ARTonNews: ONCE: a new musical

I wish I had managed to see once over Thanksgiving. It seemed like such a difficult leap to go from subdued, intense indie movie to a Broadway musical. But the production was so well-received that the Broadway run was confirmed even before the off-Broadway production opened. I've always loved the movie. I had never even heard of the movie, but my sister saw the DVD. As soon as she did, she called me & set up a movie date because she knew she had stumbled upon something awesome. She eventually used Falling Slowly as the song for the first dance with her husband.

The CHC Perspective: Chris Jones on once

DreamCast: WICKED

I love WICKED. It is a completely unique musical that still holds appeal for a widespread demographic. It is also awesome for a musical to center around the friendship between two females rather than focusing primarily on a love story. Stephen Schwartz is a composer who always tries different tones & dynamics in his musicals; I don’t always love the choices he makes, but Wicked is a smart, innovative, contemporary musical that will be always be a staple in the Soundtracks section.



Emma Stone as Elphaba
Her performances have never disappointed.
I loved her in Easy A, Crazy Stupid Love,
Friends With Benefits, & The House Bunny.
She is a great actress & deserves an
all-star, shining, center-stage role.
She has found her niche in playing
a great girl trapped as undeserving underdog
who eventually comes into herself & shows her full potential.
The girl has also pulled off every hair color, so I'm sure she'd look good green.

Leeann Dearing as Glinda
She is my great friend
who is as equallystunning in her acting skills as she is physically.
Glinda could easily be played a flat glitter queen,
so the actress in the role has to fight that urge to play a bland blonde.
Leeann approaches her characters
with thoughtful intelligence as well as striking beauty.

Terry O’Quinn as The Wizard
The Wizard serves as leader & protector of the crazy culture of Oz,
which is a parallel sentiment to his character John Locke on Lost.
He somehow legitimizes the otherworldly &
performs with strong commitment & sense of character history.

Bradley Cooper as Fyioro

I like the idea of casting Fyioro older than his romantic counter-parts.

The song Dancing Through Life would be much more effective

if delivered from one who has already danced through life.

He is also the most charming actor ever,

which is Fyioro’s defining characteristic.

The Addams Family Is Coming to Chicago! Again!

The Addams Family Musical

National Tour
Cadillac Palace Theatre
Dec. 27-Jan. 1

I really like the looks of this new-ish musical. It looks like the lovechild of Six Feet Under, Rocky Horror, Chicago: The Musical, Beetlejuice, Frank Wildhorn, Sweeney Todd, & Corpse Bride. I like the costume choices because they are authentic to The Classic Addams Family; it shows smart artistic discretion to not switch up what has already works & is loved. The opening number has catchy music, contemporary lyrics, & an animated, modern tone. This is not surprising since Andrew Lippa wrote the music & I loved the tone he established in The Wild Party. I wanted to see this musical in New York & wish national tours weren’t so overpriced so I could see it in Chicago. 

Chris Jones on The Addam's Family's newest re-interpreation

Spring Awakening by Griffin Theatre Co.

I’ve loved Spring Awakening since Day 1. I saw the Broadway production in previews & have been looking forward to this new interpretation since September. I immediately loved the theatre space; it was reminiscent of Cabaret at Studio 54 with exposed brick & the semi-exposed band onstage behind the actors. A runway protruded from the stage space, which was great effect with their staging choices & choreography. However, there was little energy directed towards the establishment of the period setting. The stylized choices were not in bad taste or poorly executed, but it was so ambiguously stylized that the period element became muddled. A production of this musical needs to hang its’ hat on the antiquated setting since the moral is so outdated. There sense of history between the characters was also overall watered-down. Important plot moments were lost because the production seemed like a series of musical numbers rather than an entire unit. Despite my nit-picking, Griffin’s new interpretation of Spring Awakening was absolutely a worthwhile, innovative, & enjoyable production.

ACT I

Mama Who Bore Me initially had a more rockabilly vibe with the female ensemble providing loud energy & great food-stomping moments. I immediately liked Aja Wiltshire as Wendla; she established herself as a smart casting choice with her kewpie-doll face & strong, sweet voice. Throughout the production, she repeatedly proved herself as a quality actress as well. The first impression of the male ensemble was not quite as striking.

The choreography of B*tch of Living was very reminiscent of Broadway choreography & the minor male characters immediately established themselves as engaging than the male leads. As Melchior & Moritz, Josh Salt & Matthew Fletcher seemed more like similarly ordinary cousins who had nothing more in common than their setting rather than individuals with a meaningful history. Neither of them was overly lacking in acting or singing, but they both were detached & lacked ownership of their roles.

My Junk is a catchy song that does not provide the plot to move forward, so it must be artistically exquisite; this production’s execution lacking. It opened with strange choreography that reminded me of a maypole dance, which led into blocking was severely lacking subtlety. It was reminiscent of the choreography of Contact in Rent; the swaying & gazing longingly seemed unimaginative & lacked a sense of fresh, artistic perspective. The number found its’ redemption by the clean cohesion of ensemble & stunning male solos.

The Dark I Know Well is a difficult number, both for the actresses involved & the audience who must face this difficult subject matter. The performance felt like a disjointed attack & the characters lacked the necessary sense of solidarity. The storytelling element of this number was lost by the aggression exhibited. As Martha, Paige Collins did provide some softness, but she would have shone more in this number with more subtle direction.

The Last scene of Act I seemed forced, random, & unrealistic. The lighting was beautiful & the staging was a perfect use of the runway. This Wendla objected more & her interaction with Melchior seemed forced milestone, which is not a sentiment that is grounded in the text. Theirs was a quiet passion that lacked authenticity. It was like a baseball player who went from not knowing how to hold a bat to hitting a homerun on the first try; that change & drive needs to be driven by a force greater than one’s self. Communicating that tormented sentiment is the greatest challenge of Spring Awakening, and this performance did not dominate that challenge.

ACT II

As the highlight of Act II, Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind disappointed. It was an immature interpretation that lacked the softness of adolescent sadness. It is such a great number that weak actors could still perform it well based only on exceptional singing, but that was not the case. I was not impressed with Lindsay Leopold’s portrayal of Ilsa. Her Ilsa seemed like an intentionally rebellious outcast rather than one forced into displacement by situations out of her control. She did not instigate a curiosity in the audience as to her history and was overly-intense without explanation.

The Word of Your Body (reprise) provided the most authentic moment of the production. The characters have a history, both throughout the production & established through their chemistry. A relationship that changes & develops throughout the course of the show. As Hanchen & Ernst, Adam Fane & Adam Molloy’s performances were the highlight of the entire production.

Totally F*cked was a strong, energetic, youthful ensemble number that lived up to my expectations. Overall, the ensemble numbers were clean, articulate, & well-sung and served as a great strength of the overall production.

TheatreInChicago Review Round-Up

Christmas WishList

The Eight: Reindeer Monologues

Stage Left Theatre

Scandal erupts at the North Pole when one of Santa’s eight tiny reindeer accuses him of sexual harassment. As the press descends, the other reindeer demand to reveal their stories, and a horrific tale of corruption and perversion emerges. Stage Left brings this hilarious, international theatrical sensation back to the city where it was first produced in a limited run, late-night production.

Through Dec. 31

 

The Santaland Diaries

Theater Wit

Sedaris’ beloved account of his stint as an elf at Macy’s during the holiday season has been called the “24 funniest pages ever written in the English language.” Don’t miss Theater Wit’s annual antidote to traditional shows of the season – a must-see celebration of the desperation of unemployment, the insanity of Christmas shopping and the ineffable “cheer” of the holiday spirit.

Through Dec. 31

El Stories: Holiday Train

Waltzing Mechanics

The Edgewater-based performance group known as the Waltzing Mechanics creates original theatrical works out of conversations with real Chicago commuters. For El Stories: Holiday Train, they've taken Yuletide-related mass-transit stories from a variety of Windy City citizens from various backgrounds and neighborhoods and turned them into a dramatized El ride that explores how Chicagoans interact as a community around the holidays. The real-life vignettes are adapted from original interviews and directed by Thomas Murray.

Through Jan. 14

DreamCast: SWEENEY TODD

I've been on a SONDHEIM kick lately.

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Sweeney Todd

He is just an amazing actor. He especially excels at
conquering shadowy title-characters like Capote,
with confidence, color, & a slightly arrogant intention.
His physicality is perfect & always intentionally executed,
and it would be exciting to see him
reimagine one of the most imaginative title characters out there.

Felicity Huffman as Mrs. Nellie Lovett

She is a tough, cool, complicated actress that displays

the roughened edges that dark humor demands.

She displayed in Transamerica that she can unfold a character

as the text presents new information, which is a necessity for Mrs. Lovett.

Most importantly, she exhibits the strength & skill to play a woman

who has spent years withholding her love towards a man.

Allison Harvard as Johanna 
I know she is not an actress, but she is the perfect caged-bird.  

She has the crazy curious eyes, gothic look, & detached personality

that would result from living in an isolated world.

Johanna is a caricature more than a character,

so a creepy, Tim-Burton-esque-model seems like the perfect fit.

 

Christopher Walken as Judge Turpin

He is a master intimidator who inherently demands

the respect of both other actors & the audience.

His subtle nuances & intense energy would ensure

that Turpin was not performed as a blank, sinister villain.

Michael Cera as Anthony Hope

He could play the earnest, eager moments of

the first falling-into-love of a sweet young man,

While still making the audience fall in love with him,

He provided the same tone in

Juno, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Superbad,

Arrested Development, & Paper Heart.

Catherine Keener as Beggar Woman

She is so beautiful, but it’s an innate beauty

that is not immediately overwhelming.

She could play the Beggar Woman,

while still revealing who Lucy Barker used to be.

T.R. Knight as Tobias Ragg
On Grey’s Anatomy, he created a character who exhibited
blind devotion to his loved ones.
That character trait is the backbone of Toby,
except Toby takes this dedication to a
heightened, slightly crazy level,
which would be a cool challenge for T.R.K. as an actor.

Michael Emerson as Beadle Bamford

His performance as Benjamin Linus on Lost has eternally solidified

my love for him as the wacked-out pseudo-villain.

It would be cool to see him as the

sinister assistant rather than the sinister ringmaster.

 

Michael C. Hall as Adolfo Pirelli

I first fell in love with this man when he played

the Emcee in the Broadway Revival of Cabaret.

He performed the role with a perfect accent while

equally accentuating the campy & intrinsically creepy facets

of his seemingly simple character.

BILLY ELLIOT National Tour Review



I am a very thankful girl for my Thanksgiving visit to my Delaware homeland. My sister & I had intentions of seeing Once on Broadway, but that goal proved too lofty. Instead, we saw the national tour of Billy Elliot at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music. I loved being back in Philadelphia, even though national tours always lack a little of the shine of a Broadway production.

My opening reaction was an immediate, familiar resonance of those great musicals of the turn-of-the-millennium Broadway era. I grew up on those musicals, and it’s been a long time since I could just go see a new, awesome musical with my sister. For that experience & dynamic, I am very grateful. From a critically-minded theatre-goer’s perspective, my interpretation of that reaction offers a different perspective that explains my immediate sense of familiarity: Billy Elliot is a patchwork of the highest quality musicals of the recent yesteryear, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Throughout the musical, I saw distinct moments reminiscent of The Full Monty, The Beatiful Game, Les Miserables, Urinetown, and Miss Saigon. 

The costumes were a hodgepodge of winter thrift-store wear & I loved them. The set was an asymmetrical set of puzzle pieces that effectively & fluidly created a variety of spaces. Billy’s audition scene used the actual theatre as the set, which was an appreciated change of tone & a clever staging technique. Obviously, the dancing was awesome and Elton John wrote some great songs. The glaring exception to the overall quality & cohesion of the production was the number Expressing Yourself, which felt like a glaring neon public service message & felt completely disjointed in both production-style & plot-relevance.

The plotline seemed stripped from movie in terms of establishing the family dynamic. Specifically, the father’s change-of-heart was too abrupt and the catalyst for his change of opinion was noticeably absent. I did appreciate the theme of swallowing one’s pride in the pursuit of one’s passion that erupted after the father began to support Billy’s intention to dance. In terms of plot, the father’s decision to support his son provided the thematic cornerstone because it also raised the questions of when it is worth it to cross the line, of picketers or appropriateness. In seeing the potential Billy exhibited, the coal miners on strike readjusted their focus to the future instead of the present.

DreamCast: PASSION

Passion is not the type of musical I usually gravitate towards. Upon first glance, it seems emotionally intense & potentially boring. Apparently, I'm not alone because it is the shortest-running musical to win the Tony for Best Musical. But this musical is Stephen Sondheim at his best & the quality of musical production outweighs the seemingly simple plotline. The writing & music lives up to the title: the music is brilliant & beautiful and I love the acknowledgement of the power of writing letters, especially love letters.

 

Jennifer Ehle as Clara
I loved her in Possession, Sunshine, and
(of course) Pride & Prejudice.
Clara is a part that could easily become
the over-simplified, period, lovestruck blond,
but I've never seen Jennifer Ehle create a shallow character.
In my mind, she is the plays the quintessential
female oppressed by the constraints of a different era.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Giorgio

I loved him on Grey's Anatomy & in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Those two roles are quite dissimilar from each other,
but both incorporate elements applicable to Giorgio's character.

This role would be great for him as an actor

because it would allow him to play the role of a

weaker man that those in which he's usually cast.

Also, he's hot.

Charlotte Gainsbourg as Fosca

She played my favorite movie-version of Jane Eyre,

which is a role that shares some of
the reactionary traits that Fosca must display:

dealing with being pigeonholed due to gender,

the result of being openly judged due to appearance,

and the effect of isolation on one's person.

Fosca is a similar character to Jane Eyre, except that she is

physically ill, slightly crazy, & more emotionally aggressive.

Just another love story, that's what they would claim.

Another simple love story. Aren't all of them the same?

Unhappiness can be seductive. How quickly pity turns to love.