For Mass Consumption: What I Ate at the Taste of Chicago

Here's shocking news: I went to the Taste of Chicago today.

Yes, even though the Taste is smaller, shorter and a couple weeks later than it used to be, I still enjoy it, even if only for a single, sub-2 hour visit per year (at full bloom, I often went twice).

If you need a long preamble about my opinions on the Taste, and my dining strategies at it, please refer to my post about TOC from last year. Most of what I wrote then still holds true, and looking at it now, I ate some of the same things I did this year.

So while noting Phil Vettel's Taste Tips in the Tribune, which I largely heeded, here's a simple rundown of what I consumed for $24 = 36 Taste tickets:

Mongolian Beef Bao
from The Noodle Vietnamese
4 tickets
Rating: @@@@

Tortilla Encrusted Tilapia Taco with Tequila-Lime sauce and Red Pepper sauce 
from Carbon
4 tickets
Rating: @@@@@

Bhel Puri
from Bombay Spice
5 tickets
@@@@1/2

Chorizo, Frijoles and Cheese Empanada
from Beat Kitchen
5 tickets
Rating: @@@@

Rabbit Corn Dog
from Hearty Restaurant (a pop-up booth Wed/Thurs only)
5 tickets (Taste portion)
Rating: @@@@1/2

Mustard-Fried Catfish
from BJ's Market & Bakery
5 tickets
Rating: @@@@@

Watermelon 
from Dominick's
2 tickets
Rating: @@@@@

Chocolate Chip Crunch Dipper
from Eli's Cheesecake
6 tickets
Rating: @@@@1/2 (it seems to have shrunk from past years, yet costs more)

--
Just in case anyone important -- in a civic sense -- sees this post, here's my previously-created suggestion for a Chicago marketing postcard:  

Monday in the Park with Dawes Proves Rather Pleasing -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Dawes

w/ opener The Cairo Gang

Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Millennium Park, Chicago

July 8, 2013

@@@@

Over the last 5 years--let's say since the beginning of 2008--I have attended approximately 170 rock concerts.

Excepting opening acts and bands passively seen at festivals, until Monday night the sum total of shows seen by artists who had arisen during that span--i.e. released their first album in '08 or since--was: 1.

That was Fleet Foxes, and I wasn't even all that wowed by them.

Though I admittedly no longer enjoy standing room only venues or festivals, at which younger bands often perform, it isn't that I've consciously avoided checking out anyone new; I just haven't come across anyone I've been compelled to see (and yes, that statement includes Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend and MGMT).

So although Free Admission was undeniably part of the draw that brought me to Millennium Park to see Dawes on Monday night, it is still somewhat notable that I took a flyer on the L.A. band despite not owning any of their three albums released since 2009. (see Dawes' page on AllMusic.com)

And it wasn't until the day before the show that I listened to much of their stuff on Spotify (see my concert prep playlist below).

My familiarity with Dawes largely stems from seeing them streaming live on YouTube during Lollapalooza and perhaps another festival. Though they didn't overexcite me--this was a few years back and I didn't buy their albums--they seemed pretty solid.

And they proved to be certainly worth checking out at the beautiful Pritzker Pavilion on a night when rain threatened but only brought a few (for me, welcome, given the humidity) drizzles.

Wikipedia describes Dawes--fronted by singer/lead guitarist Taylor Goldsmith, whose brother Griffin plays drums--as being "part of the Laurel Canyon sound, which often cites influences such as Crosby, Stills & Nash and Neil Young, among others."

As I was listening to them Monday, after having familiarized myself with songs from recent concert setlists, I sensed a blending of Neil Young and the Eagles (without scaling the heights of either), especially given their penchant for sweet harmonies. Taylor Goldsmith played some impressive guitar leads and the band rocks a step harder than "mellow," but they also remind a bit of other So Cal staples like Jackson Browne, and while not nearly as acerbic, Warren Zevon. Fans of Wilco might also find something similar to like in Dawes.

"From a Window Seat," the first track from their new album, Stories Don't End, opened the show and sounded good, with Tay Strathairn's piano coming across vibrantly within the Pritzker's strong outdoor acoustics (I was able to get a seat in a front section of the unfilled seating area).

Other highlights to follow included "If I Wanted Someone," "Fire Away," "Someone Will," "Time Spent in Los Angeles," "From the Right Angle" and "When My Time Comes" (off their 2009 debut, North Hills), which had the crowd on its feet and singing along.

Despite being overdressed on an 80-some degree night in a long-sleeve flannel and jeans, Goldsmith proved amiable and appreciative in saying he couldn't imagine playing in "a more beautiful setting," and that this was the band's (which also includes Wylie Gelber on bass) largest crowd yet in Chicago, including their Lollapalooza appearance.

The show began at 6:30pm with about 45 minutes from Chicago-based The Cairo Gang, a rather multi-generational band with members seemingly ranging from their early 20's to late 50's. They sounded pretty good if a bit repetitive (the first song had a nice Velvet Underground type of vibe, but the rest seemed to share the same drumbeat) and I certainly didn't mind hearing them.

But I think they were unnecessary given that Dawes played about 7 fewer songs in Chicago than at recent tour stops--and no encores--with Goldsmith noting the need to abbreviate their set.

While I'm impressed and appreciative that the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
was able to book a band like Dawes--not huge, but garnering airplay on WXRT and making a bit of a name for themselves--for a free "Downtown Sound" concert, given that the headliners were clearly who fans had come to see, shortening their set due to an opening act seems a bit silly.

Looking at recent Dawes setlists, covers of Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight" and the Traveling Wilburys' "End of the Line," seem to be staples and I would've liked to have heard them. But they were dropped in favor of a full set of originals, and even a bit fewer of those were played in the band's 75 minutes onstage

Still, I liked what I heard, and while I would've been happy with a bit more, it likely wouldn't have upped my @@@@ rating (out of 5). At this point, Dawes isn't a historic band, nor even likely a truly great one. But they're very good and working their way up, which is more than I can say for other contemporary acts of which I'm aware.

I wouldn't even mind seeing them again, and not just for free.

---
Here's a bit of "From a Window Seat," that I shot; sorry for the blurriness. And beneath is a Spotify concert primer for Dawes that I compiled from recent setlists; not everything was played in Chicago, but most.

Oh-ee-Oh-ee-Oh: 'The Jungle Book' Musical Offers a Lot to Love -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

The Jungle Book

a world premiere musical based on

the Disney animated film and the
stories by Rudyard Kipling

Directed by Mary Zimmerman

Goodman Theatre, Chicago

Thru August 11
@@@@1/2

Although its source material is pretty famous, I went into the new Jungle Book musical without having read Rudyard Kipling's stories or seen the 1967 Disney film adaptation. 

If there was music I was supposed to be familiar with--beyond the "The Bare Necessities"--I wasn't. 

While I respect director Mary Zimmerman's high regard in theatrical circles, and enjoyed her Metamorphoses, I didn't much care for her take on the musical Candide at the Goodman. 

And the review from the local critic I most read, the Tribune's Chris Jones, was rather lukewarm, with a 2-1/2 star rating out of 4. 

Nonetheless, I found The Jungle Book to be a joy to watch--thanks in large part to a luscious set designed by Daniel Ostling--and, a few quibbles aside, rather terrific throughout. 

Centering around a boy named Mowgli (Akash Chopra), who is raised in the jungle by animals--embodied as anthromorphic beings--this Jungle Book isn't structured as a traditional Broadway musical, and while there is wonderful costuming by Mara Blumenfeld, it isn't quite as exquisite as The Lion King onstage. 

But while I felt there were a few spots where songs were needed but not delivered--most here came from
the Disney movie score by Richard & Robert Sherman--as opposed to what I gathered from Jones' review, there are several high-powered musical numbers given lavish productions by Zimmerman and choreographer Christopher Gattelli.

For whatever reason, there is no songlist in the program, so I can't provide many titles, but along with a fun take on "The Bare Necessities," led by Baloo the bear (Kevin Carolan), highlights included "Colonel Hathi's March," sung by an imaginatively-personified elephant herd, and first act closer "I Wanna Be Like You," delivered by King Louie (Andre De Shields) and his gang of monkeys.

With the latter two composed by the Sherman brothers, who wrote Mary Poppins and other Disney faves--"The Bare Necessities," also from the film, is by Terry Gilkyson, an American folk singer--the songs that are presented are melodically strong even on a first listen. In other words, this isn't just a visual feast, but a satisfying musical for the most part, even if (especially in the first act) a couple newly written songs could be beneficial for the musical pacing, including perhaps one along the lines of "We Are All Worth Remembering" sung by one of the elephants.

10-year-old Akash Chopra as Mowgli is rather impressive in being onstage for nearly the entire show, but understandably doesn't have the dramatic range to impart any overt sense of personal growth from beginning to end. So the idea of Mowgli's jungle adventure being a metaphorical rite of passage is somewhat softly conveyed. (I have to assume bringing in an older Mowgli later in the show was considered and dismissed, but it would seem to have some merit.)

But in terms of what's wrong with this world premiere production, that's about it: a couple more songs could help, a terrific kid actor isn't quite Brando and the show isn't as good as The Lion King or some other legendary musicals.

Yet Zimmerman--who also penned the musical's book--and her collaborators (including musical director Doug Peck), have created a lavish new work that should do well when it presumably moves to Broadway.

Perhaps it's better in its overall theatricality than as a crackerjack musical that will sustain itself beyond the outstanding original production values contributed to by a collaboration with Disney, but all 120 minutes I saw at the Goodman kept me engaged, with Ostling's buoyant floral backdrop and vibrant flooring worth the price of admission in itself (at least at subscriber rates).

And along with the East Indian flavoring of musical score and a good deal of the show's gestalt, the performances are tremendously pleasing.

Particularly firs-rate are Carolan (as Baloo), De Shields (both King Louie and Akela), Larry Yando (Shere Khan, the tiger who has his fangs set on Mowgli) and Usman Ally, who like he was recently in Oklahoma at the Lyric Opera, is wonderful here as Bagheera, a panther who serves as Mowgli's primary protector.

Most in the audience on Sunday night--including many children--seemed to greatly enjoy The Jungle Book, even if it's a bit different from the Goodman's normal fare. Midway through, I was gauging it at @@@@ (out of 5), but by the end, the ebullient show convinced me that another 1/2@ was in order.

Tickets seem to be selling well, with sparse selection on a few dates I just checked. So not only may it be hard to get a ticket, it can be rather expensive (a single prime ticket to some performances costs nearly as much as my 5-show Sunday night subscription). But there looks to be decent availability in August, and if you are willing to wait until the day of show, available seats can be had for half price or less through Goodman's discount offers.

No matter what age you are, if you love musical theater, I suggest you try to get to this. It's a pretty impressive show to be bowing in Chicago, which seems to quite justly be bestowing a warm Welcome to The Jungle Book.

--
Given my title of this post, I felt compelled to look up this song; pretty good version from just a month ago. 

Fashionable Exhibit Paints Pretty Impressive--If Not Entirely Impressionistic--Picture -- Art Exhibition Review

Édouard Manet, La Parisienne, 1875

Art Exhibition Review

Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity
The Art Institute of Chicago
Thru September 22
@@@@1/2
Exhibit website 
 
As someone who has visited well over 100 art museums around the world, it is with a rather small amount of acknowledged homerism that I say the Art Institute of Chicago has one of the very best collections of Impressionism--and Post-Impressionism, as per Seurat's pointillist masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte--anywhere in the world.

Two other museums about which the same can certainly be said are the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

So it would serve to reason that an impressionism exhibition organized by these three prestigious institutions would be pretty impressive. And Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity certainly is, even beyond the art contained within.

While I highly recommend the exhibit to anyone who finds themselves in Chicago before September 22--note the free admission opportunities provided to Bank of America customers on the first weekend of every month--if you only have two hours to spend in the Art Institute, you're apt to find a greater swath of amazing impressionist works in the general collection. (The same is also true in the Met and Musee d'Orsay, where this exhibit previously ran.)

Édouard Manet, Woman Reading, 1879/80

But especially as exhibit entrance is included in the museum's general admission fee, and at least three of the Art Institute's greatest impressionist works--La Grande Jatte, Caillebotte's Paris Street, Rainy Day and Renoir's Woman at the Piano--are currently displayed as part of the special exhibit, it is well worth any part of your time you can allocate.

"The latest fashion...is absolutely necessary for a painting. It's what matters most."
-- Édouard Manet, 1881 (posted on the first wall of the exhibit galleries)

Even for those who don't truly have a passion for fashion--uh, me--Impressionism, Modernity and Fashion showcases an impressive array of artists, paintings and accompanying dresses.

For example, the exhibit--which does not allow photography; the picture below is from this article by Jill Krementz about the Met showing--complements Claude Monet's Madame Louis Joachim Gaudibert, from 1868, with a similar ensemble nearby.

Interestingly, this and other early Monet works that are included actually seem to pre-date his foray into impressionism; they are much more realistic than his art would become.

And while are several shining examples of impressionism as I perceive it--by Monet, Manet, Renoir, Cassatt and Caillebotte, among others--the artist best represented, both by number of works and, arguably, collective quality, is James Tissot, who while depicting Parisienne fashions in the exhibit's 1860's-1880's epoch, cannot be considered an impressionist.

But he painted pretty pictures, several of which are included in the exhibition (a few of which I'll show below).

Yet what makes this exhibit especially appealing, as I referenced above, is the way it's put together beyond the artworks themselves.

Every work of art in the show is accompanied by a placard that not only gives the artist and title, but a concise yet informative description of the work. In many exhibitions, only selected works get this treatment.

Albert Bartholomé, In the Conservatory (Madame Bartholomé), ca. 1881

Beyond the dresses, other complementary materials--such as fashion plates (essentially advertisements) and magazines in which they ran, accompanied by a notation that they served as points of reference for Monet and Cezanne--are excellent.

So are the galleries themselves, which try to match the types of fashions contained within. For example, the room that showcases portraits of people outdoors has faux-grass flooring, park benches and the sound of birds chirping.

And while most of the clothes are merely representative of those depicted in the paintings, a portrait by Albert Bartholomé of his wife--In the Conservatory (Madame Bartholomé), ca. 1881--is paired with the exact dress she wore, which he preserved after her premature death.

Thus, while some--uh, me--might prefer the Art Institute's Van Gogh masterpieces and even Monet's paintings of haystacks, water lilies and the Japanese bridge to some of the pictures in the Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity exhibit, the wonderfully-curated show is a rather remarkable work of art in itself.

So try to get to it, even if you have to hustle and, uh, bustle.

For those who can't, in addition to some highlights I'll include below, you may wish to reference the Art Institute exhibition page, the much more thorough Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit section and the article about the New York run referenced above.

And particularly because I found several of the artwork images upon it, wikipaintings.org is a great website to know about for anyone who loves art.

---

Edgar Degas, Sulking, 1870

Claude Monet, Camille, 1866

Pierre Auguste-Renoir, The Loge, 1874

Renoir, The Swing, 1876

Henri Fantin-Latour, Portrait of Édouard Manet, 1867

Henri Gervex, Rolla, 1878

Henri Guérard, The Assault of the Shoe, 1888. An etching done after the death of his wife, Eva Gonzalès,
whose paintings of pink slippers are included in the exhibition.

James Tissot, Portrait of Mademoiselle L.L., 1864

Tissot, Evening, 1878

Tissot, Portrait of the Marquise de Miramon, 1866
Accompanying the painting was a piece of the actual peignoir depicted:

 

Tissot, The Circus Lovers, 1885

Monet, Luncheon on the Grass (left panel), 1865–66

Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street, Rainy Day, 1877

Caillebotte, Le Pont de l"Europe, 1876

Georges Seurat, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1886

The Chicago Dining World Tour: Badou Provides a Good Welcome to Senegalese Cuisine

Badou Senegalese Cuisine
Senegalese
2055 Howard St., Chicago
773.293.6913 www.badousenegalesecuisine.com

What I ate: Fataya (appetizer); Yassa Djen; Thiebou Djen; Ginger Cocktail

Badou, a restaurant featuring cuisine from Senegal, has only existed in Chicago--within a strip mall along Howard, one block east of Ridge--since shortly before I began my Chicago Dining World Tour at the beginning of this year.

But not only is it precisely the type of place I wanted to explore on my gastro-ethnic expedition, but one that I truly hope can succeed for many years to come.

Having discovered it through Yelp--I think originally relating to a search for Ethiopian restaurants--I went to Badou on Friday night along with my mom.

We were the only patrons when we arrived around 6:30, and after being welcomed by a friendly woman, we were greeted by an even friendlier man whose name turned out to be Badou.

Badou appears to not only be the proprietor of his namesake restaurant, but its chef and waiter. But as we discovered, he is really less of a waiter than a personal culinary adviser.

Rather than come and take our order, Badou sat down at our table, established that this was our first foray into Senegalese cuisine and warmly told us we needed to order Pastel as an appetizer, which the menu describes as crispy pastry filled with marinated chicken sauteed in tomato and onion sauce.

Upon telling him that I don't eat chicken as I'm allergic, he said I could get the fish version. But in asking his female counterpart, Paula, if they had fish pastels, she said no.

So he said he'd make some.

Paula later explained that the fish version of the Pastel is called a Fataya, and in looking at the menu now, a beef Fataya is listed, which would have been fine too.

Turns out that the Fataya, whose description differs from the Pastel based only on the filling, is largely like an empanada.

I've enjoyed empanadas, or something similar, as part of several cultural cuisines (Argentinean, Peruvian, Costa Rican, Jamaican, Venezuelan, etc.) and the Fataya--we got three in a single appetizer order--didn't disappoint.

The fish on the inside was minced, but it was terrifically seasoned and quite delicious. It had a bit of a kick, but nothing too overwhelming.

For a beverage, I ordered a Ginger Cocktail, a non-alcoholic homemade ginger drink with pineapple.

I had high hopes for this, as I love pineapple and enjoy ginger in small doses, but the ginger flavoring was far too strong and sharp for my tastes. But this was the only part of our meal for which I didn't much care.

For an entree, the jovial Badou recommended Yassa, which comes in Guinar or Djen versions, essentially chicken or tilapia infused with lime and caramelized onion. 

Given that my mom and I were going to share this, and another entree--though it turned out one would have been sizable enough--we got the Tilapia (Djen) edition. 

Though not noted in the description, the dish also includes rice, and the mixture of the carmelized onions, fragrant spices and the fish & rice was wonderfully tasty. 

Via some Yelp reviews, I had noted another entree called Thiebou Djen, which the menu describes as the Senegalese national dish. It features Djolof rice, which was a richly seasoned red, with vegetables mixed in. It is listed on Badou's vegetarian menu, but as "Djen" seems to mean fish, Badou also pointed out the non-veg version which includes a fish fillet. 

The Thiebou Djen arrived at our table after we had already dug into the Yassa Djen, and with an appetizer as well, we likely didn't really need it or give it proper heed. 

That said, it was very good--the fish had a nice glaze on the side not shown in the photo--and the rice itself was probably better than that of the Yassa. 

As I write this, I have Thiebou Djen leftovers in my fridge that I am looking forward to eating, and that's after re-warmed Yassa proved quite tasty a second time. 

Though I had to look up Senegal on my iPhone while at Badou to see where it sits along Africa's west coast, I am glad I discovered a Senegalese outpost on Chicago's north side. 

While we were eating, a few other customers came in, and also got Badou's personal table-side consultation. So this is truly an ethnically-unique restaurant that aims to please, and I'm pleased to report that it did.

Rush to Judgment? Canadian Trio Still Rocks Soundly, but Doesn't Thrill (Me) Throughout -- Milwaukee Concert Review

Concert Review

Rush
Summerfest, Milwaukee
July 4, 2013
@@@1/2

Compared to the general population, the music press over the years and some avid music-fan friends who have long been left cold by the Canadian power trio, I think I count as a pretty heavy-duty Rush fan.

I have enjoyed their music since getting the Permanent Waves album as an 11-year-old in 1980; I own most of their albums--mostly acquired immediately upon release--including such lesser lights as 1993's Counterparts; and I've seen them live 8 times since 1984.

(Funny thing is I remember going to see them at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles in 1992 and thinking that I was reliving my youth and that they seemed a bit long in the tooth; I was all of 23 and Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart all had yet to hit 40.)

But compared to serious Rush fans, I'm likely something more of a lightweight.

To wit: Thursday night at the Marcus Amphitheater of Milwaukee's Summerfest, during a break following the band's initial 10 song set--which opened with a few hits (at least in Rush world) but primarily featured album cuts not among their best-known songs--I asked the guy next to me how he liked the show so far. During the set, he hadn't noticeably sung along, played air guitar or drums or likely even smiled. (See the setlist on Setlist.fm)

He said he liked it, but went on to share how he hadn't been as into their lyrical themes since they shifted from science fiction to more social and emotional matters since the death of Peart's wife and daughter in the late '90s. In anticipation of Rush returning to the stage to play the bulk of 2012's Clockwork Angels accompanied by a string section, the guy asked if I'd read the book--a novelization based on the album was penned by Kevin J. Anderson, to which I was oblivious--and proceeded to tell me about it.

And I was just looking for validation for feeling a bit vexed that "Limelight"--played in the opening set at most Rush shows this tour--was eschewed in favor of relative obscurity "The Body Electric."

Not being a Rush beginner, nor someone unaware of their tendencies on recent tours, I know that they like to start shows with a mix of hits and album cuts that they've decided to resurface.

My problem with this in Milwaukee is that in skipping "Limelight," they didn't give me enough classic ear candy--until later in the show--and they also left off one of my favorite album cuts, "The Pass," which they've consistently played on this tour.

And while I don't mean to piss off Rush fans who love Clockwork Angels--and therefore, presumably, the 9 songs they played with strings attached--I just don't think it's all that great. It has stellar moments, but in full becomes laborious.

So a bit ironically, during this section of the show--and even the earlier part sans "Subdivisions," "The Big Money" and "Force Ten"--I found myself perceiving Rush a bit like my friends who aren't fans. In other words, I appreciated their technical prowess on their instruments and found them sonically stellar, but the songs were just too esoteric for me to be playing air guitar and drums. As I often say about opera, I appreciated what I was watching & hearing much more than I was feeling it.

Fortunately, near the end of their 3-hour show, Rush played stellar versions of the classics of my youth--"The Spirit of Radio," "YYZ," "Tom Sawyer" and "2112/Temples of Syrinx"--that allowed me to rock out quite geddily (pun intended).

While I realize these Rush staples shouldn't be all that a hardcore fan wants to hear, I can't deny that I much preferred the band's 2010 gig at the same venue, which included a full playing of 1981's great Moving Pictures album (and which I reviewed here).

Now, to anyone who might say that I knew what I was getting going in, I agree to a certain extent. Much of what has made Rush cool over the years (to those of us who think they are) is their commitment to making music the way they want, without deference to being decreed as hip, or--until their much delayed induction into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame this year--garnering critical adoration or even respect.

While I am enough of a fan not to only like songs they recorded before 1984--"Far Cry" from 2007's Snakes & Arrows was one of the best played on Thursday--the truth is I would have been a good bit happier to have heard "Red Barchetta," "Free Will" or the forever-neglected "Fly By Night" in lieu of a few of the songs played on Thursday.

If you were there and loved it, I'm glad you did. But to be fair to the shows I have loved--including by Rush--I can't say that this one consistently reached that level. The band's performance of what they played was superlative, but my enjoyment of it was a bit lesser.

Which isn't to say that I preferred Animation, the Rush tribute band who played at a nearby Summerfest stage prior to the show. Especially with the dazzling musicianship of Mssrs. Lee, Lifeson and Peart readily on display, I'll always appreciate the chance to see them.

But Animation at least filled in some of the songs I wanted to hear on this 4th of July.

---
Here's a clip of show-opener "Subdivisions" posted on YouTube by chinarider69: 

And for friends who haven't appreciated the greatness of Rush over the years, here's a "Rush for Beginners" playlist I put together on Spotify:

Not Fade Away: 'Buddy' and His Music Rave On, Oh Boy -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Buddy

The Buddy Holly Story

Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago

Run Ended

@@@@

Despite likely giving it more thought than most, I find myself challenged to clearly and concisely define the difference between--and among--"revues" and "jukebox musicals" within the realm of musical theater. 

Whereas "Broadway musicals"--even those that have never actual been produced on Broadway--most traditionally have featured newly written songs that support and further a storyline, revues and jukebox musicals (many of which have run on Broadway) enlist tunes that already exist.

I typically think of a revue as employing songs originally written for the stage, newly compiled to spotlight a composer (e.g. Stephen Sondheim), choreographer (Bob Fosse), performer (Chita Rivera), etc.

Revues can vary in how much storyline--or as apt, biography--accompanies the musical numbers. Usually the "book" (i.e. script) is pretty flimsy, or even non-existent, but a few years ago I saw an excellent revue of Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell) called Snapshots, which featured old songs from prior musicals in the service of a new narrative. 

Since Mamma Mia burst onto the scene around the turn of the century, Broadway and the West End have seen a proliferation of "jukebox musicals," which primarily utilize pop songs of a particular artist or style, also accompanied by a book of varying narrative degrees. 

Some jukebox musicals, such as Michael Jackson's Thriller--which I saw in London a couple years ago and which some may, not incorrectly, label a revue--are little more than a string of live performances of hit songs. But Mamma Mia actually told a story, albeit slight, through its use of ABBA songs. And Jersey Boys--the other standout among jukebox musicals--uses Four Seasons songs to tell the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, but in doing so puts across a fairly robust, univeral tale. 

Anyway, over the weekend I saw Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, which dates back to 1989, making it one of the very first "jukebox musicals."

Although it does attempt to sketch the all-too-brief career arc of its title character--albeit with some creative liberties--and thus is more so a theatrical work than simply a cover band or tribute artist playing a collection of Holly gems, as a "musical" it is not nearly as story-based nor insightful as Jersey Boys nor The Million Dollar Quartet (the latter is still playing at Chicago's Apollo Theater). 

But over the course of 2 hours and 15 minutes, Buddy was never less than enjoyable. 

This production has now left town, so this review is rather moot, but Kurt Jenkins (one of two rotating leads) does a nice job as Buddy Holly. 

No, he neither looks nor sounds exactly like the original, but was close enough to remind that the man born Charles Holley in Lubbock, Texas, wrote a hefty helping of pioneering rock classics that still sound fresh 55 or so years later. And he wrote them all before the age of 22, without many influences to draw upon (though I found it interesting to note, through Wikipedia not the show, that Buddy Holly opened for both Elvis Presley and Bill Haley in 1955). 

I certainly didn't get any great insight about Buddy through this musical, which I'd seen in a local production at the Drury Lane Oakbrook in 2008, but most of major milestones are touched upon: recording with Norman Petty, having hit singles, playing the Apollo, meeting & marrying Maria Elena, splitting with The Crickets, playing the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA and dying in a plane crash along with Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. 

Faithfully delivered, live on stage by Jenkins, the faux Crickets and the backing musicians at the Surf show, it was hard not to smile at "That'll Be the Day," "Everyday," "Peggy Sue," "Oh Boy," "Words of Love," "Heartbeat," "Rave On" and others (including Valens' "La Bamba" and the Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace."

So although there's not much theatricality to Buddy--and it's likely not much more satisfying than seeing the same musicians just performing a concert of these great songs--if you get a chance to catch this show the next time it swings through your town, well all right, just enjoy it.