The North Shore Center for the Performing Arts’ Center Theatre is the perfect space for Music Theater Works’ The Producers.
Unlike the company’s “Camelot” which was crammed into the small theater, it has the space for Producers director Walter Stearns,’ choreographer Darryl K. Clark’s’ and scenic designer Jonathan Berg-Einhorn’s interpretations of Mel Brooks Tony Award winning musical comedy. They need the space for their terrific dancers and talented cast.
With the excellent singer-actor Thomas M. Shea in the lead as Max Bialystock and David Geinosky as the nerdy accountant-turned producer sidekick, the show rollicks from a scheme to make millions with aBroadway flop to their unintentional, probably disastrous, success as a hit. Kelsey MacDonald as their Swedish bomb/secretary/receptionist Ulla, is a bonus.
The show, which would likely not appeal to conservative theater goers, is what anyone who attends should expect from Mel Brooks who rejoices in off-color dialogue, surprising topis and action. So blame him and co-book writer Thomas Meehan. The funny, rousing, music and lyrics are also by Brooks.
The Producers is a fun break in the theater season.
DETAILS: The Producers is at The North Shore Center for the Performing Arts” Center Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL through Aug. 20, 2023. Running time:2 hours, 30 minutes with one intermission. For tickets and other information visitMusicTheaterWorks.com or call Music Theater Works Box Office: (847) 673-6300.
After seeing “Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story,” an extraordinary musical production that opened at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, June 28, it’s hard not to think of Don Mclean’s version of ” American Pie” (see Rolling Stones and the “Day the Music Died) .
Of course, the show ends with a darkened stage for the tragic plane crash that took the lives of Holly, two other performers and the pilot. But the lights come back on, the music returns to high intensity and the audience knows Holly’s music lives on.
With “Buddy,” Marriott Theatre introduces another generation to Holly’s rock ‘ n’ roll style and songs. In doing so, the Marriott brilliantly cast Kieran McCabe as Buddy.
Written by Alan Janes, directed and choreographed by Amber Mak with music direction by Matt Deitchman, the production deserves the long, standing ovation it received on opening.
Other versions of the show have been mostly on national and international tours, but if it returns to Broadway where it opened at the Shubert Theatre Nov. 4, 1990 (and ran for 225 performances), it should star the exceptionally talented McCabe as Buddy.
More than a “jukebox musical” featuring the songs of Holly, those of the “Crickets,” as they were known when they backed Holly, and later, after he died, other rock n’ roll songs of the 50s and 60s time period, it’s clear it takes more than just knowing how to play a guitar. A lot of “Buddy” is showmanship.
You see Holly turn audiences onto rock’n’roll as he moves from a less than successful start in Lubbock, Tx at age 19 where a recording studio manager wanted country, not rock’n’roll, through Nashville, TN and on to the NorVaJak Studios in Clovis, NM, where his and the Crickets “That’ll be the Day” recording was released, May 1957, reached number three on the Billboard Top 100 by mid-September and went on to future successes including in Harlem.
By the end of the show you see McCabe play his guitar backwards, over his head and stop at the piano to add a riff similar to what audiences see in “Million Dollar Quartet.”
Indeed, some of the musicians in Buddy” have played in that show. McCabe was Fluke, the drummer/ Crickets’ bassist Joe Maudlin was Carl Perkins.
The show, a rocking 100 minutes without intermission, magnificently proves, once again, that Buddy Holly’s musical vision, personality and ground-breaking style made him the super star that would live on past his tragic plane crash in 1959 at age 22.
DETAILS: “Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story” is at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Dr., Lincolnshire, IL, now through Aug. 13, 2023 Run-time approx 100 minutes with no intermission. For tickets and other information visit Buddy.
‘The Who’s Tommy’ rock musical at Goodman Theatre has been extended and will have a pinball arcade for ticket holders (Photo courtesy of Goodman Theatre)
Broadway In Chicago is partnering with NASCAR to kick off the Chicago Street Race Weekend with a national anthem performance by MJ star Roman Banks prior to The Loop 121 NASCAR Xfinity Series event. The Loop 121 street race will be broadcast nationally on USA network at 4 p.m. CT, Saturday, July 1.
Banks has the title role of ‘Michael Jackson’ in the first national tour of MJ that begins Aug. 1 and continues through Sept. 2, 2023 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, Chicago,. 24 W. Randolph St. For MJ info visit Broadway in Chicago.
Hot Tix, Chicago’s discount ticket service for the League of Chicago Theatres whose membership consists of more than 200 Chicago area theaters, announced it will offer more competitive pricing options beginning July 3, 2023.
Half-price tickets will also remain an option, but discounts will now vary. The discount service is available online at HotTix.org and in-person at Guest Services inside Block 37 Shops on State, 108 N State Street. This location is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hot Tix sales generate revenue for the theaters and support theatre industry initiatives. For Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, ChicagoPlays.com
The Who’s Tommy, reimagined for a new audience 30 years after the original production opened on Broadway, opened June 26 at the Goodman Theatre but already has extended performances twice. Now, the musical is running through Aug. 6, 2023.
The original Tony Award winning co-creators are re-telling the story of Tommy Walker for 2023 audiences—with music and lyrics by Pete Townshend and book by Townshend and Des McAnuff, who also directs. For the extension week schedule and other infor mations visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Tommy or the box office at 170 N. Dearborn (12 noon – 5pm).
Added to the fun is a free pop-up pinball arcade with one game per user. The highest score at the end of the run will win a custom Tommy Fender Stratocaster, signed by Pete Townshend of The Who! The arcade is open 90 minutes pre-show on most dates, closed during intermission, and open for 60 minutes post-show. who beat the high score should capture a selfie that includes their score and the date in the picture and email it to [email protected]. More details at www.GoodmanTheatre.org/Tommy.
Connor Ripperger as Pippin at Music Theater Works in the North Shore Performing Arts Center. (Photo Courtesy of Music Theater Works)
Highly Recommended
Music Theater works brings Pippin to the North Shore Center for Performing Arts in a production that is a feast for the senses and uses the entire spectrum of theater craft.
Explaining the plot of Pippin is as useful as trying to recall the details of a dream. What exactly happened is not important but the fact that your brain was trying to help you organize your thoughts and work through your anxiety is important.
But for context I’ll tell you that Pippin (Connor Ripperger) who has recently completed his education in Italy is the eldest son of Charlemagne Thomas M. Shea.) Ripperger’s Pippin has a longing boyish quality that is spot on.
The boy is anxious to make his way in the world but the problems in his way are stepmother Fastrada (Savannah Sinclair) and stepbrother Lewis (Andrew Freeland). They want to get rid of Pippin so Lewis will become first heir to the throne.
Though Lewis is purported to be a better warrior, Pippin sets out to prove himself in battle where he learns war is a deadly and dirty business.
Pippin’s grandmother, Berte (Kathleen Puls Andrade), encourages the lad to enjoy life and have more sex. He tries but his experiences bring him little pleasure and take him no closer to a fulfilling life.
Then Pippin falls into the arms of a wealthy widow,, Catherine (Desiree Gonzalez) who has a small b oy, Theo (Di’Aire Wilson). Again the promise of a quiet and distracting domestic life is not fulfilling to the restless youth.
Ultimately, Pippin is back in Charlemagne’s palace where he becomes king after the untimely death of his father. Saddened by the injustices of the world, Pippin attempts to right some wrongs but learns that the problems are more complex than they appear.
The phantasmagoric experience is orchestrated and narrated by the Leading Player (Sonia Goldberg) who promises a finale we will never forget. Goldberg has the needed commanding stage presence that lets you know she is in charge.
The action will not have anything to do with the actual life of Charlemagne. In fact, it includes video games, tv reports and images on large screens mimicking fragments expected from a dream.
Pippinwas co-written and originally directed and choreographed by Chicago native Bob fosse in 1972 at the epicenter of his successful and frenetic career. (Possibly his drug addiction might help explain this bizarre tale of how Pippin’s quest for meaning plays out.) Fosse’s fingerprints (or say footprints) are all over this psychedelic fever dream.
Many of the characters, notably Pippin and The Leading Player, are gloved which is a nod to Fosse’s iconic “Jazz hands” and his desire to accentuate hand movements as part of dance.
This production’s co-choreographers, Mollyanne Nunn and Kaitlyn Pasquinelli, got all they demanded from their talented company who kept the non-stop action energetic and entertaining.
Director Kyle A. Dougan with assistant director Patrick Tierney did an expert job wrangling the large cast of about 20 players around a limited area of the smaller North Theater in the Skokie complex.
Shane Cinal supplied the needed multilevel set design that provided additional room for movement including clever areas for unusual entrances and exits. Andrew Meyers lighting effects were key components of several scenes.
Jazmin Aurora Medina’s colorful fantastical costumes, augmented by Alice Salazar’s hair, wig and makeup, added the right look for the chaotic action. Charlemagne’s toys sealed in plastic and his plastic crown added a subtle brilliance of detail to the array of often absurd imagery.
The music and lyrics of Stephen Schwartz who gave us the highly acclaimed Wicked is high caliber. It doesn’t have a break-out number with the possible exception of “Corner of the Sky.” When performed by the Jackson Five it became #18 on Billboard. Schwartz almost simultaneously wrote Godspell. My initial response was to characterize Pippin as The Fantastiks meets Godspell.
On the surface, Pippin seems weird and fragmented but in retrospect, the Tony Award winning musical is deeply reflective of the competitive and often, tormented mind of Fosse. In a larger context, its the reflection of us all as we strive to live more meaningful lives.
Details: Pippin, a Music Theater Works production, is at the North Shore Center for Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL ,through June 25, 2023. Running time: 2 and 1/2 hours with a 15 minute intermission. for tickets and information visit Music Theater Works or call (847) 673-6300.
Note: Though the production has an overall comedic tone it contains adult themes and language as well as allusions to sexual activity, murder and suicide so may not be appropriate for everyone.
Kimberly Akimbo, a new musical, took five Tony Awards. (Photo courtesy of the Tony Awards and the Kimberly Akimbo musical production company)
Watching the American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards was refreshing Sunday night
We didn’t have hosts trying to be funny or clever. And whether our idea of who should win actually took home the Tony, we got to see some excellent Broadway performances.
In case you missed the show here are the Tony winners:
Best Play – Leopoldstadt plus Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, Brandon Uranowitz, Best Director of a Play Patrick Marber and Best Costume Design of a Play Brigette Reiffensteul in a 50-year-long family saga of love, faith, identity by Tom Stoppard. If you get to NY this June try to see it at the Longacre Theatre before it leaves July, 2, 2023.
Best Musical – Kimberly Akimbo by multi award winners David Lindsay Abaire and Jeanine Tesori is among the show’s five Tony Awards. The show also won awards for Best Book of a Musical (Abaire), Best Original Score, Best Actress in a Musical (Victoria Clark) and Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, Bonnie Milligan. The theme is a very different teenager tale about struggles that range from family secrets to her own disease of rapid physical aging.
Best Revival of a Play – Top Dog-Underdog by Pulitzer Prize winner Susan Lori-Parks that is a dark comedy of two brothers back on Broadway for its 20th anniversary.
Best Revival of a Musical – Parade, a Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry musical about a dramatic, true, grave injustice in Georgia.
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Sean Hayes for Good Night, Oscar, by Doug Wright about troubled entertainer Oscar Levant. The show with Sean Hayes in the starring role came from Goodman Theatre in Chicago where it was a sell-out hit.
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Jodie Comer as Tessa in Prima Facie by Suzie Miller about a young, brilliant barrister facing a moral conflict. A short Broadway run, the show opened in April at the John Golden theatre but closes July 2, 2023.
Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical – J. Harrison Ghee for Some Like It Hot. Yes, it’s the old story of two musicians (played by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in the 1959 Billy Wilder/IAL Diamond film) who are fleeing the Chicago mob by train during Prohibition. The current show’s Book is by Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin with Music by Marc Shaiman and Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. It has an open run at the Shubert Theatre.
For Best Actress in a Musical see Kimberly Akimbo/Victoria Clark above.
Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play – Miriam Silverman in The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window which takes place in Sidney and Iris Brustein’s Greenwich Village apartment where ideals sardonically clash with reality in the 1960s.
Best performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical -Alex Newell for Shucked, a show with the unlikely theme of mixing a NYC comedy writer with two Nashville stars.
Best performance by an Actress in a Featured role in a Musical – Bonne Milligan see Kimberly Akimbo above.
For more Tony categories and winners visit Tony Awards.
First, find out which Broadway shows are deemed award winners when the 76th annual Tonys are on CBS at 8 p.m. ET June 11, 2023.
Then, don’t wait until Fall to see some former good Tony-award winning musicals playing this summer in the Chicago area.
Goodman Theatre is doing The Who’s Tommy this summer. (Photo courtesy of Goodman Theatre)
The hot ticket this summer is Goodman Theatre’s “The Who’s Tommy.” Opening June 13 for previews, Goodman has already added eight performances.
Three decades after the show won Tonys for its creators, Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff, the duo has reimagined their production and is presenting this updated version first in Chicago.
The show’s official opening night is June 26 and runs through July 30 in Goodman’s Albert Theatre. For tickets and other information visit Goodman Theatre.
Another musical that brings back the old goodies is “Hair,” once a ground breaker in (tongue firmly in cheek) costume design.
Playing at Skokie Theatre June 23-July 30, audiences are likely to want to hum or join in such old favorites as “Good Morning, Starshine,” “Aquarius” and “Let the Sunshine In.”
Its book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot will remind audiences that yesterdays’ important issues of world peace and global responsibility are still around. For directions and more information visit SkokieTheatre.org.
A third musical, a goodie though not at all oldie except arguably in an underworld concept that uses such know characters as Orpheus and Eurydice, is the 2019 Tony Award winning production, “Hadestown.” On stage at the CIBC Theatre for a short run, June 20-June 25, the production is brought to the city by Broadway in Chicago. For tickets and other information visit Broadwayinchicago/Hadestown.
Daniella Dalli and Ron E. Rains as Meg and Joe Boyde in Damn Yankees at Marriott Theatre (Photos by Liz Lauren)
Highly Recommended
The choreography and dancers in Marriott Theatre’s “Damn Yankees” were so amazing opening night (April 19, 2023) I could have sworn that Rachel Rockwell, an extraordinary director and choreographer who died in 2018, had somehow returned.
Instead, we are now lucky to have Broadway and TV choreographer/actor/dancer Tyler Hanes and film/ theater/actor/director James Vasquez taking on a Marriott production.
In their hands, “Damn Yankees,” a musical comedy from 1955, still connects with baseball fans who love their team and hate the umpires’ calls. It also brings to life the dreamers who want a chance to hit it out of the ballpark.
With a clever book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and memorable music and lyrics (You’ve gotta have “Heart”) by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, the show’s timing is so right for baseball’s spring season when anything can happen including the Chicago Cubs’ winning streak as of opening night.
Sean Fortunato. as Applegate in Damn Yankees
And that true but improbable fact is without the help (we believe) of the show’s Faust-like character of Applegate played with perfection by long time TV, film, regional and Marriott actor Sean Fortunato.
He makes a deal with avid Washington Senators fan Joe Boyd, well portrayed by TV, Marriott and regional theater performer Ron E. Rains, to be transformed into the Senators’ savior.
Enter the new Boyd who is now young baseball phenom, Joe Hardy, brilliantly interpreted by Andrew Alstat, (Papermill, MUNY, et al), in his Marriott debut.
The kicker for Applegate and the connecting cord that makes Joe Hardy totally believable is love of Joe Boyd’s wife, Meg, played by Daniella Dalli.
Anyone who saw Marriott’s 2022 Jeff Award winning “The Sound of Music” will remember Dalli’s powerful voice as the Mother Abbess.
,Andrew Alstat as Joe Hardy tries to back off from Lola played by Michelle Aravena.
The other notable part is Lola as in the song, “Whatever Lola wants.” Brought on board by Applegate to diffuse Joe Hardy’s love for Meg, the plan backfires as Lola, played by Broadway and National Tour star Michelle Aravena, changes from sexy vamp to an understanding girl who has fallen for Hardy.
The production has a large (more than 20 members), experienced supporting cast that includes Porchlight Music Theater and Drury Lane Theatre regulars Lorenzo Rush, Jr as Van Buren, the team’s manager, and Erica Stephan as the persistent reporter, Gloria Thorpe.
The Washington Senators in Mariott Theatre’s Damn Yankees
It’s easy to get caught up in the action on stage. But audiences should pay attention to the really fine music produced by conductor/keyboardist Noah Landis and his orchestra.
In addition, costume designer Theresa Ham nailed the period and baseball uniforms.
Details: “Damn Yankees” is at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Dr., Lincolnshire, now through June 4, 2023. Running time: about 2 hours, 15 minutes with one intermission. For tickets and other information visit Damn Yankees | Show (marriotttheatre.com) or call (847) 634-0200.
Charlie Brown at Marriott Theatre. (Photo by Liz Lauren)
Highly Recommended
A perfect introduction to children’s theatre, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” is a one-hour production in the Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences series.
It’s amazing how timeless this musical, written in 1967, continues to be as it highlights the anxieties and insecurities of children in every generation.
Based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schultz in his comic strip, Peanuts, the play remains delightful in its simplicity and poignancy.
Charlie Brown and his rag-tag group of friends create a series of vignettes that explore life’s great questions and their relationships with one another. Through it, they play baseball, struggle with sibling rivalry, sing and celebrate their own happiness.
The production stars Patrick Michael Tierney who is a perfect Charlie Brown. Tafadzwa Diener is Lucy who is not only bossy but delivers wonderful vocals as well. Matthew Bettencourt plays Schroeder. Jackson Evans is Linus and Amanda Walker is Sally.
The star of the show really is Andres Enriquez who, as Snoopy, must convey a variety of “doggie” emotions. Hysterical.
One of the lyrics to the final song, “Happiness,” is “Happiness Is anyone or anything that is loved by you.” Could there be anything sweeter?
This production is directed and choreographed by Linda Fortunato, with musical director/conductor Rick Bertone and musical supervisor Ryan T. Nelson.
The show includes additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and dialogue by Michael Mayer from the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival.
This is the first show in the 2023 Young Audience season. Next up is “Elephant and Piggies: We Are in a Play” from July 14 to August 1.
Details: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, through April 1. For tickets and more information visit Marriott Theatre Charlie Brown and Marriott Theatre.
Dana Saleh Omar and Matt Mueller in Once at Writers Theatre. (Photo by Michael Brosilow)
3/1/2 Stars
I fell in love with “Once,” a musical based on a John Carney 2007 film, when it first played in Chicago in 2013 and again in 2015.
But the word, “musical,” may erroneously bring images to mind of such full-stage touring shows as “Chicago and “Les Miserable.”
Appearing now at Writers Theatre where it can intimately be performed almost in-the-round, the audience’s focus is on its main characters beautifully portrayed by two popular regional theater actors: Dana Saleh Omar (national tour of “The Band’s Visit) as Girl, and Matt Mueller (“The Play that Goes Wrong” tour) as Guy.
Girl is a sympathetic but stubborn musician who pulls Irish musician/song writer Guy away from severe mental despondency when the person he wrote and sang about leaves him for New York City.
Her vehicle to getting through to him is, surprisingly enough, a Hoover Vac that he can fix for her in his father’s shop where he lives above the store and works when not writing and performing.
The dialogue, a creative play on words often infused in the script, is something like: “It (the Hoover) doesn’t suck,” she tells him. “Are you serious,” he asks. “I’m always serious. I’m Czech,” she says.
On the way to bringing Guy back to a mental state where he wants to live and perform, the audience meets her Czech family, Guy’s father, Da, the Irish bartender and band members.
They all make up the show’s musician/performing cast. And they all, including Girl’s 8-year-old daughter, Ivonka, played by Kajsa Allen, are terrific. (She alternates with 11-year old Viva Boresi.)
As with the national tour production, they also (except for Ivonka) stay on stage, usually seated when not performing. The staging is simple.
The main differences I found were that the focal point is an upright piano instead of a stocked bar and the musicians/performers had more choreographed stage time that included pre-curtain Irish music.
Kudos to the talented supporting cast: Elisa Carlson (Reza), Yuchi Chiu (Bank Manager), Matt Deitchman (Band music director/ Eamon), Elleon Dobiaa (Ex Girlfriend), Matt Edmonds (Billy), Jordan Golding (Emcee), Lucas Looch Johnson (Svec), Liam Oh (Andre), Ron E Rains (Da) and Bethany Thomas (Baruska).
The show is well directed and choreographed by Katie Spelman with excellent music direction by Deitchman.
Music and lyrics are by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova with book by Enda Walsh.
“Once” picked up 11 Tony Award nominations in 2012, winning eight awards that included Best Actor, Book and Musical. It had also won the Academy Award for best song “Falling Slowly.”
Details: “Once is at Writers theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe now through April 2, 2023. Running time 2 hrs, 20 min. with one intermission. For more information and tickets visit. Writers Theatre.
L to R: Danny Ferenczi as Elder Shumway, Julie Peterson as Ethel Merman and. Alex Iacobucci as Elder Braithwaite. (Photo courtesy of MadKap Productions
3 1/2 Stars
Fans of the late, great Ms. Ethel Merman will love this spoof on the Broadway Diva as it comes to life at Skokie Theatre. The show has everything – memorable music, high-energy dancing, gorgeous costumes, and a heartfelt message about being true to yourself. It’s no wonder the performance was sold out the night we went.
Two Mormon missionaries who are down on their luck in selling souls ring the doorbell of the brash and brassy Ethel Merman. Misunderstandings of all kinds take place and hilarity ensues.
The audience gets the benefits of fabulous show-stopping numbers belted out by the trio. But listen carefully as the lively songs with music and lyrics by Leo Schwartz and book by DC Cathro play off Merman’s greatest hits; some subtle, others not so subtle, because you’ll recognize this legend’s most beloved music among Broadway’s best.
The two Mormon missionaries are played by Alex Iacobucci as Elder Braithwaite and Danny Ferenczi as Elder Shumway who are funny and talented. They will sing and dance their way into your heart. Perhaps if start singing as soon as they ring the doorbell they will get better results!
Julie Peterson is the soul of the show as Ethel Merman. She has the same loud, booming belter voice that was Merman’s trademark.
No wonder. Peterson was the understudy and performer in the role when it launched off-Broadway in 2018. She perfectly captures the mannerisms, intonations, and sassiness of the star.
Produced by Wendy Kaplan of MadKap Productions with Wayne Mell as associate producer, the show is directed and choreographed by Ty Perry. Musical direction is by pianist Jeremy Ramey and percussionist Craig Buckner who sit behind the stage.
Set design is by Scott Richardson, lighting design is by Pat Henderson and kudos once again, to costume designer Patti Halajian whose dresses for Ethel are simply dazzling.
In Act 2, the show changes and real identities step forward giving the audience new appreciation for the characters and the show.
Concluding the season for Skokie Theatre is Neil Simon’s hilarious farce, “Rumors,” March 31 to April 25, 2023.
Details: “Book of Merman” is at Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave in downtown Skokie, IL through Feb 26, 2023. Run time: 2 hours with one intermission. For information and tickets visit SkokieTheatre.org or call (847) 677-7761.
