Another Fine, Though Not Quite Quintessential, Who Show For Pete's--and Old Times'--Sake -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

The Who

w/ opening act Tal Wilkenfeld

United Center, Chicago

March 10, 2016

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I have derived immeasurable enjoyment and enrichment from seeing great rock artists live in concert.

Ideally I will be able to do so for many years to come, but especially in now much preferring the seated environs of arenas, stadiums and theaters to SRO clubs, halls and festivals, I know of few new rock acts that can fill them like the well-established, long-cherished favorites I predominantly see.

And the truth is, most of those bands are now comprised of senior citizens.

Not that--as many reviews here have effused--the old-timers can't still rock, and often deliver excellent shows far beyond most youngsters of which I'm aware, but who knows for how long?

And the past few months have provided many grim, or simply clear, reminders that it can't be forever.

I'm glad that I made a point of seeing David Bowie, three times in fact, during the first half of 2004, as he never toured after that. One would assume Glenn Frey's death put the kibbosh on future Eagles tours. I never saw Mötorhead but probably should have. The death of Jefferson Airplane/Starship's Paul Kantner reminded that I never saw his bands. And between planning to write this review and sitting down to do so, news came of the death of Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, another legendary classic rock band I never saw live.

Emerson's death has been deemed a gun-inflicted suicide, seemingly as a result of depression exacerbated by a degenerative condition that threatened to curb his extraordinary keyboard skills and end his performing career. 

Back in January, I saw Black Sabbath for the first time, on a tour dubbed The End in part because guitarist Tony Iommi has been battling Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. They were phenomenal, though obviously nearing the finish line (albeit with another Chicago area show booked in September).

Last September, and then less than a month ago, I saw blissfully blistering concerts by AC/DC at Wrigley Field and the United Center, respectfully. But their current tour was just halted with word that singer Brian Johnson--who is 68 yet still quite energized as of the Feb. 17 UC show--was ordered to quit touring immediately or risk completely losing his hearing. The band, which had to replace two other members of their longtime lineup in the last few years, postponed 10 upcoming concerts while they try to find a touring replacement for Johnson, who has fronted AC/DC since 1980 (following the death of previous vocalist Bon Scott).

Another longtime favorite, Rush, who I've seen 9 times going back to 1984, just announced their retirement from the road after legendary drummer Neil Peart hung up his drumsticks due to chronic tendonitis and shoulder problems.

Even Crosby, Stills & Nash, who I've seen with and without Neil Young, now seems to be at least temporarily kaput with Graham Nash stating that David Crosby has treated him like shit and that "there will never be another record or show." Kinda makes me wish I'd gone with my frequent concert pal Paolo to see CSN last year.

Even before the recent rash of classic rock deaths and retirements, a sense that windows could soon begin closing is why--along with great genuine delight derived in the here and now--I made a point of going to see The Rolling Stones last year in both Milwaukee and Detroit, why I go to every Bruce Springsteen show in Chicago, Milwaukee and often other places far beyond and why I've seen Paul McCartney 10 times in locales as disparate as Tulsa, Oklahoma and Paris, France.

It's also why I keep going to see The Who, which despite being down to just Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey from their original legendary lineup, delivered a show I found to be phenomenal in May 2015, which I cited as my 3rd favorite concert of the year.

On their The Who Hits 50! tour, the band--with Pete and Roger long supplemented by Pete's brother Simon Townshend on guitar, Zak Starkey (Ringo's son) on drums, bassist Pino Palladino (who replaced John Entwistle after The Ox's 2002 death) and three other touring musicians--was also booked into the United Center on October 15 of last year.

I didn't have a ticket, but given how great The Who were in May, and that October 15 is my birthday, I probably would have tried to get one if the show hadn't been postponed due to Roger Daltrey coming down with a case of viral meningitis.

Pretty rough stuff for the now 72-year-old singer, who admitted that "there were a couple of days there when I didn’t think I was going to make it."

And all the more reason, beyond everything I chronicled above, why I felt compelled to attend the rescheduled gig Thursday at the United Center.

Granted, the Who's first "Farewell Tour" came in 1982 when I was a high school freshman--my best friend went but I couldn't get a ticket, though have now seen them 10 times in 10 different years since 1989--but as the current tour began Daltrey called it "the beginning of the long goodbye" and stated, "We can't go on touring forever."

So though I wouldn't bet large sums on it, for one reason or another this felt like it could well be my last opportunity to see one of my ten favorite rock artists of all-time, of which only four remain extant (plus McCartney, and to a lesser extent Ringo, still representing The Beatles, and Robert Plant regularly performing some Led Zeppelin classics).

And I'm glad I went, even if--not too damningly, especially as Daltrey is just a few shows into touring after his serious illness--I didn't find The Who quite as resoundingly awesome as I did last May, nor on par with brilliant shows this year by Bruce Springsteen (2), Black Sabbath and AC/DC.

Certainly, especially as this is a greatest hits tour rather than an outing in support of a new album, every song The Who performed was truly a fantastic one. (See The Who's Chicago setlist on Setlist.fm.)

Roger's voice sounded in tune but understandably not all that strong--while noting that I've generally found him to be singing better over the past 5 years than during the 10 before that--so even with the band not matching their past thunder and some iconic musical measures coming off a bit soft and/or sloppy, brilliant songs like "The Kids Are Alright," "I Can See For Miles," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Join Together," "Pinball Wizard," "Baba O'Riley," "Won't Get Fooled Again" and several others were still a joy to hear. (As you can see here, Daltrey nails the scream on the closing "Won't Get Fooled Again," though Pete seems to forget that there's still another verse.)

It was also nice to see Townshend animated and talkative while generally playing strong guitar and handling his vocal parts well, and to learn that "Bargain" is his favorite song on Who's Next. Though as he saluted Chicago for having a "fucking great basketball team!" he might wish to update his stage patter to note the United Center's other primary resident, the current and three-times-in-six-years Stanley Cup champions.

Obviously, Pete Townshend being oblivious to the Blackhawks is no big deal or detraction, and per post-show conversations, many fans in attendance--including Paolo, though we weren't sitting together--likely loved the concert unequivocally.

Again, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, am not saying anything was particularly bad and cannot cogently convey why the show just felt a bit lesser than hoped, but the whole thing seemed a tad too Who by numbers-ish for my tastes.

I am only figuratively referencing band's 1975 Who by Numbers album--especially as the great "Squeeze Box" was sadly dropped from the setlist after being included last year; same for Townsend's earlier first stab at rock opera, "A Quick One (While He's Away)"--but the performance, and even just the overall vibe of the evening, for me rarely went beyond the inherent quality of the included material.

In other words, it wasn't an all-time band at its all-time best, but then many have posited that The Who essentially ended with the death of original drummer Keith Moon in 1978.

I can appreciate that opinion--particularly as it now takes eight musicians to replicate the power of the original four--but if Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey are onstage performing the legendary songs the former wrote and the latter sang, they can damn well call themselves The Who as far as I'm concerned.

And albeit with nothing played on Thursday dating from post-1982, there were numerous moments--most notably on "I Can See For Miles," "Behind Blue Eyes," "You Better You Bet" and Tommy's "Amazing Journey"--when they came close enough to sounding as good as ever.

Cutting Daltrey, and all onstage, some slack just for motoring through two enjoyable hours only a couple weeks into resuming their work after an unexpected hiatus, even on a night a touch shy of sensational The Who aptly served to remind why they are one of the greatest bands in the history of rock 'n roll.

And why I will always be a fan, even after it's no longer acutely possible to see them live.

Whenever that may be.

---

Opening the show was bassist/singer Tal Wilkenfeld and her band. They played a nice 45-minute set of material with which I wasn't familiar, but seemingly most of it hasn't yet been released anyway.

While Wilkenfeld is noted as something of a bass virtuoso--she's best-known to me for playing alongside Jeff Beck--she seemed content, perhaps too much so, to let her songs and singing be the primary focal point. The opening set didn't bring the delight Joan Jett & the Blackhearts did in opening for The Who at Allstate Arena in May 2015, but was appreciable nonetheless.

Eerie Home Companion: 'Marjorie Prime' Offers Astute Insights on Artificial Intelligence, Real Relationships -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Marjorie Prime
a recent play by Jordan Harrison
directed by Kimberly Senior
Writers Theatre at Books on Vernon, Glencoe, IL
Thru March 13
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The highly-regarded Writers Theatre began presenting plays in late 1992 in the back room of a bookstore in Glencoe, Books on Vernon.

In subsequent years, WT would come to present the bulk of its seasons within the Women's Library Club building in the same north shore suburb, yet still regularly utilized the 60-seat bookstore venue as well.

Although a number of well-reviewed shows have piqued my interest ever since I started voluminously attending theater around the turn of the century, and particularly after moving back to my hometown of Skokie from the Western Suburbs in 2007, until Wednesday night I had never attended a performance by Writers Theatre.

Candidly, but with deference to a devoted audience base that seemingly has contentedly filled the seats for years, ticket prices at Writers were considerably higher than I could afford and/or justify, even in comparison to what I pay to attend shows at Steppenwolf, Goodman, Northlight and for Broadway in Chicago productions. In fact, thanks to subscription rates and/or discount opportunities I commonly avail myself of, I've paid less for three shows at the aforementioned and other venues than a single ticket would seemingly have cost at Writers.

Photo credit on all: Michael Brosilow. Some actors
shown were replaced in the performance I saw.

So despite a rave 4-star (out of 4) review by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune of Marjorie Prime back in late-October--the recent play by Jordan Harrison was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and is being made into a movie--I didn't think I would get to it.

But graciously accepting a generous invitation, I did on Wednesday night, in the back room of Books on Vernon, just days before Writers Theatre will move into its beautiful new $28 million Jeanne Gang designed building, on the nearby site of the old Women's Library Club building that was torn down.

The backstory on how Writers Theatre facilitated and raised funds for such a spiffy new home is pretty nifty, and I hope to have the opportunity and ability to attend something there--their upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim's Company definitely intrigues--but I was glad to have the chance to see something at the troupe's original venue, most likely being utilized for the last time (at least by WT).

As most of the entire run has been, the remaining few performances of Marjorie Prime are sold out, so I won't review it in great depth nor recommend it too vociferously, but if you see it being done somewhere else, the novel premise is worth your attention.

In Writers' production, the eternally fantastic Mary Ann Thebus plays an elderly woman named Marjorie whose health and mental faculties are in decline.

But giving her someone to converse with, and prodding reminiscences more selectively cheery than actual reality, is a robot with a human appearance, advanced artificial intelligence, the ability to evolve (somewhat) with the ingestion of detailed recollections and the name Walter, which we eventually realize had been that of Marjorie's late husband.

As artificial Walter (Erik Hellman, who is excellent here as in many roles I've seen in recent years) appears far younger than Marjorie, but recalls that "he" had proposed to her at a screening of 1997's My Best Friend's Wedding, it took me awhile to grasp that the automaton is her ersatz husband (in a younger form) and deduce that the action in the play is taking place around 2053. (A later mention of Marjorie's birth year, age and a reference to the obsolescence of ZZ Top also helped establish the future setting, which isn't specified in the program.)

I don't think knowing this spoils anything, and it may well have been helpful for me to have the wherewithal going in, but I'll avoid chronicling further twists involving Marjorie, her daughter Tess (understudy Stacy Stoltz adroitly stepping in for the always excellent Kate Fry), son-in-law Jon (another fine understudy, John Henry Roberts), unseen kin and others, including additional lifelike computers. 

Fitting well into the intimate back room of Books on Vernon, Marjorie Prime doesn't feel so much like science fiction as simply an inventive way to address substantive issues, including aging, dementia, dying, parent/child relationships over time, family life, happy & sad recollections, psychological hardships, suitors of yore, suicide, marriage, loss and yes, techno creep (and/or creepy technology).

At just 80 minutes, the one-act moves well under the direction of Kimberly Senior, who has helmed several dramas I've greatly enjoyed. 

While clearly part of the point, the employ of non-human characters brought a sense of emotional aloofness that didn't allow me to love Marjorie Prime as much as Chris Jones seemed to--I also found handwritten note-taking and letter writing to be odd facets of such a futuristic play--it is undoubtedly a shrewd, inventive, incisive and thought-provoking piece of theater by a talented young writer.

And clearly a fine introduction to Writers Theatre before it begins its exciting new chapter.

Dancing Feat: Impressive Numbers Add Up to Make '42nd Street' an Enjoyable, If Not Extraordinary, Destination -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

42nd Street
Cadillac Palace, Chicago
Thru March 20
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Based on an Oscar-nominated musical film from 1933, 42nd Street won the Best Musical Tony Award after it premiered on Broadway in 1980--it would run for nearly 9 years--and the Best Musical Revival Tony for a 2001 remount that spent another 4 years in the show's Times Square locale.

So although a seemingly non-Equity National Tour feels a bit odd 10+ years after 42nd Street's last Broadway appearance--and I've been a Broadway in Chicago subscriber long enough to have caught the revival tour in 2002--the musical appropriately begins with one of the most timeless opening numbers you'll ever see.

After a fine overture wonderfully rendered at the Chicago tour stop by a 12-member orchestra, the curtain rises to reveal the full cast in a sublime group tap dancing routine.

The show ends--almost, as an unnecessary 10 minutes follow--with an even more blissful tap dancing spectacle featuring a staircase and set to the musical's title tune.

In between come several dazzling numbers--often involving choral singing, group tap dancing or both--and classic tunes such as "Lullaby of Broadway," "We're in the Money" and "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" that have undoubtedly delighted audiences since composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin wrote them for the movie or around that time.

Photo credit on all: Chris Bennion

But although there are many terrific moments in 42nd Street, thanks in large part in 2016 to a tappingly-talented cast choreographed by Randy Skinner, in full it feels a bit antiquated and somewhat less than astonishing. (The show's original director and dance creator, the legendary Gower Champion, tragically died on the day of the 1980 opening night.)

I certainly appreciate the numerous delights to be found in "old-fashioned musicals" scored by geniuses like Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin, but especially when witnessed with modern eyes, many shows from the first half of the 20th Century--1943's Oklahoma by Rodgers & Hammerstein is oft-regarded as revolutionizing the art form--suffer from slight, hokey story lines with dubious continuity and excessive whiteness, and prima facie straightness, that feels at odds with today's cultural and theatrical landscape. (Though brought to the stage in 1980, the classic songs of 42nd Street give it a kinship with earlier works.)

Not everything nowadays needs to be Hamilton or Fun Home or Spring Awakening, but whereas a current revival tour of the 50-year-old Cabaret not only felt edgy in a contemporary sense, its brassy, brilliant score blended with the foreboding tale of rising fascism/Nazism to feel entirely--and quite eerily--resonant and relevant in 2016 America.

But while 42nd Street merits being called a "beloved" musical--a sentiment many at Chicago's Cadillac Palace on Tuesday night would seemingly wholeheartedly endorse--and there is nothing wrong, and often much right, with enjoying quality entertainment simply for entertainment's sake, the show didn't really give me much reason for needing to see it again (beyond its inclusion in my Broadway in Chicago subscription series; besides the 2002 tour, I had seen a fine local production at Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire in 2011).

I don't know what's involved with modifying a longstanding musical, but particularly as the director of this touring version, Mark Bramble, was co-book writer of the original stage incarnation, simply in the name supplementing the tasty tunes and terrific dancing with a newfound sense of urgency, I would suggest doing some modernizing.

Much as Shakespeare plays are sometimes staged in modern dress, perhaps change the setting of 42nd Street from 1933 to the present day.

The basic story of a noted theatrical director named Julian Marsh (played here by Matthew J. Taylor) working on bringing a new musical to Broadway, complemented by writers/producers (Britte Steele, Steven Bidwell) and backed by a rich rube (Mark Fishback) who insists that aging leading lady--and his love interest--Dorothy Brock (Kaitlin Lawrence, well-sung but technically a bit young for the role) be given the starring role, with the eventual ascension of a gifted chorus girl named Peggy Sawyer (a likable and well-heeled Caitlin Ehlinger), could well transition to NYC of today without wholesale narrative adjustments.

And with the most famous of the Warren/Dubin songs--including "I Only Have Eyes for You"--packing considerably more punch than the rest of the score in the current rendition, the music of 42nd Street could also conceivably be reinvigorated alongside contemporary costuming, a crisper updating of the book and a much more diverse cast. (Lamont Brown stands out as Andy Lee, choreographer of the show-within-the-show, but at least from the top of the balcony, the rest of the ensemble looked rather homogeneous.)

There is nothing bad about 42nd Street in its current form, and its likelihood of frequently putting a smile on the face of musical theater and/or tap dancing lovers--including simply in appreciation of the energy and effort expended by the young cast over 2-1/2 hours--could well justify the trip down to Randolph Street.

But with due respect to how well the material may have gone over in movie palaces--and perhaps specifically the New Palace Theatre, now with a luxury car branding rights sponsor--in 1933, the impressive Broadway runs, Tony Awards and the legendary legacies of Gower Champion and original producer David Merrick, in the here-and-now 42nd Street feels a bit overly trod.

It's good, it's fun, it's gloriously old school and--especially when you "hear those dancing feet"--it's often delightful.

But as both a classic-if-not-exactly-contemporary musical and one of myriad entertainment options in Chicago over the next couple weeks, it doesn't seem truly vital.

Despite Strong Performances and Quality Score, Difficult Light/Dark Balance Makes 'Heathers' Musical Hard to Embrace -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Heathers: The Musical
Kokandy Productions
at Theater Wit
Thru April 24, 2016
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It's likely that I arrived at Theater Wit for Heathers: The Musical with far less affinity for its source movie than many other patrons.

I have no particular disdain for the 1989 film, often referenced as a cult classic, but saw it once long ago and haven't given it much thought since.

Although I wouldn't have been able to recall many plot points prior to seeing them enacted onstage, I recognize that the black comedy has had a certain caché for the way it satirized high school subdivisions with a darkness far beyond the teenage challenges, popularity pecking order and insecurities depicted in John Hughes films.

With its titular clique of mean girls, Heathers has lent its name to the lexicon, denoting haughty and abrasive young women--or those simply perceived as such--who are paradoxically among the most popular and despised kids in high school.

Without meaning to give away specifics about the movie or the musical, Heathers wound up taking its depiction of high school hell to deadly extremes.

I can't recall my reaction to the film's body count, but at the time I saw it only the "I Don't Like Mondays" San Diego schoolyard killings years before could have possibly come to mind.

Sadly, we live in a different world now, and while it doesn't mean satire, dark comedy or even macabre fun is off limits as entertainment, fictional high school murders and massacres bring far graver connotations and recollections.

Certainly, those who initially developed Heathers into a musical--the music, lyrics and book are credited to Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy, while Andy Fickman originally directed it Off-Broadway in 2014--must have recognized the current landscape, and in the mock high school newspaper that cleverly serves as the program for Kokandy Productions' Chicago Premiere at Theater Wit, director James Beaudry writes eloquently about the delicate balance demanded in getting the tone right, today.

My admiration for the attempt is estimable, and there are many terrific aspects to this rendition of Heathers as a musical.

As Veronica Sawyer--a pretty but uncertain girl who joins the "Heathers," played by Winona Ryder in the movie--Courtney Mack is wonderful, both quite engagingly likable and well-sung.

Clad in primary colors, Jacquelyne Jones, Haley Jane Schafer and Rochelle Therrien do a good job in embodying the generally loathsome Heathers--surnamed Chandler, Duke and McNamara.

Chris Ballou well-handles the black trenchcoated Christian Slater role as J.D., Veronica's bad boy love interest, and among a high-spirited cast of 20, Teressa LaGamba makes for an empathetic Martha, Veronica's overweight and outcast best friend.

As I was hoping based on O'Keefe's previous scores for the Legally Blonde and Bat Boy musicals--both of which I very much like--there are several fine songs, including the opening "Beautiful," "Candy Store," "Dead Girl Walking," "Seventeen," "Shine a Light" and "My Kindergarten Boyfriend."

In this high school musical, a couple numbers are too sophomoric, a song called "My Dead Gay Son" works musically but still made me cringe, and sonic references to Queen's "We Will Rock You," Peter Gabriel's "Big Time" and Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting" felt more derivative than simply sly homages.

But with the songs largely being upbeat, with a fair amount of ebullience mixed with insight and even poignancy, the dark turn the storyline takes--in essentially following the movie, per Wikipedia and reviews of past productions--forces a balance I found discomfiting.

I realize that the musical's creators likely needed to stay true to the movie's narrative, and I don't think I'm so squeamish as to dismiss macabre subject matter as automatically out-of-bounds.

My fondness for Ride the Cyclone last year at Chicago Shakespeare Theater suggests that I'm capable of being entirely charmed by young-skewing musicals with a unsettling share of teenage morbidity.

And while I can't say I found Heathers to be as enjoyable as I wanted, I believe director Beaudry, choreographer Sawyer Smith, music director Kory Danielson and the fine cast led by Mack and Ballou have done everything in their power to leverage the script and songs as best they could.

My critique is about my overall experience in viewing Heathers onstage, but there is little I can fault about this particular production.

As a musical, and maybe even more so within this staging, Heathers has a lot going for it--including a fantastic slow-motion fight scene, fine singing throughout, a rocking score and more--and it's quite possible teens, twenty-somethings and those a bit older who have long-favored the film will find much to like.

I did, but ultimately had a hard time tapping my toes amid tales of teens being murdered, as off-putting as the victims might have been.

And while every musical need not be a toe-tapping good time to be terrific, the calibration between light and dark in Heathers onstage just felt like too much of a misfit.

Thunder Up the Road: Springsteen's River Tour Rolls On Majestically in Milwaukee -- Concert Review

Concert Review

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee
March 3, 2016
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Talk about an unnecessary review.

It's not as though Bruce Springsteen is a newcomer on the music scene, a little known entity needing to be described as the future of rock 'n roll.

And it's as if Seth Saith visitors couldn't have already seen abundant testament to my love of Springsteen, from past concert reviews (1, 2, 3, 4)--all of which bestowed @@@@@--album reviews (1, 2), imagined albums, cherished remembrances and posts ranking him as my favorite musical artist and the best concert act.

I have now seen Springsteen live 46 times, including 40 times backed by the E Street Band, and counting Thursday night, 9 times in having made the trek to Milwaukee from my home near Chicago.

Just 6 weeks ago, I saw the Chicago stop of his The River Tour--on which he's playing his 1980 double album in full each night, plus other material--and, shockingly, gave it a @@@@@ review.

So not only is it entirely redundant on a macro level for me to spend much of my time--or ask for yours--to relay that Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band are, still, absolutely phenomenal in concert, on a micro level, 28 of the 33 songs I heard at the BMO Harris Bradley Center were the same as those recently heard at the United Center.

So I won't prolong this, especially as you can see at top that I am again awarding @@@@@.

And while I can tell you that, in addition to finding The River in full even more enjoyable a second time around, I was absolutely thrilled to hear "Badlands," "Because The Night," "Jungleland" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" among the selections that rotate from show to show, I realize this is only going to matter if you were there, or are likewise a Boss aficionado who doesn't need much convincing.

But, particularly for anyone who might wonder why I see Springsteen so many times, here's the thing.

Although I have undoubtedly seen Bruce deliver even better shows than the one on Thursday night, in the there-and-now it felt among the best I had ever seen.

3 hours and 20 minutes, nonstop, by a 66-year-old guy with a band just as grizzled. And to my ears, every note was perfect, from River rockers like "The Ties That Bind," "Jackson Cage," "Out in the Street," "Cadillac Ranch" and more, to scintillating character studies like "Point Blank," "Stolen Car" and "Drive All Night."

At about the 2 hour mark, when "Wreck on the Highway" concluded The River playthrough, I said to my friend Paolo that I could pretty much go home happy having heard just the album--originally sequenced to replicate the feel of a concert--and the single, show-opening outtake (of dozens released on the recent The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set) "Meet Me in the City."

But then, on a day when a job interview was frustratingly cancelled at the last minute, and I had even posted on Facebook that I would love to hear it but didn't expect to, came "Badlands."

"For the ones who had a notion 
A notion deep inside 
That it ain't no sin 
To be glad you're alive 
Wanna find one face 
That ain't looking through me 
Wanna find one place 
I wanna spit in the face of these 

Badlands, you gotta live it everyday 
Let the broken hearts stand 
As the price you've gotta pay 
Keep pushin' till it's understood 
These Badlands start treating us good"

Yes, I sang along loudly.

And then to "No Surrender," "Lonesome Day," "Because the Night" and a mindblowing "Jungleland," followed by "The Rising," "Thunder Road," "Born to Run," "Dancing in the Dark," "Rosalita," "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" and a show-closing cover of "Shout."

Even from the second-to-last row of the Bradley Center, it was perfect (save for the moron jabbering away in the last row).

That's why I go to see Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band so often.

Because every time it feels as fantastic as ever.

And in a world in which this or that can often disappoint, The Boss never does.

Whoever your hero is, I hope he or she makes you as happy--and nourished--as mine does me. 

Consistently.

Quite a Spoonful of Sugar: Even In a Much Smaller House, 'Mary Poppins' Remains Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Mary Poppins

NightBlue Performing Arts Company

Stage 773, Chicago

Thru March 27
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One of my favorite things as a musical theater buff is seeing how shows translate to various stops along the theatrical life-cycle.

For the true measure of a musical's musical chops can often be better assessed through local, community and scholastic productions than on Broadway, London's West End or big budget national tours.

And one can also gauge the distinction of smaller theater entities by how well they provide audiences with a rather holistic sense of the original source material--including nifty staging gimmicks--on a relatively shoestring budget.

Given how much I liked NightBlue Performing Arts Company's rendition of The Producers last year--a musical I had seen a dozen other times, ranging from Broadway to community theater--I can't really say that I was shocked by how well they staged Mary Poppins in a small space.

But I was delighted

I have loved the stage version of the 1964 Walt Disney movie since first seeing it in London in 2005, not too long after it began a 3 year run there.

Along with ebullient Sherman Bros. songs from the film--"Jolly Holiday," "Spoonful of Sugar," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "Chim Chim Cher-ee," "Let's Go Fly a Kite," "Step in Time,"--and terrific new tunes such as "Practically Perfect" and "Anything Can Happen" (by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe), much of what made Mary Poppins so memorable in the West End was hearing the gasps as the title character elevated up to the balcony in the stately Prince Edward Theatre.

Photo credit on all: Emily Schwartz

This also happened at Chicago's Cadillac Palace, where I saw the show twice in 2009 on the first National Tour after Mary Poppins' 2006 Broadway bow--where it ran for 6 years--and also on a somewhat downscaled 2011 tour.

Particularly at full-octane, the musical featured terrific scenery--such as a full-sized house (on Cherry Tree Lane)--and some magical stage effects created by illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer, including a kitchen that gets wrecked and then restored.

In London, I had seen the original stage Mary, Laura Michelle Kelly, and Bert, Gavin Lee. The latter also debuted the role on Broadway, alongside Ashley Brown, and both participated in the first national tour.

Having also caught a solid regional production of Mary Poppins in 2013 at the Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire--featuring the splendid Summer Smart and the late, great Bernie Yvon--I knew the show could still generate smiles on a smaller scale, but went to Stage 773 on Wednesday wondering just how many sacrifices NightBlue PAC would have to make to fit the show into the roughly 125-seat Thrust theater at the venue.

Understandably, the production was not nearly as grandiose as the ones I saw in London or downtown Chicago, but to the great credit of everyone involved, it pretty robustly provided the full essence of Mary Poppins as a stage musical.

Excepting some opening night audio issues--popping microphones, variances in volume--the production values of this Mary Poppins are genuinely impressive.

All the costumes one would expect Mary, Bert and others to don have been well-replicated by David E. Walters--also the show's director and NightBlue's Artistic Director--and Laura Walters.

The fine use of video projections designed by Max Maxin admirably complements the scenic design by Diane Kaffka without ever seeming like a chintzy compromise to the constricted space and modest budget.

This was particularly true in the way "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" was rendered. While lacking some physical accoutrements present in the West End and on tour, the production number still came off delightfully.

Also showing that NightBlue is intent on doing all it can to appropriate the special touches of the original productions, the kitchen scene scene was ably re-enacted in an economical way.

With musical director Austin Cook and a 6-member band, all the great songs cited above were played with gusto, and the cast was first-rate throughout.

With a great smile plastered on her visage, Kyrie Anderson made for a wholeheartedly likable Mary Poppins, with Ryan Dooley doing fine work as Bert. As Mr. and Mrs. Banks, whose home Mary flies in to serve as nanny, Joseph Smith and MacKenzie Skye are notably good, with terrific singing voices.

The kids playing Michael and Jane Banks--Liam Dahlborn and Sage Harper, who was also great recently in Seussical at Marriott--are really wonderful.

There is also excellent work done by the ensemble, with much great dancing choreographed by Kevin Bellie, most demonstrably on the sensational "Step In Time," albeit without as much tapping as in the past. 

Without wanting to reveal when or how, I'll even share that this fine production even manages to get Mary and her magical umbrella airborne.

So although I've seen more spectacular versions of Mary Poppins, in most of the ways that really matter, this intimate production approaches being practically perfect.

I was debating between bestowing @@@@ or @@@@1/2 (out of 5) but decided the former is a more appropriate gauge of what I experienced. That said, it certainly seems possible that once some technical wrinkles get ironed out, the latter could be entirely justifiable.

Either way, for just $20 on HotTix, this crowd-pleasing version of Mary Poppins--and by all means, bring the kids--should serve as a good (re)introduction to one of the better stage musicals of the 21st Century, well justifying its existence beyond the beloved film, even without all the trappings of Broadway. 

...and the Oscar Goes To: Academy Award Predictions, Predilections and Omissions

As a vast preponderance of white people prepare to walk the red carpet at the 88th Academy Awards in just a few hours, I am rolling out my unneeded and undoubtedly incorrect Oscar picks.

I do find it rather dubious that not a single person of color has been nominated in any of the acting categories for two years running, and am empathetic to anyone boycotting the ceremony or broadcast due to the racial inequality.

But I plan on watching as I always do, and look forward to seeing how pointed host Chris Rock gets in his remarks.

And though I don't really look to the Oscars as the most astute arbiter of cinematic excellence, several good movies and performances were nominated--and very few seem to be shoo-ins.

So there is some fun in predicting, er, guessing who might win, and then seeing what will happen. 

I've seen most of the films nominated in major categories, but not in some others, so don't exactly take this to Las Vegas (as if you have time to do so).

Find printable ballot PDF here

And with the caveat that I've seen some stellar movies--including a few of the nominees--since I posted it, my year-end list of the Best New Movies I Saw in 2015 is probably a fuller gauge of the films I liked last year.

Anyway, here goes.

Best Picture
Will win: The Revenant
Should win: Room
Deserved a nomination: Carol, Love & Mercy, The End of the Tour, 99 Homes

Best Director
Will win: Alejandro G. Inarritu - The Revenant
Should win: Adam McKay - The Big Short
Deserved a nomination: Bill Pohlad - Love & Mercy, Todd Haynes - Carol, Ryan Coogler - Creed

Best Actor
Will win: Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Should win: Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Deserved a nomination: Will Smith - Concussion, Jason Segal - The End of the Tour, Michael B. Jordan - Creed

Best Actress
Will and should win: Brie Larson - Room 
Deserved a nomination: Lily Tomlin - Grandma; Daisy Ridley - Star Wars: The Force Awakens; Charlize Theron - Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Supporting Actor
Will win: Sylvester Stallone - Creed
Should win: Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
Deserved a nomination: Benecio Del Toro - Sicario, Michael Shannon - 99 Homes, Joel Edgerton - The Gift, Chiwetel Ejiofor - The Martian

Best Supporting Actress
Will and should win: Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl
Deserved a nomination: Elizabeth Banks - Love & Mercy, Rebecca Hall - The Gift

Best Original Screenplay
Will and should win: Spotlight 
Deserved a nomination: 99 Homes

Best Adapted Screenplay
Will and should win: The Big Short
Deserved a nomination: Love & Mercy, The End of the Tour

Best Documentary Feature
Will win: Amy (Only nominee I saw)

Best Foreign Language Film
Will win: Son of Saul (Only nominee I saw)
Deserved a nomination: Phoenix, Wild Tales

Best Animated Feature
Will win: Inside Out (Only nominee I saw)

Best Cinematography
Will and should win: The Revenant
Deserved a nomination: Ex Machina
 
Best Costume Design
Will win: The Revenant
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Film Editing
Will win: The Revenant
Should win: The Big Short
Deserved a nomination: Love & Mercy
 
Best Original Score
Will and should win: The Hateful Eight

Best Original Song
Will win: "Writing's on the Wall" from Spectre
Deserved a nomination: "One Kind of Love" from Love & Mercy

Best Production Design
Will win: The Revenant
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Deserved a nomination: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Will and should win: The Revenant
Deserved a nomination: The Danish Girl

Best Visual Effects
Will and should win: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Sound Editing
Will and should win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Deserved a nomination: Love & Mercy
 
Best Sound Mixing
Will and should win: Mad Max: Fury Road

Complex, Confusing 'If/Then' Fails to Make a Cohesive Statement -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

If/Then
a recent musical
Oriental Theatre, Chicago
Thru March 6
@@1/2

If the sum of what happens onstage matched the merits of its many estimable parts, then If/Then surely would be a better show.

Admirably, the musical--which opened on Broadway in March 2014 and ran for about a year--features an original narrative, rather than adapting a popular movie for the stage. (Note my previous review, of Sister Act.)

If/Then's book was written by Brian Yorkey, who also wrote the lyrics to Tom Kitt's score. The two had previously collaborated on Next to Normal, which won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and represents one of the best "fresh idea" musicals of recent vintage.

Although the "What if I did this instead of that, how might my life be drastically different?" dual storylines reminded me of the Sliding Doors movie and other variations on a theme, the show's premise seemed rather unique...and promising. Continuity and cohesion challenges conceivably would be adroitly handled by director Michael Greif, whose brilliant concept for Rent remains a touchstone of musical theater direction, and who also made the difficult Next to Normal quite affectingly comprehensible.

The wonderful Adele Dazeem, er, Idina Menzel, starred on Broadway, and during the first 4 months of the National Tour, which began in October.

Photo credit on all: Joan Marcus

Menzel left the tour before it arrived in Chicago Tuesday night, but the lovely and engaging Jackie Burns made for a rather terrific ersatz Idina, with wonderful singing and fine acting that--especially from the top of the balcony--made me feel none too shortchanged for not seeing the Broadway star yet again. (I'd seen her in Wicked and in concert; Burns also has played Elphaba, but this was my first time seeing her onstage.)

But still in the cast, as on Broadway, is Anthony Rapp, who starred as Mark in the original cast of Rent, alongside Menzel.

American Idol alum Tamyra Gray, who I happened to see in Rent on Broadway in 2008, also does excellent work, and the If/Then touring cast is deep with other Broadway veterans--most notably Matthew Hydzik--and top-notch performers.

And with just a modicum of Spotifamiliarization before attending on Tuesday, several of Kitt & Yorkey's songs sounded quite good, including "What If?," "It's A Sign," "A Map of New York," "You Never Know," "What the Fuck?," "Here I Go," "No More Wasted Time," "Some Other Me" and more. These were nicely spread around to characters played by Burns, Rapp, Gray and others, and all sang their parts quite well.

So referencing back to where I started, If/Then is a newly-conceived musical with a neat idea, proven creative team, terrific songs, excellent performers and a great director.

...and yet I didn't like it.

And it wasn't just me. Certainly, reviews on Broadway were rather mixed, the show failed to earn a Tony nomination for Best New Musical and the year-long NYC run doesn't bespeak a smash hit.

But more acutely, these were just a few of the comments I randomly heard from patrons at intermission at the splendiferous Oriental Theater:

"It's hurting my head."

"There's so many things wrong with it."

"I don't really like the book at all."

Now normally, I don't like to reveal too many plot specifics because I think it best for any viewer to encounter the material on their own. But my hesitancy here is more because I was quite confused and might not get things right.

As best I can relay, Burns stars as Elizabeth, a New Yorker nearing 40 who has returned to Manhattan after several years in Phoenix and a recent divorce.

She connects with two old friends, Lucas (Rapp), a housing rights activist who calls her Beth, and Kate (Gray), a kindergarden teacher who calls her Liz. On an initial afternoon in the park, both friends want Beth/Liz to tag along, separately.

So she does.

And over the course of the two-act musical, both contingent strains of the course Elizabeth's life follows are interwoven.

Prominent in one or the other threads is Josh (Hydzik), a smitten Army doctor who has just returned from a tour of duty, Stephen (Daren A. Herbert), a former colleague and municipal NYC bigwig who wants her to work for him, Kate's lover Anne (Janine DiVita) and David (Marc Delacruz), another friend who also factors in with Lucas.

I was fully awake, utilizing binoculars regularly, basically familiar with the concept and several songs, and trying my darndest to follow what was going on.

But rather early in Act I, and then often subsequently, I got lost as to what thread we were in.

Worse, despite weighty topics explored by the lead and other characters--friendship, romance, divorce, insecurity, love, the fine line between friends & lovers, sexual propriety, adultery, pregnancy, motherhood, career advancement, integrity, war, death, life-altering moments and more--the challenge of just following the "if/then" conceit never enabled me to much care about Elizabeth, anyone else or whatever the heck was happening.

As referenced above, it was an ambitious idea--perhaps pitching Menzel on a more straightforward starring vehicle about an intelligent, attractive woman struggling to recraft her life in the big city seemed too Mary Tyler Moore-ish--but for me, it simply didn't work.

Even with abundant good songs and strong work by Burns, Rapp, Gray and others, I was lukewarm at best by intermission and spent Act II--despite some rather poignant situations--just wanting the show to end.

I don't walk out of performances, out of courtesy and a desire to review shows fairly, but simply in terms of my enjoyment I was tempted.

And others around me gave in to temptation.

The obvious thought is that If/Then would make for a more enticing musical if it opted simply to follow the "If" or the "Then," especially with a winning focal point like Burns (and presumably, Menzel).

That likely wouldn't earn as many points for originality or niftiness, but despite sterling pedigrees all around, and undoubtedly infinite polishing of the material in bringing it to Broadway and beyond, If/Then is simply too muddled to make a cohesive, definitive artistic statement.

Or even to allow for holistic enjoyment of the many parts that are rather good.

Nun Too Shabby: Many Fine Habits Ordain Marriott's 'Sister Act' Rather Delightful -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Sister Act
a recent musical based on the movie
Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire
Thru April 3
@@@@1/2

It's easy to be cynical about the plethora of stage musicals that have been adapted from popular movies--or even not so popular movies--particularly in the 21st century.

Though several of these, especially earlier on in the millennium, have been fantastic--The Producers, Hairspray, Billy Elliot and more--many others have been middling at best.

More than a few have been so mediocre that long ago I was instilled with a sense that selling tickets based on a beloved movie title superseded any true artistic merit in bringing many a musical adaptation to Broadway, or simply trying to (as several tryout movie-based shows never quite made it to the Great White Way).

Yet while I never enjoy having my time or money wasted on a disappointing musical that may have been inspired by primarily mercenary aims, as an unabashed lover of musical theater I wholeheartedly support new shows being introduced into the canon. And the truth seems to be:

A) Except for those featuring original stories, musicals have always been based on other media forms, including books, plays and movies.

B) It is show business, after all, and given the millions of dollars it takes to develop a show with Broadway ambitions, producers can't be entirely condemned for hedging their bets with brand-name product, whether derived from movies--whose Hollywood studios actively try to sell the rights for musical transfers--or stockpiled with popular songs. (My December review of Beautiful had a strain similar to this one, albeit about Jukebox Musicals.)

C) Along with substantial monetary investment, any show that is produced on (or on the road to) Broadway involves inordinate effort by incredibly talented people: composers, lyricists, book writers, directors, choreographers, set designers, costume designers, actors, etc., etc., etc., typically with extremely impressive pedigrees. And whether based on a play, book, movie or original idea, some musicals turn out wonderfully and some--with such judgments obvious variable by viewer--just don't.

Which is my typically long-winded way of leading into conveying that Sister Act, originally a 1992 Whoopi Goldberg movie that was newly musicalized--with original songs by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glen Slater--for the stage in 2006, opened in London in 2009, ran on Broadway in 2011-12, was seen by me in late-2012 in Chicago and is now getting a regional production at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, is, perhaps unsuspectingly, a rather delightful musical.

Mind you, given that the popular movie was about a lounge singer who, in being forced to hide out in a convent, helps bring much soulfulness to the choir by introducing the nuns to R&B classics, Sister Act might seem to more naturally lend itself to becoming a stage musical.

Yet while in many ways this is the case, by eschewing everything on the movie's soundtrack or other known hits, and inviting rather challenging comparisons to Goldberg's unique comedic chops, the musical's producers and creators weren't exactly paving an easy path to glory. (And as Far From Heaven, another recently seen example proved, fine musicals can come from less-obvious source movies.)

But having registered some pleasant surprise in how satisfying I found Sister Act onstage when I saw it at the Auditorium on its first national tour, I can't feign complete shock in liking it again at Marriott--a venerated suburban Chicago venue that always does good work.

Still, maybe I'm amazed to have enjoyed it even more. 

Certainly, the relatively intimate confines of the Marriott venue can often add to one's embrace of a show, even if the in-the-round staging doesn't allow for scenery akin to downtown houses. Although the Auditorium's acoustics are astonishing, that grand venue just feels a bit cavernous for most musicals; my recollect doesn't allow for direct comparison, but though I really liked Sister Act in 2012, it's likely the closer fit at Marriott helped to make it feel better.

But so too did the abundant professionalism as referenced above, both in terms of the show's creation and this rendition of it.

Composer Alan Mencken has scored many Disney films and/or stage musicals, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Newsies and more. This pedigree might not point directly to the ability to craft great derivations of Philly Soul--the musical relocates the movie's Reno & San Francisco settings to Philadelphia, circa 1977--but collaborating again with Little Mermaid lyricist Glenn Slater, Mencken shows how adaptable prodigious talent can be.

And led in Lincolnshire by Stephanie Umoh in the Whoopi role of Deloris Van Cartier, upbeat numbers such as "Take Me to Heaven," "Fabulous, Baby" and "Raise Your Voice" are delivered delightfully.

But Sister Act really connotes a high-caliber enterprise through its depth, as quality songs and prominent production numbers spread the spotlight to several characters beyond Deloris.

These include Mother Superior, wonderfully played here as on the first national tour by Hollis Resnik, long one of Chicagoland's best musical theater performers. In addition to supporting some fine "all the nuns" choral numbers, such as "Sunday Morning Fever," Resnik shines on the solo "I Haven't Got a Prayer."

And while the ensemble's actresses demonstrate excellent habits in embodying the singing nuns, Lillian Castillo and Tiffany Tatreau stand out individually as Mary Patrick and Mary Robert, the latter shining in Act II's terrific "The Life I Never Led." (I had enjoyed both actresses just last November in the Ride the Cyclone musical at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, while Tatreau also appeared in Marriott's recent short run of Spring Awakening.)

But lest one think this is entirely a sisterly affair, a few men factor in prominently, including with high-profile songs.

Byron Glenn Willis plays Curtis, a boyfriend that Deloris catches in a criminal act, forcing her seek help from the police, particular an old high school chum named Eddie (Jonathan Butler-Duplessis).

Willis does a nice job on one of the show's best songs, "When I Find My Baby," as does Butler-Duplessis in his lament, "I Could Be That Guy," featuring costume designer Nancy Missimi's niftiest creations.

Curtis' crew of tough guys, played by Todd A. Horman, Mark Hood and Jason Slattery share their own rather amusing production number, "Lady in the Long Black Dress," while the always likable Don Forston gets considerable stage time as Monsignor O'Hara, who heads the church where Deloris seeks refuge.

One probably needn't have even seen the Sister Act movie to guess how things will transpire onstage, but under the direction of Don Stephenson, it all happens with lots of exuberance, culminating in the high-energy finale "Spread the Love Around."

Probably the worst thing I can say about Sister Act is that I don't consider it among the very best musicals ever written. Though nearly all the songs sound stellar in the moment, most are relatively forgettable in the long run.

But at the Marriott Theatre, even more so than on its initial U.S. tour, there was essentially nothing I didn't like about the show, which sustained and strengthened its appeal throughout.

Good songs, great performances, an amusing book by Cheri & Bill Steinkellner, fine choreography by Melissa Zaremba, strong musical direction by Doug Peck, well-served by a 9-member orchestra.

All in all, a terrific evening of entertainment, and a nice reminder that even among a seeming glut of screen-to-stage musical adaptations, each one is its own entity, and entirely capable of showcasing fine habits.