Archive for December, 2009
REVIEW: A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant (Next Theatre)
Limited Direction Hampers “…Scientology Pageant”
Next Theatre presents:
A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant
By Kyle Jarrow
Concept by Alex Timbers
directed by Kathryn Walsh
thru January 3rd, 2010 (ticket info)
Reviewed by Paige Listerud
The boxy proscenium studio theater space at Next Theatre creates challenges for any of its productions. It produces visual perspectives that tend toward the two-dimensional and contained. One would think that wouldn’t necessarily detract from a satire qua children’s pageant. Yet the set design (Grant Sabin) for Next’s seasonal production, A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant, is strikingly flat and unimaginative. Kathyrn Walsh’s direction stays contentedly—and without irony–within its confines, for the most part stationing the pageant’s child actors on three-tiered risers that further distance audience from performance.
It is the staging that dulls the tooth of this anti-religious-scam slam fest. Children re-enacting with absolute earnestness the life of L. Ron Hubbard, the modern prophet of Scientology, is a premise with Wildean potential. But, for all it’s self-touted edginess, in close collaboration with the show’s Obie award winning creator, Kyle Jarrow, Next has pulled its punches and stayed closer to conventional home.
Awkward scene changes and uneven pacing fragment the ensemble cast’s cohesiveness. Interestingly, it is cohesiveness they energetically demonstrate while cutting loose during some of the musical numbers, throwing in acrobatic abandon for good measure. Jennifer Baker, Sara Geist, and Nicole Rudakova project performances that stand out from the constrictions with which they must contend. Also, Jason Krause ably plays L. Ron Hubbard, pulling off smug self-satisfaction and the cravat-and-blazer look with natural ease.
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Several new songs have been introduced as products of collaboration between Jarrow and Next Theatre’s Artistic Director Jason Southerland. While one song lends a softer, more humanizing tone to the process individuals within Scientology may go through, the rest don’t radically alter the message or style of the show, nor do they have to. The amount of satire that any religion can take should be directly proportional to the money it makes.
Rating: ★★½
REVIEW: Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer
Definitely not your father’s Rudolph
Hell in a Handbag Productions presents:
Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer
Book and Lyrics by David Cerda
Music by David Cerda with Scott Lamberty
Directed by Derek Czaplewski
At Mary’s Attic (5400 N. Clark Street) thru January 2nd (ticket info)
Reviewed by Katy Walsh
A red panty-wearing reindeer, a boozy hag Mrs. Claus, and an elf with dental aspirations: two of these three character traits weren’t apparent in the traditional holiday classic. Hell in a Handbag Productions presents Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer, a parody on the children’s television show “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” The campy story tells the struggles of Rudolph (Alex Grelle), a transvestite reindeer born to wear Chanel silk in a J.C. Penney overalls world. In its 12th year, David Cerda has updated his Christmas town misfits’ story with topical jokes about Michael Jackson, the Catholic Church and healthcare. Cerda has unwrapped his imagination to create back stories for the residents of Christmas Town: a pedophile reindeer coach, a tyrant money-hungry Santa, enslaved go-go dancing elves, and a cosmetic surgery drag-queen victim as the snow beast. Not quite the hot-cocoa-by-the-fireplace-on-a-snowy-evening, this Rudolph is more like tequila shots at the bar on a bitter cold night.
In any Hell in a Handbag production, Ed Jones transforms his small supporting role into huge laughs. As a drunken Mrs. Claus, Jones’ facial expressions are hysterical. Joined by Rudolph, Herbie (Chris Walsh), and Clarice (Jennifer Shine), Jones’ quartet belts out the catchy tune “Christmas Makes Me Bitter.” It’s the perfect melody for holiday commercialism burn-outs. The witty combination of the television show’s familiar moments mixed with the dark and disturbing create a warped alternative to the “It’s a Wonderful Life” crowd. Walsh (no relation) nails Herbie the elf in pitch and robotic movement. From the moment she steps on the stage, Lori Lee (Yukon Cornelia) becomes a hilarious version of the simpleton prospector. Her traveling destination song “I Don’t Know” is an amusing rendition of an Abbott-Costello ‘who’s on first’.
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Over the last several years, I’ve made three trips to Cerda’s Christmas Town. Like Christmas cookies, I like to sample all of them but I have my favorites. This production comes in third with some awkward pauses. It’s unclear if it’s new material or new actors mixing with veterans. Regardless, Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer is still a great escape from songs like “I’ll Have a Blue Christmas Without You” for the more realistic sentiment “They’ll Hate You If You’re Different.” The 2009 version may not be my favorite but it’s still a tasty holiday treat.
Rating: ★★★
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REVIEW: Goodman Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol”
Get ready to love Christmas!
Goodman Theatre presents:
A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Tom Creamer
Directed by William Brown
thru December 31st (ticket info)
Reviewed by Oliver Sava
If you’re not filled with the holiday spirit yet, you will be after Goodman’s A Christmas Carol. Now in its 30th year, Charles Dickens‘ tale of redemption is brought to life by an all-star cast of Chicago talent, creating a emotional journey through one man’s mistakes that will resonate long after the curtain goes down.
This year’s production begins with a beautiful medley of holiday songs that immediately establishes the idea that Ebeneezer Scrooge (Larry Yando) detests: Christmas brings warmth and calm to a cold, chaotic world. But happiness is not profitable, and the great Yando plays an excellent curmudgeon in the opening scenes. Hunched over books of number and growling at charity workers, he is the portrait of loneliness. Yando begins to transform as he is shown visions of the past and present, and almost immediately the images awaken feelings that have been long buried. A scene between young Scrooge (Andy Truschinski) and his fiancee Belle (Jessie Mueller) is particularly heartbreaking because of the dedication Yando brings to his attempts to change the events that have shaped (destroyed?) him. The journey through his past tortures him, but he cannot escape viewing his own actions – the ultimate punishment. The pain of these moments is heightened by the contrast between the nature of the prison and the characterizations of the jailers: the Ghosts of Christmas Past (Alex Weisman) and Present (Penelope Walker).
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Weisman, fresh off a Jeff award win for Timeline Theatre’s The History Boys, looks like he is having the time of his life as he flies across the stage, and his jolly nature is a great fit for the early moments of Scrooge’s past, especially the Christmas party at Fezziwig’s. Walker is beautiful in a massive gold and red gown, and she sprinkles glitter with ebullient laughter that forces a smile out of the coldest hearts. As Scrooge’s memories sour, so do his tour guides. The aforementioned scene between Scrooge and Belle stifles the gleeful fire that burns in Weisman, and as Walker reveals the disdain Scrooge’s peers have toward him, as well as the troubles they themselves face, she becomes an almost malevolent force. A scene where she introduces Scrooge to the two children that represent Ignorance and Want, crawling out from beneath her garment to maximum dramatic effect, is particularly haunting, and the perfect introduction to the most terrifying of Dickens’ heralds: the Ghost of Christmas Future. Major props to the Goodman design team for creating the horrifically huge puppet for this last ghost, giving the spirit an overwhelming dreadfulness.
The supporting cast impresses, balancing the community’s spite toward Scrooge with the good cheer of the holiday season. The Cratchit family is the heart of the show, and Ron Rains brings a wonderful caring energy as the patriarch Bob, always showing respect to his cruel boss. The scenes in the Cratchit household are brimming with love between husband and wife, parent and child, and actor and script. Fiercely committed, the actors have found the beauty in their misfortune, making Tiny Tim’s (John Francis Babbo) death in the future all the more tragic.
While sadness and loss are major factors of Dickens’ tale, Goodman’s production is filled with humor and moments of pure glee. The party at Fezziwig’s is positively rollicking and Scrooge’s nephew Fred’s (Matt Schwader) Christmas dinner is a joyful celebration filled with music and laughter. Where the show is most successful, though, is in the final moments when Scrooge vows to redeem himself, and Yando skips, jumps, and laughs his way into the hearts of the audience, a humbug no more.
Rating: ★★★½
REVIEW: Raven Theatre’s “Patchwork USA”
Patchwork USA Provides Simply Told Stories
Raven Theatre presents:
Patchwork USA
by Michael Menendian and Eugene Fern
directed by Michael Menendian
thru December 13th (ticket info)
reviewed by Paige Listerud
Probably no other children’s show this season is as simply produced as Patchwork USA, a world premiere from Raven Theatre’s Children’s Program, directed by Michael Menendian. Based on short children’s stories by Menendian and Eugene Fern, no frills sets, props, and costumes mean greater demands from the actors in terms of basic, direct storytelling for their very young audiences.
All of the actors provide accessible and approachable performances to encourage audience participation. McNeil and Sanchez particularly soon found favorites among children who regularly responded to questions designed to engage them in the characters’ dilemmas. Esteban Cruz stands out in his ability to animate his storytelling with enthusiasm and mischievous humor. His Lil’ Devil from “How I Love to Read” is especially memorable, as is the young boy from “The Happiest Day of My Life” who lives in anticipation of his first professional baseball game.
All stories fulfill the children’s program mission to instill an appreciation of differences in others, whether those differences refer to ethnic background, ability, or self-expression. The overall tone is one of building basic respect for one’s fellows, a tender blossom that can be easily run over in the holiday rush. This children’s show provides a real alternative for families looking for more wholesome entertainment this season.
Some stories may still benefit from further development. Perhaps reconsidering the story-within-a-story framework for some tales would provide more accessibility for its intended audience. If anything, more engagement, not less should be encouraged.
Rating: ★★½
Mental Health Break: Boy on Ukelele channels Jason Mraz
Boy on Ukelele sings Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours”
And Jason Mraz singing the same song:
REVIEW: “The Addams Family – The Musical”
Sizzling Cast – Lukewarm Story
The Addams Family
Book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice
Music & Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Directed by Phelim McDermott & Julian Crouch
thru January 10th (ticket information)
Reviewed by Catey Sullivan
Fair to snappy score, piffling to predictable story and characters of cartoon depth. That about sums up the much-anticipated new musical based on the mordantly brilliant cartoons of Charles Addams. And oh yes, multi-million dollar whiz bang production values and a cast comprised of some of the biggest stars known to the biz of show. Minus Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth – talents as brilliant in their fields as Addams 
was in his – would The Addams Family musical be worthy of its pre-Broadway hype? We’d argue ‘no,’ but that argument’s probably beside the point.
With Lane and Neuwirth as Gomez and Morticia Addams, the score and the book could be a creation of cringing mediocrity and nobody’d much notice. Lane can – and here, does – wrest belly laughs from jokes that would fall flatter than a week-old, lead-lined pancake if delivered by lesser lights. Neuwirth is his match as the slinky, femme-fatale mistress of the ooky-spooky mansion. With legs and hair that go from here ‘til eternity and a whiskey-and-velvet alto voice that screams “come hither” even when it says something completely different, she simply kills it as Morticia.
As for the story that contains these luminaries, think “You Can’t Take It With You” with ghosts and monsters. Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s book focuses on Wednesday Addams (Krysta Rodriguez, instilling Wednesday with a definite S & M flair) and her romance with the comparatively normal Lucas Beineke (Wesley Taylor, the clean-cut ‘M’ to Rodriguez’ domineering ‘S’). As in Kaufman and Hart’s depression-era classic, the romance is complicated by clashing parents. Lucas’s folks are prim, proper and repressed. The Addamses? Not so much.
Wackiness ensues when the buttoned-up Beinekes are confronted with the questionably alive Lurch (Zachary James, a literally towering presence whose basso profundo steals the show in the finale) upon entering the Addams’ Central Park manse. It ensues further as the Beinekes contend with lovesick sea-monsters, chairs that double as castration devices, saber-rattling ghosts and hosts and the shamelessly demonstrative lustful affection between Morticia and Gomez.
Andrew Lippa’s score is colored throughout by Gomez’ Spanish ancestry. Its flamenco/tango stylings are serviceable, but in all, the music is more flash than depth. Curiously, the best songs don’t go to Lane or Neuwirth. The latter’s big number comes with “Second Banana”, an utterly forgettable lament about aging. Lane gets “Happy/Sad,” a second act crooner that is sweet but generic. It is Mrs. Bieneke (Carolee Carmello, a belter of deceptively mousy demeanor) who gets the Act I showstopper (“Waiting”) and Mr. Bieneke (Terrence Mann, in fine voice) who raises the roof and brings down the house in Act II with “In the Arms,” a hilarious ode to cephalopod love.
As for the big 11 O’Clock penultimate finale, that has more to do with swashbuckling spectacle and an all-hands-on-deck sword fight than with musical virtuosity. (Choreographer Sergio Trujillo draws a page from “Thriller” for much of the rest of the show, as a chorus of the dead engages in lively dances with gravestones. ) If you’re waiting for a star turn (a la The Producers “Betrayed”) that puts Lane’s incandescent leading man capabilities in the white-hot light they deserve, it never arrives. As far as the score is concerned, Lane’s role is oddly underwritten.
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Director/designers Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch have crafted a show that looks thrilling and moves at a spirited clip. That’s all well and good – but hardly the stuff of a deserving Broadway blockbuster.
Fans of the 1960s “Addams Family” television series will find all the show’s deliciously macabre eccentricities in place. Cousin Itt makes an appearance. “Thing” is featured prominently. Fester (an infectiously gleeful Kevin Chamberlin) serves as both narrator and odd-man Greek chorus of sorts. Ukulele in hand, he gets some of the evening’s most creative special effects (and amusing choreography) in a free-floating love song to the moon. And as Grandma, Jackie Hoffman makes the mighty most of a small part, delivering the show’s best lines with a pitch-perfect irreverence that stops the show with every punchline.
For boomers who loved the finger-snapping show, The Addams Family is a must. Ditto for those who treasure any chance to see Lane and Neuwirth perform live. For the rest, there’s just not much there.
Rating: ★★★
“The Addams Family” continues through Jan. 10 at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph Street. Tickets are $28 – $105. For more information, go to www.broadwayinchicago.com
REVIEW: Second City’s “Taming of the Flu”
The Second City at 50: Good for what ails you
The Second City presents
Taming of the Flu
Written and performed by Lauren Ash, Shelly Gossman, Anthony LeBlanc, Brad Morris, Andy St. Clair and Emily Wilson
Directed by Mick Napier
Open run (ticket info)
reviewed by Leah A. Zeldes
They may be 50 years old, but The Second City can still bring up some healthy laughs.
Most of us won’t get to go to The Second City’s big 50th anniversary celebration with its famous alumni this weekend — many events are sold out — but the troupe’s latter-day regulars do their predecessors proud with their anniversary mainstage revue, Taming of the Flu.
This is the kind of infectious comedy that made The Second City famous: Fast-paced, creative, topical, hilarious.
There are gags about swine flu*, of course, and health-care reform, with some needle-sharp jabs at insurance companies and politicians of all stripes. Some subtly and not-so-subtly humorous routines point up racial issues, the economic meltdown, war, terrorism and the other ills of our time.
Modern life gets its jibes, from the guy who’s addicted to his iPhone to the football player who taunts his opponents with Harry Potterisms to lesbian bachelorettes. In an anniversary mood, they look back over 50 years, comparing teenagers from 1959, ’79 and revisiting a 1950s bomb shelter.
Best of all are the Chicago-centric gags. Maybe it’s a return to The Second City’s roots or maybe it’s just that during this chilly and cash-strapped season they figure they don’t have to play to the tourists, but some of the best bits in this revue aim straight at the home crowd with nary any translation — such as a poignant paean to Chicago winters, lawn chairs and all. Chicago cops. Red-light cameras. The Olympics. Indiana casinos. Aldermanic candidates. A sidesplitting sketch covers local cabbies’ recent call for fare hikes.
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As with all revues, some sketches are funnier than others, but the jokes roll out nonstop, fast as sneezes. The six ensemble members keep ’em coming with feverish timing, dead-on expression and keen comic gestalt.
Compared to Tamiflu, laughter may not be the best medicine, but I defy anyone to leave this show not feeling better than when he went in. If it doesn’t cure what ails you,* at least you’ll forget your suffering for a while.
Rating: ★★★★
Notes: The Second City ticket prices are due to rise Jan. 1 to a minimum of $22 for general-admission seats and up to $46 for a new class of "premium" seats. Parking in the Piper’s Alley garage is $1 off with validation at the box office.
* Chicago Theater Blog does not advocate going to the theater while suffering with H1N1 flu or any other contagious disease. Fortunately, this show is in open run. Please stay home until after you have completely recovered, if only for the sake of any critics who may be in the audience. Gesundheit.
Wednesday Wordplay: Liberace believes in you
A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away.
— Phyllis Mcginley
Abundance is, in large part, an attitude.
— Sue Patton Thoele
Your idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be yours alone. The more the idea is yours alone, the more freedom you have to do something really amazing. The more amazing, the more people will click with your idea. The more people click with your idea, the more it will change the world.
— Hugh Macleod, How To Be Creative: 2, 08-22-04
Nobody will believe in you unless you believe in yourself.
— Liberace
Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of ‘crackpot’ than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost.
— Thomas J. Watson
This week’s Openings and Closings
show openings
The Addams Family - Broadway In Chicago
American Buffalo - Steppenwolf Theatre
Christmas Follies - Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus
The Nutcracker - Center for the Performing Arts at Governors State University
The Nutcracker - North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
In the Heights - Broadway In Chicago
It’s a Wonderful Life - Improv Playhouse Radio Theatre
It’s a Wonderful Life - AFTRA/SAG Senior Radio Players
Rent, School Edition - Studio BE
Salsa Sketch - Gorilla Tango Theatre
show closings
CUBA and his Teddy Bear – UrbanTheater / PEOPLE’S Theater of Chicago
The Dreamers - Theatre Building Chicago
How to Act Around Cops - The Artistic Home
The Mercy Seat - Profiles Theatre
The Mystery of Irma Vep - Court Theatre
The Nutcracker Sings - Jedlicka Performing Arts Center
Patchwork U.S.A. - Raven Theatre
Peter Gallagher, Don’t Give Up on Me - Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place
Stars in the Attic - Gorilla Tango Theatre
Summer People - The Gift Theatre
Time Traveling Mom-Dad - Gorilla Tango Theatre
Towards the Sun! - Gorilla Tango Theatre
Young Frankenstein - Broadway In Chicago
Theater Thursday: “CUBA and his Teddy Bear”
Thursday, December 10
CUBA and his Teddy Bear by Reinaldo Povod
UrbanTheater and People’s Theater of Chicago
Location: The Batey Urbano
2620 W. Division St., Chicago
Come in from ‘the streets and onto our stage’! Join UrbanTheater Company for a very special evening of pre show Caribean/Puerto Rican hors d’ouevres, beverages and Live Latin Music, featuring Chicago School of Folk Music’s, Armando Quintero. Then sit back and enjoy a riveting trip to NYC’s Lower East Side with Reinaldo Povod‘s critically acclaimed, ‘CUBA and His Teddy Bear. This event includes a pre show mingle with UTC’s Award Winning and Jeff Nominated company members and a very special post show talk back with the cast.
Event begins at 6 p.m.
Show begins at 7:30.
TICKETS ONLY $25
Tickets for this event are available ONLY at the Door; Cash, Money Orders and Checks are accepted
For more information call 773-371-1868.
