HAIRSPRAY at Drury Lane Theatre

You can't stop the beat or as director Tammy Mader has proven in Drury Lane Theatre's infectiously delightful production of the Tony Award-winning “HAIRSPRAY” that opened tonight and is running through June 17^th nor would you ever even want to.

Based on the 1988 John Walters cult classic film, that starred a young Ricki Lake and was the final film for Walter's muse Divine, which was then turned into a hugely successful 2007 movie musical that starred John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer . HAIRSPRAY is the exuberant story of big-hearted, pleasantly plump teen Tracy Turnblad played with charm and heart by the adorably big voiced Lillian Castillo. Tracy will stop at nothing to fulfill her lifelong dream of appearing on the popular Corny Collins Show (Rod Thomas whose voice is as big as his smile) and win the heart of the coolest kid in town Link Larkin played by Erick Altemus who is all teen idol mixed and is able to make his character land. As Tracy's parents one wishes that Saturday Night Live cast member Tim Kazurinsky had more charm and possessed additional chemistry with Jeff Award winning Michael Linder who is comedic gold as Edna Turnblad.

In additional roles as Penny Pingleton Rebecca Pink steals every moment she is on stage and possesses one of the largest voices I've heard in the role and Holly Lyn Laurent as Amber nails the ruthlessness of the role without sacrificing any of the camp. Speaking of being ruthless as the villain of the piece one misses the haughty grandeur that Hollis Resnik brought to the role in the Marriott Linolnshire production a few years back but one can't ignore Keely Vasquez's star quality and sensational voice.

Sadly I'd say the one disappoint in this sensational cast is Tony Award Nominee Felicia Fields as Motormouth Maybelle. Ms. Fields a Tony Award nominee for Outstanding Featured Actress for her role in The Color Purple on Broadway seemed to be missing the vocal heft for the role and the drama that could have made her big solo “I Know Where I've Been.” I've witnessed Ms. Fields perform ever since I first caught her at a benefit for Dale Benson at the now defunct Candlelight Dinner Playhouse where she stopped the show with a rendition of Family from “Dreamgirls.” The woman has vocal flourishes to spare and can sell a performance like its no ones business which she proved in an impromptu bit right before the second act finale so maybe it was just an off night for her.

It's amazing that a show such as HAIRSPRAY that is currently so popular and probably in the DVD players of so many kids today plays so fresh and doesn't miss any of the well orchestrated laughs that are built into the piece, from the opening wake-up scene all the way to Edna's entrance at the end. This is all due to the talents of director and choreography Tammy Mader who makes everything work so well and pop on stage. She's ably assisted by assistant choreographer Ariane Dolan and musical director Malcolm Ruhl who taken this big comedic show and made it work without missing a beat.

Another reason the show works so well is the music of Marc Shaiman, Lyrics by Scott Wittman that evokes the music of the period that still advances the plot and doesn't feel boxed into the wonderful book by Mark O'Donnell and Marc Shaiman that never fails to find a laugh without sacrificing the heart and charm of the show.

That seems to be the strength that is built into the piece and makes it so endearing that from the opening refrains of the innocence of “Good Morning Baltimore” to the driving anthem “You Can't Stop the Beat.” The best way to think about this is show is to look at Ms. Castillo's Tracy Turnblad who is probably one of the most endearing characters in musical theater. Ms. Castillo a modern day zaftig Nellie Forbush who is a girl that no matter what life throws her way is just going to stand up tall, look you up in the eye, and shake the meanest tail feather that you've ever seen and she will probably thank you for allowing her to do it.

HAIRSPRAY is running at the Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane through June 17, 2012.  The performance schedule is as follows:  Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. ($35), Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. ($35) and 8 p.m. ($40), Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ($45), Saturdays at 5 p.m. ($45) and 8:30 p.m. ($46) and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. ($45) and 6 p.m. ($40).  Lunch and dinner theater packages range from $49.75 tp $68 depending on the day of the week.  Group rates for Student tickets start as low as $20 and Senior Citizen tickets start as low as $30 for matinees and $44.75 for a matinee lucheon package.  For reservations, call the Drury Lane Theatre box office at 630.530.0111. call TicketMaster at 800.745.3000. or visit www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.
     

The Pirates of Penzance at Marriott Lincolnshire

In a winningly wonderful revival of their 2000 production of Gilbert & Sullivan's “The Pirates of Penzance” Marriott Lincolnshire Theater once again proves that not only are they at the top of their game when it comes to top of the line musical comedy's but also in allowing Chicago actors the chance to give memorable performances that will stay with you for years to come.

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE follows the story of young Frederic who, as a child, is mistakenly apprenticed to a band of tenderhearted, ophaned pirates.  Upon completion of his apprenticeship to the pirates on his 21st birthday, Frederic is released from his servitude.  Soon after, he meets the fair maiden Mabel, daughter of Major-General Stanley.  The two fall instantly in love; but as always, obstacles threaten to cause trouble for everyone.  In the Marriott's production that takes a show that was originally done in 1879 and makes it work on so many levels in a testament to all in involved inthis production.        

Let's start off with the joys to be had by the creative team with the production that's running though June 13^th and directed with great comedic aplomb by Multi-Jeff Award winning director Dominic Missimi who you never for one second feel like is going to lose the reins of this production. This is a show with a huge cast, lots of music, lots of scene work, and could easily fall apart with a less then skilled director and Mr. Missimi leaves no doubt that he could handle this in his sleep and proves it though out the entire production. He is assisted by the gorgeous costumes of his wife Nancy Missimi and the set design by Thomas M. Ryan who keep everything bright and festival and a pleasure to look at. The musical direction by Ryan T. Nelson, orchestrations by David Siegel with musical supervisor Patti Garwood makes the difficult Gilbert and Sullivan music seem like an everyday stroll in the park. Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Sullivan's work when supported by six of these masters when teamed up make this production seem so effortless that you would think that anyone could stage “The Pirates of Penzance” and get away with it. If you throw in the bouncy syncopated movements created by Matt Raftery then you have the icing of musical comedy heaven.

The other joys in this terrific production is the sensational cast that is able to get the not to be taken seriously but smartly does not fall into the over the top type of acting that comes so easily with this type of show. Throw in some heavenly singing and you have a cast almost as strong as the production team that is assembled for this production.

All of that said though In the starry role of The Pirate King Kevin Early could be a little bit more over the top as this along with a few other roles cries out for some ham and Omar Lopez-Cepero as Frederick could have more of a presence the lovely Patricia Noonan is smart enough to play up the ingenue role without making Mabel an idiot and inflects her role with some stunning vocal trills. As the Sergeant Andrew Lupp expertly handles all the tricky choreography while not losing any of the comedic glee his character has while even dealing with a faulty mic in his solo in the second act. In smaller roles Jeff Max, Susan Moniz, and Kelly Ann-Clark delight with small but quite noticeable touches their roles.

In one of the show's two showiest roles Chicago stage legend Alene Robertson as poor suffering nurse maid Ruth lands everyone one of her lines in her one of a kind dead pan delivery even though one wishes she was a little bit more believable in the role and up to the vocal task. All of this leads up to the performance that is without a doubt going to be picking up several awards this season. Even though he comes in a little bit later in the first act Ross Lehman as the Modern Major General walks off with the show to the point that you might want to rename it “The Model of a Modern Major General” even to the point that I was quite shocked he didn't receive the final bow at the end of the show. This is a performance that I rank up there with some of my greatest Chicagoland stage performances. To say that Mr. Lehman does everything perfect would even still be an understatement as he has the audience and quite clearly the actors eating out of the palm of his hand and can make you howl from just a skip or a turn.

It's quite impressive for a show that's been around so long could still come across as fresh and not as creaky as one might expect to not only make the audience laugh with so much glee and leave with a smile on theirs faces that credit is not only due to the creators of the show but to the creators of this particular production and to top it off Mr. Lehman along with his extremely witty improvisational riff during his solo makes this a must see for anyone.  

 

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE is presented at The Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, IL opened August 13th and is running though June 10th.  The performance schedule is Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Ticket Prices range from $41 to $49, plus tax and handling fees.  Seniors and students recieve $5.00 off a full price theatre ticket on Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m.., Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings a limited number of Dinner and Theatre tickets are available for $55.00 per person plus handling fees.  Dinner is at Kings Wharf Restaurant or the Fairfield Inn (based on dining availability).  Free parking is available at all performances.  To reserve tickets with a major credit card. call the Marriott Theatre Box Office at 847.634.0200 or www.Ticketmaster.com.  Visit www.MarriottTheatre.com for more information.       

MOTHERHOOD THE MUSICAL at the Royal George

I usually have a saying that goes someday's there is God and then there's Oprah and then on others there is Oprah and then there is God. In “MOTHERHOOD the Musical” the saying should go more like there's Mom and then there's God or possibly Oprah, whatever is bigger at that moment but nothing is bigger then Mom.

MOTHERHOOD the musical which opened at the Royal George Theater last night and runs though June 17^th is a bouncy, breezy, crowd pleasing type of show that strikes an emotional chord with many in the audience (mostly women) and should enjoy a healthy run while in town.

The show written by author and songwriter Sue Fabisch, tells the story of Amy played with a tad bit of perkiness from Madeline Duff-Feins who is thrown a surprise baby show by her neighbors and friends Barb, an over-worked stressed out mother of five Brooke, a lawyer who works too much and barely sees her kids and Tasha, a single mom struggling to balance work, family and a divorce. Each of these three mothers spend the 20-song cycle informing Amy of both the highs and lows of motherhood.

The show in structure, style, and almost musically borrows a lot from other shows in similar theme as I saw a lot of Dan Goggin's “Nunsense” in this particular show down to the gospel number at the end. However the old saying should stil apply “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.”

The cast works in overtime to sell each of their vaudeville style numbers with everything they've got and then some. As Barb or Sister Robert Anne, Jennifer Chada has some of the crudest material of the three but delivers it like its Andrew Lloyd Webber and with a voice to match that style of music. Melody Betts as Sister Hubert has a personality almost as big as her voice and delivers her numbers like this was the last performance she was ever going to give. I hope the Marriott is thinking about her as Effie for there upcoming production of “Dreamgirls” because she can sing the stuffing out of anything. As Brooke, the mother with the least to do or otherwise known as Sister Mary Leo, Kimberly Vanbiesbrouck has some great dance steps and stops the show with her performance of the song “Costco Queen.”

The moves along quickly though at 20 songs after a while all the songs seem to sound the same and the show could use with some editing however such crowd favorites such as Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Minivan, I'm Danny's Mom (sung beautifully by Jennifer Chada, however no where in the rest including when she names each of her children does she mention Danny again), Not Gonna Take it Anymore, and The Kids Are Finally Asleep had the audience eating out of the palm of cast and creators hands.

However all that said as I looked around and judging by expressions on a lot of the women's faces I could tell that this was a show that most in the audience got due to the fact that they could see a lot of themselves up on stage and for an audience life experience can be as strong a bond as motherhood.

MOTHERHOOD THE MUSICAL is playing at the Royal George Theater though June 17^rd. Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays t 7:30 pm., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. And Sundays 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com by calling 800.982.2787 or at the Royal George Theatre box office, 1641 North Halsted Street. For additional ticket information, visit www.theroyalgeorgetheatre.com.

JERSEY BOYS at The Bank of America Theatre

Jersey Boys

At the end of the show when the full company joins together and sings “Who Loves You?” its quite clear by the audiences reaction that question does not need to be asked.

After making its return to Chicago after a triumphant run in Chicago that broke box office records at the Bank of America Theatre and played from 2007 to 2010 “JERSEY BOYS” which opened last night at the Bank of America Theatre will play for nine weeks though June 3^rd.

JERSEY BOYS is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons like its predecessor “Dreamgirls” shows the backstage life of a group from the humble beginnings to their super star reunion complete with all the backstage fighting’s, betrayals and personal demons. Where as “Dreamgirls” told a fictional tale of a girl group JERSEY BOYS is the story of Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi set to the music of that era. The show contains such classics as Earth Angel, Cry for Me, Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like a Man, Oh, What a Night, Stay, Can't Take My Eyes Off of You, Woking My Way Back to You, and Who Loves You? songs that that are embedded in the ears and hearts of almost everyone out there.

The show's book by Rick Elice moves as fast an furious as those classic songs do and with direction by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff they are able to fit an entire life of these men plus everyone they seem to have ever met into their lives in under two hours which is surprising that the finale moments involving a personal tragedy seems so rushed though other then that the show is a knockout and definitely a crowd-pleaser from top to bottom.

The excellent cast also work very hard to make these fully realized sympathetic characters when they could have easily been caricatures that sing just some classic songs, with each of the Boys has his moment to shine during the proceedings. Joseph Leo Bwarie displays an impressive range that evokes Franki Valli's range and tone and while having the least of the charismatic roles still lands with his portrayal. As the groups founder Tonmy DeVito, John Gardiner takes the standard tough guy role and is able to build an impressive arc while Michael Lomenda's Nick Massi makes you feel for the Ringo of the group even though there is a lot of mystery towards him. As the man who provided them with so many great songs Bob Gaudio Preston Truman Boyd projects a sincerity and honesty with his acting that matches his youthful appearance.

The resent of the large ensemble works overtime to make their characters memorable and not just scenery that rushes past the stage with standouts being Jonathan Hadley, Karla Tremel, and Joseph Leo Bwarie.

At one point in the show Nick Massey speaks that their fans weren't like the Beatles fans were that there music appealed to the everyman and with this show and this production it's quite clear why that is as you walk into the show humming the music and walk out of it singing the lyrics.

JERSEY BOYS is playing at the Bank of America Theatre though June 3^rd tickets are on-sale now and start as low as $7. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnit), the Broadway in Chicago Ticket Kiosk at Water Tower Place (845 N. Michigan Ave.), the Broadway in Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations (including Hot Tix and select Carsons Pirie Scott, Coconuts and fye Stores), and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

For more information on JERSEY BOYS, go to www.BroadwayInChicago.com or www.JerseyBoysTour.com.