line and lyric. Implementing a phoenix-like rising from the ashes, time-travelling establishing moment, PorchLight’s Artistic Director Michael Weber has gifted us a ticket to a searing production that transports us full steam ahead into the heart of the story. Add to that the ever-scintillating dance sequences by Chicago-beloved choreographer & associate director, powerhouse Brenda Didier, and the scenes and musical numbers are of famed Moulin Rouge caliber.

Scenic Designer Angela Weber Miller’s stunning railway-inspired set creates a fully playable canvas, easily absorbing projections to help designate locations, and flawlessly transforming between the famed Kit Kat nightclub and Fräulein Schneider's boarding house. Costume Designer Bill Morey dominated the epic task of not only costuming a cast of featured characters in the main plot with delicious textures and swanky style, but he created provocative visuals for the multitude of senses within the scenes at the Kit Kat Club. What added bonus depth to the stage was the cinematic lighting by Patrick Chan. Taking advantage of the steady haze silently creeping onstage, Chan achieved movie-like close-up energy by utilizing sharp spotlights across clouds of emoting washes of reds, blues and golden hues. The orchestra, under the baton of conductor and musical director Linda Madonia, was sublime. They executed Kander’s music with incredible precision and stamina. Kudos to trumpeter Greg Strauss! Has he got sonant spunk! If only, considering the glitz and personality given to the actors' costumes, the orchestra had also been outfitted with thematic pizzazz instead of street clothes.

The engine of this “Cabaret” only continues to gain propulsion as each new relationship is forged or broken or as each dream is won or lost, relentlessly pushing the plot and the lives of those involved to go faster and faster. Eventually, as trains do, the best laid plans are derailed, grinding goals to a halt and sending lives smashing. And the ride from start to finish is worth it! As a ticket-buyer tip: look for seats center or house right, so you’ll have a better view of the action, especially stage left. You really must come to Porchlight’s “Cabaret,” old chum!

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | SCOTT GRYDER received a Non-Equity Jeff Award for his performance in the one-man show BUYER & CELLAR. www.thescottgryder.com

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
presents
RENT
Ruth Page Center for the Arts
EXTENDED
through March 19, 2023

WEBSITE

TICKETS

HEALTH & SAFETY

DIGITAL PROGRAM

 
Additional Cabaret Content

Courtesy of Porchlight Music Theatre January 2023

Cabaret - Origins
Cabaret –Influences
Cabaret at Porchlight!

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PICKSINSIX Review: GYPSY: A MUSICAL FABLE

‘GYPSY’ WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY! 

Like the scene out of a famous Buster Keaton film, the front wall of the Ruth Page Center for the Arts rattled and shook for over two hours on Tuesday night and then fell forward in one monumental crash all over North Dearborn. The only thing left standing amid the rubble was the extraordinary E. Faye Butler whose jaw-dropping portrayal of Rose in Porchlight Music Theatre’s “GYPSY: A Musical Fable” created such a seismic shift that the aftershock is still being felt at a 1920s vaudeville house in Omaha. But there she was, beaming that beautifully, broad smile, in one of Bill Morey’s many stunning outfits, with dozens of roses coming up all around her. You have never seen a “GYPSY” like this one — arguably Porchlight’s finest and most ambitious production to date — and it will be talked about for a long, long time.

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Artistic Director Michael Weber, known for envisioning big, bold innovative treatments of classic musicals, has raised the artistic bar at their new home in the Ruth Page Center. It is only the second season at Ruth Page, and 24th overall for the award-winning Porchlight organization, but Weber has now unlocked a fascinating new treatment of the classic Arthur Laurents book with music by Jules Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim that churns through the early days of Rose’s quest to make a better life than she had for her daughter’s June and Louise, who becomes the famous Gypsy Rose Lee.  

It is vitally important to state at this juncture that Weber sets things up so simply, and with such fitting and expert attention to Styne’s beautiful music and the backstory, that you begin to wonder how all of this is going to play out. Then, in one sweeping motion, courtesy of scenic designer Jeffrey D. Kmiec and choreographer Chris Carter, we are catapulted into the vaudeville theater circuit and the heart of this wonderful story. That moment — and everything else about this glorious production of “GYPSY” — will take your breath away!

Among the principal roles, in a cast that numbers close to 30, there are standout performances from José Antonio García (Herbie), Aalon Smith, (June) and Daryn Whitney Harrell (Louise) who evolves into the sultry Gypsy Rose. Harrell and Smith shine in “If Momma Was Married” and the trio of Butler, García and Whitney deliver the fun and tuneful favorite “Together, Wherever We Go.” The Ensemble, which includes a slew of youthful performers, most notably the charming newcomer Izzie Rose (Baby June), are all terrific, as are the featured roles rendered by Marco Tzunux (Tulsa), Larry Baldacci (Uncle Jocko/Mr. Goldstone/Pastey) and Elya Faye Bottiger (Agnes).

Backstage at the burlesque house, nothing could be finer than having the enormous talents of Melissa Young (Tessie Tura), Dawn Bless (Mazeppa), and Honey West (Electra) in the horn-blowing, tassle-turning, electrifying number “You Gotta Get A Gimmick.”

David Fiorello’s superb music direction and the seven-piece ensemble is on fire all night long. Butler’s powerful interpretations of “Some People,” the delightfully funny “Mr. Goldstone” and “Everything‘s Coming Up Roses” are unforgettable highlights. It is the iconic “Rose’s Turn,” however, that makes the house shake, rattle and roar, and forever changes the description of “Showstopper” to: “E. Faye Butler in ‘GYPSY: A Musical Fable’ at Porchlight!”

PHOTOS|MICHAEL COURIER

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
Presents
GYPSY: A MUSICAL FABLE
EXTENDED through December 29th
RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
1016 N. Dearborn St. Chicago
(773) 777-9884

WEBSITE

Our CONVERSATION with Director Michael Weber is available on Apple Podcasts, Libsyn and Stitcher.

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PICKSINSIX Review: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

"Porchlight ‘Merrily’ Turns Back the Clock"

Reeling in the years... let’s turn back the clock and find out exactly how we got here from there. That’s the premise of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, Porchlight Music Theatre’s brilliant new offering at Ruth Page Center for the Arts. There is a lot to unravel and it’s all done with surgical skill by Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber and a cast that sings the daylights out of this score.

What it’s about... let’s begin at the ending, shall we? Franklin Shepard (Jim DeSelm) has all the trappings of success, but no one really likes him much, including his old friend, bestselling author, admirer and alcoholic Mary Flynn (Neala Barron), his wife, Gussie (Keely Vasquez) to whom he has been unfaithful and just about everyone else at his Los Angeles pool party. Tick. Tock. Turn back the clock and Frank and Mary’s partner, Charley Kringas (Matt Crowle), frustrated and hurt by Frank’s actions, implodes on national television. Drilling down, we find that Frank’s world is fraught with temptations that ultimately ruin his marriage to his first wife Beth (Aja Wiltshire) and other twists and turns that lead, to where we all truly start out at one time or another – young, reckless and hopeful.

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The story of our lives... this is one of the iconic musicals that Sondheim fans savor. It is the story of our lives. In the more than four decades that have passed since its inauspicious Broadway debut, this show continues to technically evolve with every passing year, something Weber has tapped into in an ingenious way, this being 2018 after all. It’s a clever use of media, staging and that all makes for great storytelling, or is it 'un-telling'?

Who stands out... Of the three amigos in the middle — Jim DeSelm, Neala Barron and Matt Crowle — DeSelm gets the difficult assignment of being the heartless, success-at-all-costs riser you need to like and you will. Barron is a powerhouse - charming and vulnerable, with a depth of feeling that is up to everything the versatile Crowle, one of Chicago's most gifted talents, dishes out. Keely Vasquez sizzles as Gussie. And, I’ll wager we will be seeing alot more from the terrific, multi-talented Wiltshire. 

What to watch and wait for... Crowle’s show-stopping ‘Franklin Shepard, Inc.’ and 'Good Thing Going'…’Old Friends’…Wiltshire’s touching ‘Not A Day Goes By”…’It’s A Hit’

What life is all about... Friends like us. Damn few.

PHOTOS|MICHAEL COURIER

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
Stephen Sondheim|George Furth
Directed by Michael Weber
through March 11th
RUTH PAGE CENTER
FOR THE ARTS
1016 N Dearborn St.
773-777-9884

WEBSITE
ARCHIVE

"Flying like a bird. Like electricity."

BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL

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What it's about ... based on the 2000 film and with music by Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall ... as everyone in a small mining community in Northeastern England faces a protracted and hostile strike, a boy discovers a passion for dance and against his father's wishes, trains for an audition at the Royal Ballet School. 

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Lots of firsts ... the first production of Porchlight Music Theatre's 23rd season in their new home at Ruth Page Center for the Arts with the largest cast ever in company history. This is a big, bold move for one of Chicago’s most ambitious musical theatre companies. If Billy Elliot is any indication of what is to come, the future is very bright indeed for the organization headed by Artistic Director Michael Weber and Executive Director Jeannie Lukow. 

"Electricity" performed by Lincoln Seymour

What stands out ... director and choreographer Brenda Didier has assembled an exceptional cast of talented kids, headed by newcomer Lincoln Seymour in the title role (alternating with Jacob Kaiser), whose enthusiasm and presence explodes off the stage. The joy that exudes from all that energy is infectious.

Who to watch for ... Shanésia Davis is perfect in the role of Mrs. Wilkinson … Sean Fortunato (Dad) ... Iris Lieberman (Grandma) … Adam Fane (Tony Elliot) … Peyton Owen is an engaging Michael ... Nicole Cready (Mum) … along with the supporting cast of miners, merrymakers and dance students who keep this show on its toes.

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What to wait for ... Davis 'Shine' ... Lieberman 'Grandma's Song' ... Owen and Seymour 'Expressing Yourself'... the Ensemble 'Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher' ... Seymour 'Electricity'

The takeaway ... hold on for the big finish. It’s a wow!

Photo Credit: Michael Courier
Video Courtesy of Porchlight Music Theatre

Porchlight Music Theatre's
BILLY ELLIOT The Musical
Now extended through November 26th
Ruth Page Center for the Arts
1016 N. Dearborn St.
Chicago
WEBSITE
TICKETS
773-777-9884
ARCHIVE 
PODCAST (Brenda Didier)