REVIEWS Archives - Page 25 of 264

FUNNY GIRL

The star, Sally Staats, is not Fanny Brice. Neither is she Barbara Streisand. It doesn’t matter because Staats has made this stage her own with a winsome, touching performance. She and Rob Ibanez, as the gorgeous, gambler Nick Arnstein share a magical chemistry. Even those who may think the 1968 movie version with Streisand and Omar Sharif can’t be topped will be surprised by what the immediacy of a well-done stage production can achieve. Staats and Ibanez are surrounded by a talented ensemble of actors, singers and dancers. Fanny’s long suffering mother is played with verve by Meagan Piccochi, who is especially delightful in interactions with her comedic poker-playing girlfriends. Jessica Noelle Evans nearly steals the show as noisy neighbor Mrs. Strakosh, and stately Bob Sanders is perfect as the often-thwarted showman, Florenz Ziegfield.

Music Reviews MUST SEE Pop/Rock/Folk REVIEWS Tom Williams

Tom Williams

Smokey Joe’s Cafe at Drury Lane Theatre

This fast-paced two hour revue is a non-stop songfest that has enough well performed classic rock, pop and R & B to please. . Director/choreographer Dodge has the cast doing movement and dance routines that work effectively on stage. The harmonies and the blended vocal arrangements together with the outstanding musical arrangements by Roberta Duchak sounded terrific. These nine performers demonstrate their talents and we get to hear the songbook of two relatively unheralded composers. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s tunes come alive in this fun revue. Smokey Joe’s Cafe ranks as one of the longest running reviews on Broadway (2,036 performances) and it has had a long run in the city by Theo Ubique a few years ago.

REVIEWS Theatre Reviews Tom Williams

Tom Williams

I DO TODAY

As I left the theatre, i asked myself who is the audience for this show? Jewish theatre patrons? Lovers of solo shows? I Do Today only contains one of the three elements that make solo shows work: a terrific performance by the actor (Carin Silkaitis was terrific and work hard to make the material work.) But, this show lacks the other two essential elements: no celebrity or historical figure and a strong comprehensive script.

REVIEWS Theatre Reviews Tom Williams

Tom Williams

Naperville

Naperville turns into a cable TV original play filled with playwright invented wacky characters who seem to p layout their problems through too much caffeine. Candice want to sail and cut her grass despite her blindness. Howard quits his job in Seattle as he feels he needs to move back to Naperville to help his mother. Howard discovers that Anne is an old high school classmate that he had a crush on; Anne realizes the Howard (fifty pounds lighter) was her class mate. Sparks could fly?

REVIEWS Theatre Reviews Tom Williams

Tom Williams

The Black Slot

While The Black Slot has a smart premise, problems stretch credulity as the plot unwinds. Further development of Tim and Beth’s relationship and the ending seems unfinished. But the satire of how regional theatres operate and their beliefs systems as to what and why their core audiences want to see on stage hit home for me.

This work sure has possibilities and with some re-writes, it sure could be terrific. As now presented, it sure has many smart moments. Justin Wade Wilson, as Tim and Amy Kasper, as Pam were particularly effective. The Black Slot is worth a look.

MUST SEE REVIEWS Tom Williams

Tom Williams

Dutchman and TRANSit

These two companion one-acts are riveting, explosive and truthful as simmering racial (and gender) rage explode today as it did in the 1960’s. Both works will upset and get audiences aware of the cancer of racism and gender hatred that eats away at our society. Dramatizing can be the first step toward a solution – hopefully. See these two powerful one-acts.

REVIEWS

Tom Williams

Farewell My Friend: The Tragic Romance of Star-Crossed Lovers

Even if the two stories never coalesce into a bigger idea, one would still expect that each story, solo ipso, would be moving. Yet here, too, the meaning never comes together in Farewell My Friend. The immersive aspects of being in close proximity to the actors and the continual, narrative disturbances of having to change rooms only to see part of the story ultimately work against the production. I found the acting to be overly emotive and childish, without any honest grounding in true feeling. And as for the latter, again, I found the room changes were too frequent and the story too fragmented to be engaging and establish emotional continuity — a problem I don’t see repeat viewings ameliorating as one would only encounter it again.

REVIEWS Theatre Reviews Tom Williams

Tom Williams

Amour

This one hour and forty-five minute opera has loads of humor, whimsy with enough charm to be appealing. As an opera, Amour is sung through at a brisk pace offering a challenge to the cast of nine. With a range of vocal abilities moving from ordinary to vocally tepid, Amour vocally is uneven at best. But the committed cast works hard to land the difficult score. They are best in the comic numbers and action-plot numbers. Emily Goldberg, as Isabelle, demonstrated her vocal chops in several fine ballads. Scott Gryder was a comic hoot while Kevin Webb was a deliciously evil.

REVIEWS Theatre Reviews

Tom Williams

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying -Marriott Theatre

Although a great deal has changed over the half century since this musical first showed audiences “How to…,” the sheer lunacy of corporate America is as much a laughing matter today as ever. Corporate bailouts anyone? There are still executives no doubt spending sleepless nights sending out emails about the excessive amount of emails going out of their offices. We still have mindless decisions made by inept committees, although we’re not sure if they are actually human or automated. By the time the next revival of “How 2” rolls out it may in fact be cast entirely with robots. I just hope they can be programmed with a small measure of the vast talent that Chicago area audiences often take for granted.

REVIEWS Theatre Reviews

Tom Williams

Kinky Boots 2016 National Tour

In short, Kinky Boots simply did not give me that overwhelming, enveloping feeling musicals often give you when the story and the music fill the theatre so fully that your imagination, your emotions — your very being — is held captive in awe and wonder. That is not to say others didn’t experience this: there was, after all, a standing ovation on opening night. However, this same audience applauded at the mere presence of men in drag, so . . . if that sounds like you, this musical is for you.