PicksInSix Review: Little Shop of Horrors - Paramount Theatre

Boy Meets Girl Meets Bloodthirsty Plant.
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

There’s a little show about plant food and world domination that’s getting a big-stage theatrical revival at a theatre near you. The smash hit 1982 Off-Broadway musical “Little Shop of Horrors” featuring book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken is currently blooming nightly in a fast-paced and highly entertaining production directed by Landree Fleming at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.

For the humble and lovable Seymour Krelborn (Jack Ball), being on Skid Row as a junior employee at Mushnik’s Flower Distributors is looking more and more like a dead-end job every day. It doesn’t help that the awkward and inept Seymour is hopelessly infatuated with his coworker, Audrey (Teressa LaGamba), who happens to be entangled with a sick, demented and abusive lover Orin (Russell Mernagh), the nitrous oxide addicted dentist from hell you love to hate.

The Mushnik flower shop is on a perennial bubble of its own. With his inventory shriveling and not one sale for the day, the dejected Mushnik (Gene Weygandt) is about to throw in his trowel and pull the door shades down for the final time. Grasping for a hopeful life-vine, Audrey urges Seymour to bring out his newest project, a fascinating and irresistible plant he has dutifully named “Audrey II” in honor of the woman of his dreams.

What starts out as fun-loving camp turns quickly to ghoulish satire with a succulent score and a top rate ensemble led by Ball and LaGamba as the unwitting marks for the charismatic, and inherently evil, foliage from another planet that has a taste for world domination and fresh hemoglobin. It’s Ball’s Seymour who is first enchanted into feeding his own fancy for fame and fortune until those closest to him begin to succumb to Audrey II’s insatiable erythrocytic appetite.

Along the way, Ashman and Menken’s brilliant collaboration shines in the capable hands of music director Kory Danielson who conducts the Paramount Band and choreography by Michael George and Mariah Morris. LaGamba’s lofty and poignant rendition of “Somewhere That’s Green” and the superb duet with Ball “Suddenly, Seymour” are particular highlights. Standout performances abound from the Urchins—Lydia Burke (Crystal), Tickwanya Jones (Ronnette) and Marta Bady (Chiffon)—who serve as the show’s Greek chorus, to Weygandt’s irascible turn as Mushnik in “Mushnik and Son.”

The magnificent multi-level Skid Row set is the work of Jeffrey D. Kimec. Add Jose Santiago’s crisp lighting and Yvonne Miranda’s evocative 60s era costumes and you have the perfect backdrop for the ever-present, and all-consuming, Audrey II—voiced by Je’Shaun Jackson and puppeteered by Adam Fane—designed and created by Skylight Music Theatre and the props team who are working overtime for this show and make Paramount’s “Little Shop of Horrors” a creeping-crawling hit that’s good to the last drop!     

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Paramount Theatre
presents
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
through October 15, 2023

23 East Galena Boulevard
Aurora, IL 60506

(630) 896–6666

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PicksInSix Review: Merrily We Roll Along - Blank Theatre Company

Now You Know ‘Blank’ Means Business.
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Scott Gryder

Edgewater was admirably gifted with a mosaic of melodies and lyrics when the one-month run of Blank Theatre Company’s “Merrily We Roll Along” opened at the Reginald Vaughn Theatre this week. As the audience filled into the impressively intimate venue, who would have guessed that this most modest staging space would so capably present the multi-dimensional musical work of “Merrily.”

Stephen Sondheim (music/lyrics) and George Furth (book) have devised a complex, time-traveling musical, setting its audience on a backwards rollercoaster ride of character development as old friendships become new again and careers unexpectedly careen from finish to start. It’s like watching a trainwreck—set to music—backwards. Acutely fascinating of “Merrily We Roll Along” are the intricate parallels that pop up as the plot unfolds, creating mirrored moments, where once a character’s text meant heartbreak, later, those same words celebrate growth and new beginnings. Moreover, “Merrily” proves to be especially relatable as its audiences can too look back on their own rollercoaster journeys to ask: ‘How did we get here?’… if they dare.

Blank’s Co-Artistic Director & Founder Dustin Rothbart brings a brash and driving wit to writer Charley Kringas, markedly poking knowing holes into the wet rag role of Franklin Shepherd, played by Christopher Johnson. Johnson doesn’t give into the villainized role of Shepherd; instead, he presents us with a convincing underdog charm and passion, while maintaining attention to mixing chest and head voice throughout. And Brittany Brown bears the tragically spiraling novelist Mary Flynn with tortured limerence and vocal confidence. But it’s Justine Cameron’s Beth Spencer that truly shines. Starting with a showstopping rendition of Sondheim fan-favorite “Not A Day Goes By,” Cameron gently layers in subtext while sharing a vocal command of a range that seems limitless in all directions. With a continuously captivating stage presence, Cameron’s Beth delivers a notable range, from gut-punches of pain to subtle perceptive glances, inviting you to fall in love with her at first sight. And providing the most natural execution of musical comedy humor is Blank Managing Director Aaron Mann as producer Joe Josephson, who, with the slightest raise of an eyebrow or sideways look, plays a multitude of nuanced intentions. Mann has also cracked the witty wordplay of Furth’s book, making his scenes alone worth catching “Merrily.”

Boldly kicking off their 2023 Season with “Merrily We Roll Along,” Blank Theatre tackles one of Sondheim’s most mixed musicals. Though often lauded for its score, the original, short-lived, Broadway run proves its lukewarm acceptance by critics and audiences alike. But in the hands of director Danny Kapinos, also a Blank Co-Artistic Director & Co-Founder, the show takes on a bolder, more relatable energy when crunched into the narrow thrust-meets-in-the-round staging. Instead of putting on the Broadway-style overproduction of past productions, Kapinos hones in on the humanity of the characters, refreshingly welcoming us into the up-close living-room drama of their lives. Furthermore, delightfully ironic are Sondheim’s catchy melodies, tricky and almost unnaturally unhummable, that follow us out the door, for the fictional team of Kringas and Shepherd’s songs are so often rapped for taking on non-hummable forms themselves. Ah, the perpetual genius of Sondheim.

Although the skillful band, led by Aaron Kaplan and Sachio Nang, was tucked away in the neighboring cubby of a room, the balance between instrumentation and vocals was impressively set overall, never overcoming the pitapat of lyrics. Spotlight on trumpeter Michael Leavens who kicked things off with a sparkling start in the show-opening overture. Utilizing a very limited light plot, lighting designer Benjamin Carne clearly delineated scene focus with minimal adjustment, swiftly honing in on monologued flashes, while also shining emotional washes across the larger ensemble moments. The buffet of character apparel by costume designer Cindy Moon was visually delicious, brilliantly spanning so many decades of fashion trends with darling dresses and handsome suit options. And Tony Pellegrino expertly choreographed pushes and falls within the compact performance space, tightly yet unforced.

Blank Theatre Company embodies the true essence of Chicago storefront theatre that’s drawn so many aspiring artists to Chicagoland for decades. Presenting a challenging work as Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” not only proves that Blank Theatre has what it takes, but they are in it for the long haul.

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

PHOTO | Eli Van Sickel/VanCap Images

BLANK THEATRE COMPANY
presents
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

The Reginald Vaughn Theater
1106 W. Thorndale Ave.
through July 23, 2023

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Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon - Matthew C. Yee

Spend a little time speaking with Matthew C. Yee these days and you come away with a feeling that the thoughtful, passionate and committed artist is in the middle of telling one of the most important cultural stories of his life. Not that his debut musical “Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon,” currently in previews at Lookingglass Theatre, is really his life story but, it is a very unique take on his own Asian heritage. And, as you will hear, one of the characters in the show is based on his grandmother.

The central theme of the show came from a short 2012 on-camera scene in college about an Asian American couple who argue outside of a convenience store that they are about to rob. The dramatic relationship between the two and their aspirations – an alternative take on the American Dream with a country western musical twist – compelled Yee to write the first draft of the show a few years later. That work then attracted creative artists and friends who helped move the project along to the point where the opportunity for a production at Lookingglass materialized.

Chicago audiences have surely seen the multi-talented Yee over the last decade plying his craft at Steppenwolf, Writer’s Theater and Paramount, among others, in a developing career that led to a role in the Broadway production of “Almost Famous” last year. Along the way, he has been collaborating on the show with a wide range of artists in Chicago’s rich creative community.

Aurora Adachi-Winter and Yee star as Lucy and Charlie in the show about two first generation Asian Americans who meet, fall in love and then decide to start a life of crime together. Yee termed the genre of music “Countrypolitan” – a mix of the “Nashville Sound” of artists from the 40s through the 70s that he was drawn to in his youth – and credits the diverse cast who both sing and play instruments throughout for broadening the overall vision for the production.

“Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon” is directed by Amanda Dehnert and features: Matt Bittner, Wai Ching Ho, Rammel Chan, Harmony Zhang, Doug Pawlik, Daniel Lee Smith and Mary Williamson.

There is much more about the show in our conversation with Matthew C. Yee, whose passion to realize the exact intersection of storytelling, music and theater is playing on stage now at Lookingglass. PODCAST

The development process: “I started working on this story in 2012. … a little scene for an on-camera class that I was taking in college about a couple arguing outside of a convenience store about how they were going to rob the convenience store. I sat on that for a long time and it was always just ruminating… these two characters who were in love with each other, but very, very bad for each other. They sort of battled each other in a lot of different ways and I wanted to expand that into something bigger.”

“I started working on an expanded version in 2016-17. We did a read of it at the Steppenwolf’s Front Bar and from there I turned it into a full-length play. It was still very, very rough… we had a reading of it with some friends and our costume designer, Sully Ratke, an artistic associate at Lookingglass, who passed it along to Heidi Stillman, the artistic director. Heidi contacted me and she's like, “I want to do a reading of this. We should get a cast together. I want to hear this out loud.” And so we did that in 2019… then Phil Smith and Heidi said they want to do a full production. … We were going open in the spring of 2020 and that didn't happen, for obvious reasons. And then we kept working on it… doing workshops when we could. …a zoom version we shared on the internet. And then we were going to do it in the spring of 2022 and “Almost Famous” on Broadway happened. And so we pushed again and then here we are.”

The story: “Without giving too much away… this couple, Lucy and Charlie, who are first generation Asian Americans, fall in love at a time in their life when they are trying to figure out who they are and how they fit into American culture. And they're having trouble. And Charlie especially is having a lot of trouble figuring out what it means to be an Asian American, especially a male Asian American. There is a lot of baggage that can come along with being a male Asian American. They fall in love and they get married after knowing each other for two weeks. And they have this brilliant idea that they are going to start a life of crime together because nothing else has worked. And they think that this is going to be a really beautiful, romantic sort of American outlaw cowboy story, that they are going to go out west and live this outlaw life together. They end up meeting a woman along the way who has come from China to help her sister, who months before also had come to America in search of her American Dream. They start to suspect that something bad has happened and they try to rescue this woman and things don't go well because she doesn't want to be rescued. She doesn't think that she needs to be helped by these people. And they all also don't know what the hell they are doing. They become this trio and go on this adventure together. And from there, you should come see it because a lot of other crazy stuff happens.”

The music: “I wrote the music in the style of mid-century, Americana country western folk expanding from the 1940s to the 1970s. I got really interested in something that people call “Nashville Sound” or sometimes it's called “Countrypolitan”… country music mixed with pop music and Americana… It's a style that can feel very insular because a lot of us think that it belongs to a specific group of Americans. I wanted to change that perception. I was really excited to have a cast of Asian Americans playing this music because it is the music that I grew up with and I've loved for a long time… so I wanted to take the feeling that I had as a kid that it was weird that I liked this style of music and I wanted to bring that on onto the stage.”

Bao’s Song: “Our character Bao, who is the woman who has come from China, has this dream of reuniting with her sister, moving out west and living in the mountains together. She talks about seeing an old movie in China, an American western… cowboys who stole gold and went to live in the mountains together. And she loved that idea and she wanted to live that adventure. So, “Bao’s Song” is very much the ‘This is what I want song” that tells you all about who she is as a person, where she's come from and what she wants out of life.” (Editor’s Note: Listen to a featured performance by Yee of “Bao’s Song” on the podcast.)

On Collaboration: “One of the benefits of having all of these people that I've worked with for a long time in the room and who have worked on this project for a long time is that they know what the vision is, they know what's inside my head, and they're able to help guide me in ways that we just wouldn't be able to do if these were new people we had just cast. They understand me and what I'm trying to get at and they understand that no matter what state the text is in, it's going to get to a place that it's going be the best version that it can be. So, there's a lot of trust that they put in me, and there's a lot of trust that I put in them that we're going to figure out what this is together.” PODCAST

Comments have been edited for length and clarity.

REHEARSAL PHOTO| Sarah Elizabeth Larson
PRODUCTION PHOTOS|Liz Lauren

LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY
presents
WORLD PREMIERE
LUCY AND CHARLIE’S HONEYMOON
In previews
Opens June 3 - July 11, 2023

Tickets

312.337.0665

Website

Program

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MotherFreakingHood! Sara Stotts

If only children came with a user manual there might be fewer twists and turns along the journey.

But then again, no birthing guide could produce the kind of hilarious observations that co-writers Sara Stotts and Julie Dunlap have realized in the hilarious musical “MotherFreakingHood!” now playing at Mercury Theater Chicago’s intimate Venus Cabaret.

They were college roommates who took an interest in writing songs together. Then, several years – and, at last count, seven children – later, they were inspired to turn real-life maternal experiences into a free-wheeling, fun-filled musical comedy about motherhood. 

Co-writers of MotherFreakingHood! (l-r) Julie Dunlap and Sara Stotts and director Heidi Van.

The show first debuted in 2013 in Lawrence, Kansas with Dunlap directing and Stotts in the cast. With director Heidi Van and a new cast on board, the show moved on to Kansas City in 2015, was a featured selection in the New York Musical Festival in 2017 and played to sold-out houses at The Blackbox Theater in Kansas City last fall.

The show is now playing at Venus Cabaret where the top-flight Chicago-based cast includes Jacqueline Jones, Leah Morrow, Tafadzwa Diener and Maya Rowe in a fast-paced musical comedy about friendship and child-rearing. 

Sara Stotts joined the CONVERSATION shortly after the show opened to talk about the production from the moment of theatrical conception. PODCAST

Conception: “Well, it all started with my co-writer Julie Dunlap. We were at a significant birthday of mine – let's just say there's a couple digits in it and they're not small. Anyway, we had friends and family there… friends of mine from Second City, from when I was doing the Second City, they had created a band called “Listening Zoo.” They sing all original songs about funny stuff. Like “Darn you Tom Hanks for making me cry again!” All really funny and we had a wonderful time. And then at some point after the party, I got a call from Julie saying, “You know, we could write funny songs about motherhood.” And I thought she was still drunk, quite honestly, because that's just insanity… So, a few months later, songs just started coming out of me. I mean, I just was barfing out songs while I'm brushing my teeth in the bathroom. I called Julie and I said, “You know, Julie… I don't know if you were serious about this, but I've kind of started writing some songs. She says, “I've written three songs!” and it was on.”

Truth in storytelling: “All of the songs are absolute truths. One of the sayings about doing improv is truth and comedy. You know, it's funny because it's true. I mean, we're not making this stuff up. Some stories are a little bit embellished for comedic purposes, but it's based on true stories. That's why it's so relatable to mothers because they've lived it, they've gone through it and we're just putting a funny lens to the absurdities of motherhood.”

The beating hearts of the show: “It's about three women who get pregnant and one's a first-time mom, Rachel, who's terribly excited to get pregnant. And she's so naive and she has no idea what she's getting into, and therefore she's excited. The second mother is Angie. She's had a baby… right on time and she's going to have another baby and it's going to be a girl because she already had a boy and everything goes for her as planned. The third mother, Marsha, she had three kids. She was ready to send her daughters through high school and college. She was not planning on this at all. And she's, let's say, cantankerous. She thought she was done. She thought she would get to retire.” 

The early years: “We first put it up in Lawrence, Kansas. That's where Julie lives. She directed it. And I got to play the role of Marsha… We did rewriting and then we were picked up by a production company to do a production in Kansas City in 2015. At that point, we picked up Heidi Van, who is our current director. She lives in Kansas City. And she could relate totally to the show because she has two kids. She's a mom and her comedic timing is insane. What she does, not just with our script, but the action, the physical funniness of it… she's brilliant!... we were selected to go to New York City for the New York Musical Festival which was a huge honor… after that we wanted to bring it to Chicago in 2020, but I don't know if you've heard of the musical called “The Pandemic?” Yeah. That ran for a long time… and occupied every theater. So, we had to put it to bed for a while. … Heidi has a theater in Kansas City called The Black Box Theater and we did 10 shows. Sold out. It was great! Great reviews. We won an award from Broadway World for the Best New Musical in the Kansas City region. That was an honor! From there, we made it to the Venus Cabaret Theater here in Chicago.”

Cast of MotherFreakingHood! at Mercury Theater Chicago (l-r) Jacqueline Jones, Tafadzwa Diener, Maya Row and Leah Morrow.

Chicago cast: “They are just so hilarious. The way they connect with the audience… they are so comfortable. We've got Tafadzwa Diener playing Rachel, the young mom. We've got Jacqueline Jones playing Angie the second time, mom… Leah Morrow, who's playing Marsha the third time mom and then we have Maya Row playing the “Every Woman” character. She plays multiple different characters throughout. It is so fun to see them bring these characters alive. Every production's going to be different. Every actor is going to interpret it their own way and bring their own brilliance to it. This cast is having so much fun and there is so much fun coming out of the audience.”

Not just for the moms: “We get great reactions from dads. When we did the Kansas City Show, it was funny because my husband came out of the bathroom at intermission as says: You should hear what the reviews are like in the men's bathroom. These guys are loving it!” We always get good reactions from the guys because we don't exclude the men who made us mothers. We never say anything bad about it, but men go through the same things. The men go through the same absurdities. We are just telling it from our lens as women, but they get a huge kick out of it. They can relate.”

The impact of the show on personal and professional lives: “It makes you appreciate your family more. I do get a little mom guilt because I was already busy and now I've made myself busier… I'm sure my kids would love for me to be home a little bit more… what I love is that my kids' first musical experience in New York City was seeing “MotherFreakingHood!” and I just got a kick out of that. It wasn't “Rent” it was “MotherFreakingHood! That just gave me a, a huge kick. They have been really supportive and I think it's good for them to see we're making fun with them. We're not making fun of them, we're making fun with them.” PODCAST

Excerpts have been edited for length and clarity.

PRODUCTION PHOTOS| Liz Lauren

Mercury Theater Chicago
presents
Chicago Premiere
MotherFreakingHood!
A Musical Comedy

Venus Cabaret
3745 N. Southport Ave
through June 11, 2023

Tickets
(773) 360-7365

Official Show Website

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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

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HEALTH & SAFETY

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Additional Cabaret Content

Courtesy of Porchlight Music Theatre January 2023

Cabaret - Origins
Cabaret –Influences
Cabaret at Porchlight!

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PicksInSix Review: RENT Porchlight Music Theatre

Solid Vocal Power Pays ‘Rent’ Tribute
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Scott Gryder

The historic Ruth Page Center for the Arts was fully transformed into the shadowy streets of 90’s New York City with Porchlight Music Theatre’s opening night performance of Jonathan Larson’s Rent. Although nearly 3 hours long, including one intermission, with masks required inside the theater, each act bustled by like Manhattan rush hour. The energy and commitment of a cast willing to risk it all was rocking!

Since its 1996 off-Broadway opening, Rent has been a musical theatre staple. The piece, a sort of rough retelling of Puccini's La Bohème, aims to capture the heart of late 80’s/early 90’s rock, and Porchlight’s production successfully does the same. Under the baton of Dr. Michael McBride, the music, much like the inspired 1896 opera, is the key to the storytelling of Rent. With a majority of dialogue and action shared through song, these struggling bohemian artists musically monologue their stresses and fears of the times, navigating love and life day by day.

The tight-knit leads are the glue to Rent’s plot. Within a year’s span of the piece, the audience is given a crash course of each character’s struggles and dreams, witnessing how each day brings new challenges and lessons learned. Although David Moreland’s Mark Cohen is the most grounded of the central characters, it’s the charismatic yet maddening chemistry between Teressa LaGamba’s Joanne Jefferson and Lucy Godínez’s Maureen Johnson that sparked the greatest applause, specifically after their duet “Take Me or Leave Me.” The ensemble rounds out the grimy and real struggles of New York City living in short spurts, filling out scenes and vocals with a certain brash commitment.

Along with Rent’s popularity has come a multitude of tours and local performances, each one attempting to recreate the grunge artistic life of the time; however, that mark is often missed. With Porchlight’s production, director Adrian Abel Azevedo takes risks not to remount a carbon copy, instead focusing on the impressive vocals to execute much of the passion behind each scene’s emotional momentum. No riff nor modulation was left unexplored, bringing a fresh new take to the well-known score.

What pops most with energy throughout the production is choreographer Laura Savage’s group moves. Instead of individual expression when dancing, many moments with motion are synchronized, as if the characters have a shared language in their movement. To fill the stage with that mirrored movement packs a punch (and a few fierce fist pumps). What also successfully captures the energy of the scene is Maggie Fullilove-Nugent’s lighting design. The neon light vibes accentuate the subtext and emotion, focusing most of the set in looming shadows and only spotlighting heightened scenes and more poignant moments. But it’s scenic designer Anne Davis’s full-on VHS tape-style centerpiece that really takes the audience back. The nuances in detail, from creating cityscape visuals to full-on usability as an apartment building, make Davis’s set a fun house of nostalgia. Although fairly consistent throughout, the sound mixing issues were the only distraction.

Porchlight’s Rent, powered by serious vocal stamina, will surely rock Chicago’s musical theatre scene through the end of this month. If you’re looking for an evening of solid nostalgia and youthful energy in an intimate venue, make sure you pay this Rent a visit.  

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 December 11

WEBSITE

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PicksInSix Review: The Devil Wears Prada - Broadway In Chicago

Sarcasm and Sacrifice Rule the Runway!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Scott Gryder

In its usual fashion, Chicago welcomed another debut to the world stage with “The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical” at the historic Nederlander Theatre, with music by Elton John, lyrics by Shaina Taub, and a book by Kate Wetherland. The packed house fervently cheered as the theater was filled with the sound of echoing high heels, and the curtain rose to reveal devilish red stilettos, clacking their way across the stage to start off the pandemic-postponed premiere. We were ready for the runway!

“The Devil Wears Prada” brings to musical life the 2006 film of the same name, originally based on the true-story memoir by Lauren Weisberger. A young, aspiring writer, Andrea “Andy for short” Sachs,  takes an unexpected turn down her career path to becoming a legitimate journalist, winding up as the 2nd assistant to the infamous editor-in-chief of the acclaimed fashion magazine Runway. What begins as a means to paying bills, with the promised potential of launching her career if she ‘survives it,’ soon becomes a revealing tell-all of sinister truths behind the scenes of this bedazzled industry and the sacrifices one must make for beauty and fame. If beauty is pain, is it worth the price?

The vibrant ensemble of character singers and dancers, with their effortless exuberance and exquisite timing, are the true lifeblood of energy throughout the musical, physically driving the movement of “The Devil” forward. An iconic role to say the least, Tony Award winner Beth Leavel engages less of the venomous villain of the film’s Miranda Priestly and turns to sheer presence as her weapon of choice, making her more revered for her industry experience than feared for her wickedness. The shimmering, bright-eyed ambition of Taylor Iman Jones’ Andy Sachs is a very welcome opposition to the anxiety-ridden and hardened vibe of the film; however, Jones’ portrayal seems less driven by her passion for writing, and more led by her eagerness to please and succeed. The true cast standout is the lovable, Javier Muñoz, who captures the charm of the film’s beloved Nigel Owens, while adding personalized layers of humanity and commitment. Muñoz is surely destined for a Tony nom for Best Featured Actor. What’s missing is a bolder uniqueness between characters. Wetherhead’s book pits each character's subtext in a constant battle of wit and sarcasm, which inspires loads of laughter to start, but soon becomes wearing. Special shout outs to Chicago favorites, Sawyer Smith, who’s a living work of art, and Marya Grandy, scene-stealing character actress extraordinaire.

“The Devil” completes the franchise trifecta with respectable charm, tipping its chapeau to the original source materials in a way to delight the fans of the film and book. In doing so; however, it almost too closely follows the source material, dropping in lines made famous by the film’s stars as glaring Easter eggs, which lose their shine over time. With its broad-stroked homage style, the piece fails to find its own voice, floundering between dated material that would make an HR department’s head spin and overbearing social media references. The energy and visual excitement are there, but “The Devil” fails to take off. As a show based on the eye-popping, dynamic inner workings of the fashion industry, it contextually lacks luster. The creative team would have been wise to remember that the devil is in the details.

August 7, 2022 - World Premiere at Nederlander Theatre - Chicago | Courtesy of Broadway in Chicago

Visually captivating, “The Devil” reaches its most Broadway-bound pinnacle in the 2nd Act as Andrea falls under the spell of Paris Fashion Week. Tony and Oscar nominated costume designer Arianne Phillips steals the show with looks that leave you wishing they were available for purchase in the lobby after the show. And choreographer James Alsop brings a fabulous hybrid of early 2000 campy charm and feverish runway fashion voguing. Anna D. Shapiro’s direction truly clicks in the non-musical book scenes, fiercely juxtapositioning the songs. If only that grounded character development had been infused into the fluffier musical moments, which do less to serve the plot and more to quirkily emphasize each principle character’s tropes. Scenic designers Christine Jones and Brett Banakis elicit audible gasps as their set seamlessly shape-shifts to Paris and back again. As for the tunes of the show, much like his legendary pop hits, Elton John’s music is delightfully catchy, but Shaina Taub’s lyrics try to squeeze a size 6 into a size 4 and fail to advance the plot.

If you’re looking for an evening of visual stimulation and amusing bops, with a touch of nostalgic bronzer, be sure to catch this limited run at the Nederlander. You’ll be catwalking out of the theater to the fresh tunes of Elton John, inspired by an enthusiastic ensemble. Although “The Devil” brings blips of Broadway-quality punch, to quote Andy Sachs, they’ve “got work to do.”

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

PHOTO|Joan Marcus

Broadway in Chicago
presents
WORLD PREMIERE
The Devil Wears Prada
Nederlander Theatre
through August 21

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PicksInSix Review: THE KING AND I Drury Lane Theatre

RICH VOICES, PAGEANTRY CROWN DRURY’S “KING”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Well along in the sprawling, crisply paced production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The King and I” that opened Thursday at Drury Lane Theatre, Anna (Betsy Morgan) and the King (Adam Jacobs) appear to be on the verge of consummating an epic love story. Everything before has led to this joyous climax with the bristled, yet vulnerable, King fatefully enraptured by Anna’s intelligence, irresistible charm and strength of will. The celebratory feeling in “Shall We Dance?” stands among one of the most fulfilling moments in all of Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals.

It is the pageantry that has come before, and how vitally important the moment is to what follows, that makes Alan Paul’s expertly directed “The King and I” shine. Swept up in 1860s Siam, the story of Anna Leonowens’s true-to-life experiences unfold over the course of a year in the King’s palace. First told in Margaret Landon’s “Anna and the King of Siam,” it became a film starring Rex Harrison, prior to the 1951 Broadway musical debut with Gertrude Lawrence and the robust Yul Brynner. In the style of Robert Preston and Zero Mostel, Brynner went on to become inextricably associated with the role he created. That kind of legacy, and a career that included over 4,600 stage performances and an award-winning film version, is a daunting benchmark whenever this show is revived.

In the role of King, Jacobs has a commanding presence on stage and comes with a resume that includes an origin story of its own as Broadway’s first “Aladdin.” Striking a delicate, and yet defiant, balance with a finely tuned sensibility for the complex role, Jacobs skillfully navigates between the autocratic ruler, who insists that everyone around him obey, and the inquisitive man, who is equal parts father figure and all-knowing philosopher. For good measure, he adds a stellar voice and a believable heap of wonder and frightful insecurity in the face of opposition.

That opposition comes mostly in the form of the alluring Morgan, a quintessential star-turn for the actor whose lofty abilities are on full and magnificent display. As Anna, Morgan plays a widowed governess with high ideals for civility and the advancement of human rights. After charming the adorable royal children and their mothers, it is just a matter of time before Anna is able to melt the calloused exterior of the King that leads to that wonderful, fleeting moment when we feel the exuberance of two people in love. Along the way, Morgan revels within the iconic score singing the memorable “I Whistle a Happy Tune” and “Getting to Know You,” the declarative and comic “Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?” and the beautifully poignant “Hello Young Lovers.”   

The other primary love story involves Tuptim (Paulina Yeung) and the scholar Lun Tha (Ethan Le Phong) who, early on, presents her as a gift from Bruma to the King. Their soaring love ballad “We Kiss in the Shadow” is a highlight. When Lady Thiang (Christine Bunuan) discovers the relationship, she warns the young lovers of the dire consequences should the King find out. Bunuan is brilliant in the supporting role, delivering “Something Wonderful” and the lighter “Western People Funny” with poise and power. Fine featured performances abound in the cast and talented ensemble, including Karmann Bajuyo as Kralahome, Matthew Uzarraga’s Prince Chulalongkorn and Braden Crothers, who splits the role of Louis Leonowens with Nolan Maddox.

There is so much more about this exceptional production from the superb work of music director/conductor by Tim Laciano, scenic design by Wilson Chin and Riw Rakkulchon, dynamic choreography by Darren Lee, especially “The Small House of Uncle Thomas” ballet featuring Kristine Bendul, to the cavalcade of stunning Izumi Inaba costumes based on Catherine Zuber’s original designs, which just have to be seen to be believed.     

PHOTO|Brett Beiner

DRURY LANE THEATRE
presents
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S
THE KING AND I
through May 22, 2022

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PicksInSix Review: Fireflies - Northlight Theatre

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WE ARE ALL PLAYING WITH FIRE
Guest Contributor | Scott Gryder

The audience was delightfully greeted with the nostalgic doo-wop of The Drifters as we entered the theater for Northlight’s “Fireflies” and the mood was set. We were traveling back to the ‘60s and we were seated to take a sneak peek, like a fly on the wall, into an intimate kitchen setting. Despite the charming design, however, the sentimental setting was quickly upset when the first sounds of bombs shook the space, and the sheer intensity of sound and lights made this fly want to scatter. Not only were we entering a home, we were entering a war zone.

After a booming start, the air was quickly cleared when introduced to the playful marriage dynamic of Chanell Bell’s feisty and energetic Olivia and the charisma and bravado of Al’Jaleel McGhee’s Charles. Their natural ease and chemistry, particularly in the more comedic and lighthearted moments, was refreshing, cheerfully balancing the delights of domestic life against the literally exploding world outside of their cozy kitchen. Soon we realized that there were also ticking bombs and landmines to be found hidden throughout their relationship and home. As secrets were revealed and confessions made, the laminated veneer of their relationship was peeled away to reveal their true aggressive and destructive natures.

“Fireflies,” the second in the trilogy of The Love* Plays by Donja R. Love, focuses on the marriage of Olivia and Charles Grace and their roles, both in society and within their relationship. He, a celebrated reverend, speaks for the people during the Civil Rights movement, and she, a “lady-like” homemaker, is also Charles’s voice, as Olivia is his inspired speechwriter. When the couple starts to challenge the integrity of the parts that each is playing, the humor that kept the destructive flames of their secrets at bay is snuffed out, and they begin to burn down everything that they’d built together.

Director Mikael Burke stages the piece in two worlds—shared scenes and audience direct address—highlighting the moods and tensions balanced between the duo, while also giving the audience a direct window into the mind of each character. Regrettably, the piece does start to sputter to a close when the audience is presented with what feels like three possible endings. The final three scenes heighten to dramatic conclusion, only to restart the narrative again; leaving nothing to the imagination, no questions left unanswered. If only life were that tidy.

Scott Penner’s stylized kitchen set thrusts towards the audience with a forced perspective, much like a painting, emphasizing the parallel of art mirroring life and much like the emerging themes of “Fireflies.” The costumes by Gregory Graham are darling and accented, without feeling like period pieces. Eric Watkins lights magically transport us from kitchen-to-porch with gentle, shadow-like, shifts. Similarly, sound designer Christie Chiles Twillie helps accent locations with subtle sounds of crickets and idling cars, while also, combined with Graham’s wall of flash bulbs, dropping bombs of an erupting force.

“Fireflies” genuinely presents the domestic power stereotypes that continue to plague us throughout our society and relationships today. We strive to be true to ourselves, while attempting to give fully to the ideals that we love and the roles to which we are committed. Coupled with the very real civil unrest currently blazing across our country, “Fireflies” forces us to face those struggles in the shocking reflection of Olivia and Charles. In a way, we are all living in a powder keg.

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

PHOTO|Michael Brosilow

NORTHLIGHT THEATRE
Presents
FIREFLIES
through February 20, 2022
9501 Skokie Blvd

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(847) 673-6300

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PicksInSix Review: Sea Change-Cabinet of Curiosity

A Deep Dive Trident of Tales
Guest Contributor | Scott Gryder

The 4th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival opened with a literal splash last night at the MCA Chicago, with Cabinet of Curiosity’s Sea Change, a trilogy of sea stories from an all-female writing team and cast. The festival's opening night performance was packed to the gills with industry professionals, fans, and puppeteers. It was a great gift to be a part of Chicago’s return as a hub for the art of puppetry.

Featuring a parade-style whale-of-a-puppet, the trident of tales opens with Lindsey Noel Whiting’s "Whale Song,” encouraging the audience to evaluate where we are, how we see ourselves in the grander scheme of life, and what ‘monsters’ we’re going after…if any. Next, the elegant yet chilling mermaid puppet of "A Mermaid's Tail (If There's a God)" by Bethany Thomas, with music and lyrics by Liz Chidester, reveals the truth behind mermaid-life and legend. Wrapping up the set, Kasey Foster’s “More” is a ruminating, illuminating direct-address by an epic, floating moon puppet reminiscent of Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon, while a frenetic shark dances wildly.

The energetic cast of Sea Change (Sadie Rose Glaspey, Kiley B. Moore, Silvita Diaz, Holly Carney, Alexis Willis, Shay Turnage, Annabella Tuma, Olivia Comai, Ivy Waegel, Michelle Billingsley, and Ranae Adams) provides live, musical accompaniment and clear singing voices, enthusiastically jumping between storytelling and general “life at sea” shenanigans as the crew sails on adrift. What might have improved the storytelling would have been more succinct manipulation and realistically choreographed buoyancy of the puppets. For example, many times throughout, the audible speech and visual mouth manipulation were out of sync. Also, considering the skillfully designed puppets, and the naturally flowing artistry of real sea life, there were missed opportunities for the puppets to be used to their full malleability.

Founded only 5 years ago, Cabinet of Curiosity has become a Chicago standard for detailed puppetry and found object manipulation. And in a time where society, especially within the performance community, is feeling isolated, Cabinet of Curosity’s mission to celebrate togetherness shines bright with the immersive experience that is Sea Change. And it only makes sense that the production is being hosted at the MCA, because puppet makers Ellie Terrell and Jesse Mooney-Bullock have created manipulatable works of art. Each creation is realistically jointed and mobile, with a subtle and breathtakingly watercolor-like fabrication.

Originally developed as an indoor spectacle, Sea Change experienced a limited, outdoor run over the summer of 2021. Here, director Frank Maugeri thrillingly fills every visible inch of the MCA’s Edlis Neeson Theater with puppet activity; however, at times the audience interaction becomes distracting. Sea Change is textured with design as the audience travels from the height of the Cook’s crow’s nest-like kitchen to the lower depths of the deep, with Conner Sales’s washes and pockets of portholed light and shadow, and the charmingly sea-weary scenic elements of Jack Dwyer, Nana Asabere, and Tom Robinson. Jillian Gryzlak’s patchwork costumes highlight the clowning style of the cast, and the audience was tickled by visual surprises by mechanical designer Milam Smith, such as a bikeable, bubbling piano.

In its 4th year, and against all pandemic odds (ie. due to travel restrictions, this year’s roster features national and local artists), now through January 30th, the puppet festival boasts over 70 slated performances across Chicagoland. And, it’s official: starting this year, the festival is slated to occur annually, so Chicagoans can look forward to hosting puppeteers from around the world of the highest caliber. Tickets are on sale now at chicagopuppetfest.org.

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

PHOTO|Cabinet of Curiosity

4th Annual
Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

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PicksInSix Review: The Play That Goes Wrong - Broadway in Chicago

The Best Laid Plans Gone Awry!
Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

Please allow this writer to share with you about “The Play That Goes Wrong” now offering its wares for a hoped-for extended engagement at the Broadway Playhouse in downtown Chicago by a hardy, hometown band of Chicago actors.  And believe me when you read that this really is the title of the play as presented by an immensely talented, tight group of performers and stagehands and audience members, because everything—literally everything—goes wrong.  And that’s the point.

The time-honored concept of farce steps into sharp focus here. There are two sets of theatrical credits in the program.  One, of course, is devoted to the professionals who are actually involved in the production itself—Colton Adams (Trevor), Joseph Anthony Byrd (Jonathan), Ernaisja Curry (Annie), Michael Kurowski (Dennis), Matt Mueller (Chris), Kelly O’Sullivan (Sandra), Jarred Webb (Max), and Jonah D. Winston (Robert).  The other is a list and bios of the “actors” from the Cornley University Drama Society as they present the world premiere of Chris Bean’s “The Murder at Haversham Manor” (cue: organ).

As guided in brilliant fashion by director Matt DiCarlo, we immediately sense a rollicking tone in a “pre-show” speech, designed to soften the blow of what was to come next. This man, “Chris Bean”, has done nearly everything in and for the show—Author. Director. Designer. Dialect and Voice Coach.  He even sold the tickets and created the PR.  And naturally, Mr. Bean plays Inspector Carter, the hero-with-a-twist who tries to solve the murder in the title.

And so the entire evening goes. It’s a cast that commits itself fully and joyfully to every miserable event.  Actors playing actors who play characters in a murder-mystery.   We see everything go terribly awry, and we absolutely go along with it all.  One actor playing a butler forgets his lines and refers to them, written down on his hand.  Another (a stagehand) is shoved into a role herself—script in hand—when her predecessor onstage is literally knocked out with an open door and is dragged through an open window to help the action continue. Still another actor/character loves the limelight so much that he allows his awareness of the proceedings to filter into his character and thus begins flirting and smiling and laughing with the actual audience. And when the set itself begins to disintegrate, well…

Please know that more can be shared, but too much has already been said.  Such is the priceless value of farce that is well-done. The less you know, the more you’ll be pleased at the joyous ride you’ve taken.  And yes, this play is a wonderful, expertly conceived farce, a real rarity these days. One that all can identify with. The best laid plans gone awry with hugely satisfying and hilarious dividends.

We’ve all had quite a time now in our COVID world, where for the longest time, laughter seems to be not only absent, but a bit inappropriate.  “The Play That Goes Wrong” erases such feelings. This group of creative spirits—an authentic ensemble whose oneness bands its members together—will gleefully take you down a merry path.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL www.solochicagotheatre.com    

PHOTO: Jeremy Daniel

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
presents
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
The Broadway Playhouse
Water Tower Place

through May 29, 2022

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For More About the Show, Visit: CONVERSATIONS | Kelly O’Sullivan December 13, 2021

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PicksInSix Review: It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!

A TONIC…THAT GOES DOWN EASY!
Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

Versatility. This writer asks you to hold this idea close; it is an important piece of the production of “It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!”  The fine American Blues Theater presents their annual Christmas tribute at Victory Gardens Theater through New Year’s Eve.  And it’s directed with a deft eye and high respect for the Frank Capra material by ABT artistic director Gwendolyn Whiteside.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” is presented here in a live radio format, complete with Foley artist Shawn J. Goudie doing all the sounds of the story you can recall—cars running away, babies crying, whistles blowing, on and on.  And Mr. Goudie is really fun to watch. The audience is also treated to a special kind of warmup entertainment, complete with requested “audiograms” from the cast that were read at commercial breaks throughout the evening.

Versatility…Commercials for local products and events and music of the holiday season—even a brief audience singalong—are arranged and lead by the endlessly talented Michael Mahler, who also plays a gruff Sam Wainwright as well as the WABT station announcer.  And Mr. Gower, the druggist. And as the general emcee for the festivities. Singing those holiday songs at various times throughout the production, the entire cast jumps, hearts first, into the preshow and then the story itself.

Dara Cameron shares that versatility in eloquent droves by playing George Bailey’s friend Violet Bick…and a couple of Bailey children…and various and sundry citizens of Bedford Falls.  Joe Dempsey surely shows it in stark, energetic portrayals of both Clarence, the Bailey guardian angel wanting to get his wings, and Mr. Potter, the American Scrooge character who can’t wait to get his hands on the Bailey Building and Loan.

Versatility…The elegant Audrey Billings lends her own tender touch as both Bailey women—Mary Bailey, whose unending support for her husband set the tone for family unity, and Ma Bailey, the matriarch who quietly points George in the right direction.  A wonderful new face to me, Yuchi Chiu, plays both Harry Bailey, George’s brother, and shares duties with Mr. Mahler in their brief turns as Ernie the cabbie and Bert the cop.

Manny Buckley brings his with emotion and awareness as Joseph, the angel-in-charge, and Uncle Billy, the loving and befuddled one. And then, at last, there’s the strong, heartfelt Brandon Dahlquist offering as George.  Both these men jump in hard in their exchange about lost money, which allows the joy at the end of the performance to be that much more touching. Honestly, it’s a great deal of fun and love that American Blues Theater shares with Chicago each year at Christmas.  I may go again…a tonic for all we’ve been through that goes down easy.  Cheers, ABT!  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL www.solochicagotheatre.com

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

AMERICAN BLUES THEATER
presents
It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!
Victory Gardens Theater
2433 N Lincoln Ave
through December 31, 2021

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(773) 871-3000

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PicksInSix Review: Holiday Inn - Drury Lane

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The Home of Boy Meets Girl

Just in time to ring in the season comes Irving Berlin’s “Holiday Inn” a refreshingly homespun backstage musical for the entire family chocked full of explosive dance numbers and the iconic tunes that everyone knows and loves from the Berlin songbook. In the capable hands (and feet) of director/choreographer Matt Crowle, with a streamlined book by Gorgon Greenberg and Chad Hodge, and a stellar company from head to toe, Drury Lane’s “Holiday Inn” is a high-wattage hit!

The stage story setup, more or less true to the original 1942 film, follows crooner/composer Jim Hardy (Adrian Aguilar) and his dance partners Ted Hanover (Drew Humphrey) and Lila Dixon (Darilyn Burtley) who have their sights set on the big time. Hardy wants to settle down with Lila in Connecticut, just as Hanover and their agent Danni Reed (Honey West) book a six-week tour. Despite a marriage proposal from Hardy to Lila, the tour proceeds and Hardy is off on a new adventure as a gentleman farmer and owner of Mason Farm. The farm’s caretaker Louise (Danielle Davis) has a plan to help Hardy and set him up with an elementary teacher and the former owner of the farm Linda Mason (Erica Stephan). One thing leads to another, the engagement falls apart and the two suddenly realize they may have something more in common than the fact that the farm is still deep in debt. With few other options, they decide to turn the inn into a holiday show place, but only on holidays.

Miraculously, and only in a musical, the stage show blooms in a week so that as New Year’s Eve rolls around Holiday Inn magically becomes “the home of boy meets girl.” The story sails by after that and serves as a path to one tremendous dance number after another—every one a gem!

In a remarkable, and long overdue, return to the stage after a multi-year absence, Aguilar is phenomenal as Hardy, a steady anchor who adds numerous dimensional layers to the role. The sure-footed hoofer Humphrey has an abundance of talent and more than enough savoir faire to deliver a series of exhilarating dance numbers. The two are paired with Burtley, who gives a captivating standout performance as Lila. When attention turns to the heartwarming Stephan and the budding relationship with Aguilar’s Hardy, sparks really begin to fly. Stephan not only has a beautifully full singing voice that matches perfectly with Aguilar, she also dances effortlessly with Humphrey in multiple numbers. It’s a joy to watch unfold.  

Among the featured musical performances, Davis is hilariously delightful as Louise, leading the Ensemble in a dazzling performance of “Shaking the Blues Away” and there’s more than a few surprises in “Let’s Say It With Firecrackers/Song of Freedom” with a nifty cameo by Nicole Scimeca (who splits the role of Charlie Wilson with Lily Kocourek). There is plenty to be thankful for all night long when the score has hits like “Be Careful, It’s My Heart,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Blue Skies,” “White Christmas” and “Heat Wave.”

Music Director Linda Madonia and conductor Christopher Sargent deliver the crisp, big band sound of Carey Deadman arrangements. Jeffrey D. Kmiec’s versatile scenic design transitions seamlessly from show stage to New England inn with Lynda Meyers elegant and evocative costumes punctuating every holiday. Lee Fiskness lighting design is enhanced by Bryce Culter’s projections and pin-perfect sound by Ray Nardelli all help to start the New Year right at Drury Lane.  

PHOTO|Brett Beiner

DRURY LANE THEATRE
presents
IRVING BERLIN’S
HOLIDAY INN
through January 9, 2022

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PicksInSix Review: The Nutcracker-Joffrey Ballet

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Joffrey Classic Shines Bright at Lyric  
Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

Joffrey Ballet’s reimagined “The Nutcracker” delights from start to finish in its new home, the historically stunning Lyric Opera House, where a certain magic fills the air before dancers even hit the stage. Originally choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon and debuted in 2016, this Chicago-set Nutcracker transports the audience to the World’s Fair of 1893 while still featuring Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable compositions.   

The first Act sets a warm and joyous tone by introducing us to the talented cast at a Christmas Eve celebration. The immigrant workers constructing the World’s Columbian Exposition gather for the holiday at the home of young Marie (Yumi Kanazawa), her brother Franz (Oliver Reeve Libke) and their mother (Jeraldine Mendoza). The creator of the World’s Fair, the Great Impresario (Dylan Gutierrez), joins the festivities and gives Marie her beloved nutcracker.

From there, we begin a whimsical journey through Marie’s dreamscape. A once modest Christmas tree magically transforms into a large-than-life holiday backdrop for the classic battle between the Rat King (Temur Suluashvili) and Nutcracker (José Pablo Castro Cuevas), who later turns into Marie’s regal crush, Prince Peter (Hyuma Kiyosawa). Marie and Peter both shine in their talent and grace on stage with power and poise throughout.  

The first act closes with the beautiful Snow Scene. An image of the World’s Fair idly rests in the backdrop amidst swirling, winter blue hues surrounding Lake Michigan. Snow falls from the sky while dancers resembling sparkling snowflakes execute remarkable choreography requiring full mastery of the space. A gondola then takes Marie, Prince Peter and the Great Impresario into the night where we later visit Marie’s dream-version of the World’s Fair.

The second act features increasingly stellar performances from the Joffrey’s dancers. The Act begins at the World’s Fair where we meet the Queen of the Fair (Jeraldine Mendoza) as this version’s Sugar Plum Fairy along with performers from around the world including the crowd favorite “Arabian Dancers” (Victoria Jaiani and Temur Suluashvili). We even meet Buffalo Bill (Edson Barbosa) from the Wild West whose entertaining performance truly charms. Worth noting is also the adorable number featuring literal dancing nuts. Both of these portions stand out as refreshing comedic moments different from the contents of the original Nutcracker.  This is an example of the breath of fresh air weaving throughout the production that creates a new variety of holiday spectacle and tradition for fans of both new and old alike. While Marie does eventually wake from her dream, the enchantment lingers and permeates through the audience thus illustrating the power of imagination.  

The brilliance of the Joffrey’s “Nutcracker” truly lies in its talented dancers—most notably Kiyosawa, Kanazawa, Mendoza and Jaiani—who captivate with their every move. The impressive set and cinematic projection design by Julian Crouch and 59 Productions also elevates this production by filling the Lyric’s stage with grand and ornate scenes. The Joffrey’s “Nutcracker” celebrates a holiday classic while excelling at embracing originality in each aspect of the production which makes this a special show likely to inspire for years to come.  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | KAITLYN LINSNER graduated from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2020 and currently practices as an attorney in Chicago.

PHOTO|Todd Rosenberg

JOFFREY BALLET
presents
The Nutcracker
Lyric Opera House
20 North Wacker Drive
through December 26
(312) 386-8905

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