A Fun Partnership: Underscore Presents 'The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe' By Way of Kansas City -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe

a new musical

Underscore Theatre Co.

at the Understudy

Thru July 14

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The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe is a fun show that merits extra kudos for being a homegrown musical.

It was actually homegrown in Kansas City, MO, at that city's Living Room Theatre, where the piece was written by Ben Auxier, Brian Hunter and Seth Maachi (the first two are credited with the music & lyrics).

Chicago's Underscore Theatre Company, in a nifty new home called The Understudy (at Clark & Wilson), created a stellar musical of its own last year with Haymarket, and is now presenting the Chicago premiere of Lefty & Crabbe.

I believe credit for creating the show remains with The Living Room, but its Artistic Director, Rusty Sneary, is directing it in Chicago, while both Auxier and Hunter are in the cast.

Photo credit on all: Evan Hanover

So to whatever extent "partnership" is officially apt, that's what The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe is celebrating, in both its existence and its storyline.

At some unspecified point in the early 20th century, Lefty Childs (played here by Kyle Ryan) and Crabbe Hathaway (Shea Pender)--think Laurel & Hardy or Abbott & Costello, with Crabbe being the thin one--come together abruptly as a vaudeville comedy act.

Accompanied by their Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe cast mates, they belt out the enjoyable "Give 'Em a Show" as their success grows. But when the dying days of vaudeville relegates them to playing empty bowling alleys, the pair strike out for Hollywood.

Spurred on by fast-talking agent, E.G. Swellington (a stellar Mike Ott), they meet--among others--a sultry singer, Evelyn Rose (Natalie Rae), a pretty starlet, Lolo Carmichael (Elizabeth Del Toro) and an elderly studio head, Mr. Rocksfeld (Stephanie Boyd, clearly having fun with the role).

In playing the pair's pal, Gene, and film director, Mac, respectively, Hunter and Auxier merit mention for their work onstage, as well as for composing several fine songs such as "Smile Your Way Through" (nicely sung by Del Toro) and Lefty's "Eat Your Heart Out."

The audience was told pre-show that many of the lines each night are improvised, so in terms of singing, acting, slapstick and ad-libbing, this is clearly a talented cast, and if short of a masterpiece, an entertaining show that should make for a fun night out.

There seem to be a few more characters than necessary, and with many of the ensemble players rotating through roles, the story--and inherent pathos--doesn't congeal quite perfectly.

I was a bit more enticed by Lefty & Crabbe as vaudeville stars and pals than the strangers in a strange Hollywood land narrative that found them losing a bit of themselves, but any show that reminds of Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello and Singin' in the Rain can't help but bring some smiles.

Pianist Annabelle Revak does a nice job providing musical accompaniment, and all of the songs are richly delivered.

Through the Underscore website, tickets seems to top out at $25, and discounts may be available through Goldstar and elsewhere.

So even though The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe doesn't reach the qualitative heights of Hamilton, West Side Story or the very best musicals ever created, its price point doesn't beg direct comparisons.

Devoid of which, it really is a delight, a fine new musical staged in a venue you probably wouldn't even peg as a theater from the outside, making it all the more cool. (Hopefully, the HVAC system will become better calibrated, along with access to the one restroom.)

If you love new musicals, entertainment history and Chicago storefront theater, I suggest you catch this fun work by the_Underscore @ the Understudy.

Wondra on the Tundra: Paul McCartney Makes for a Perfect Knight at Lambeau Field — Green Bay Concert Review

Concert Review

Paul McCartney
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
June 8, 2019
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On June 18, Paul McCartney will turn 77.

He has finally let his hair go gray, after years of presumably using dye to keep his famed mop-top brown.

In terms of chronological measures, Sir Paul is getting old.

But seeing “Macca”—as he is also affectionately known—live in concert never does.

Or at least it hasn’t yet, with Saturday’s show in Green Bay marking the 13th time I’ve seen the ex-Beatle, the 12th since 2002 and the 9th in the past 10 years, on yet another Abbey Road trip after having—in recent years—ventured to Tulsa, Milwaukee, St. Louis and the southwest Chicago suburban wasteland of Tinley Park. (I also saw Paul in Paris in 2011, as well as multiple times in Chicago proper.)

Gratefully, my friend Brad did the driving this time, having gotten himself a prime seat on the field where the Green Bay Packers play.

Along with my most erstwhile concert pal, Paolo, I settled for a seat not nearly as choice, but also upon the famed—but on this perfect June night, not frozen—tundra.

Even for a diehard Chicago Bears fan, there was something extra special about being on Lambeau Field, and though many taller heads in the 80 or so yards between me and Sir Paul occasionally kept me from seeing his, the entire experience was awesome.

As he has at virtually every show since resuming fairly regular touring in 2002, McCartney and his band mates—all constant since then; hence with him longer than he was with the Beatles or Wings—played for just about three hours.

This show was about 5 minutes short of that mark, with perhaps the only concession to his age being the omission of “Yesterday,” making the set list 38 songs, rather than the formerly standard 39.

The basic outline of Macca’s shows has remained fairly congruent over the years—he doesn’t mix things up gig-to-gig like Bruce Springsteen or Pearl Jam, other live favorites of mine—and one can pretty much bet the house on hearing “Blackbird,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Band on the Run,” “Let It Be,” “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” “Live and Let Die” (with mass pyrotechnics), “Hey Jude” and some others, but all are among the best rock songs ever written.

Yet even with his current Freshen Up Tour hitting smaller U.S. markets this year—Ft. Wayne, Madison, Moline, Lexington, KY, Greenville, SC, etc.—he’s rotated in Beatles chestnuts such as “Got to Get You Into My Life,” “All My Loving,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face” and “From Me to You,” none of which I heard in Tinley Park in 2017.

Proving that—as arguably rock’s greatest songwriter ever—he can still pen a catchy melody, Paul nicely included “Who Cares,” “Come On to Me” and “Fuh You” from 2018’s Egypt Station album, while the Quarrymen’s “In Spite of All the Danger” meant that a 60-year stretch of original, recorded music was represented on the night.

But while I won’t pretend to be above going to certain concerts predominantly out of reverence—Brian Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bob Dylan (to some extent; sometimes he’s still superb), the now passed Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry and others—continuing to repeatedly see Paul McCartney live, at considerable cost and/or distance, isn’t primarily about worship nor even nostalgia.

Few things in life provide me as much acute joy as a Paul McCartney concert.

Sure, his voice isn't what it was at 24, but it still sounds darn good, especially with a 50,000 strong chorus singing along with every word.

On the night, Macca plays bass, acoustic & electric guitars and a couple different pianos, and fairly amazingly—at any age—there isn't a second onstage that he's isn't playing and/or singing.

Guitarist Rusty Anderson delectably covers many of the George Harrison solos, accompanied by Brian Ray (guitar), Paul "Wix" Wickens (keyboards) and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (drums), who remains a powerhouse and a hoot.

Yes, I've heard Sir Paul's stage stories many a time, whether reminiscing about Jimi Hendrix & Eric Clapton, recalling his Red Square encounters with Russian politicians or paying tribute to his late Beatles bandmates, John Lennon and George Harrison.

But only in the best of ways can Sir Paul McCartney be blamed for me and my pals venturing to see him in Green Bay—and in many a place, many a time.

While I always hope he might sprinkle in "Penny Lane" or "Getting Better" or any of dozens of other gems—even from Wings and his solo albums—more than he does, the truth is over the years I've heard him do 120 different songs...

...and, really, anything he wishes to play is fine with me. (See Paul McCartney's Green Bay setlist here.)

It's delightful that he has horn players again along on this tour—not always the case—and including from within the Lambeau stands, they made "Got to Get You Into My Life," "Lady Madonna" and more sound particularly swell.

From the opening "A Hard Day's Night" to the traditional but apt closer, "The End"—with mirthful magnificence on essentially every note in between—Sir Paul McCartney made for a truly blissful and special knight in Green Bay.

I always hope I might see him yet again, and he seems due for another show within the Chicago city limits, but if this turns out to be the last time I get to see the man who—along with John, George and Ringo—most changed the world I enjoy living in, well, speaking his words of wisdom, love me do.

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Just a snippet of the "Hey Jude" singalong:

Modern Family: Strong Touring Cast Makes for a Fine ‘Falsettos’ -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Falsettos

Nederlander Theatre, Chicago

Thru June 9

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I've seen over 350 different musicals--some many times over--but never, until Wednesday night at the Nederlander, had I seen Falsettos.

So although I wouldn't rank it among my favorite musicals, or quite call the fine current touring production a "must-see"—the run ends Sunday, so locals would be hard-pressed even if I did—I'm delighted that Broadway in Chicago offered it as part of my subscription series.  

I like other shows by the composer/lyricist William Finn—most demonstrably The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee—and I can readily appreciate, with its origins going back 40+ years, how progressive a show Falsettos has always been.

Act I—which originated as an 1981 Off-Broadway one-act by Finn and book writer & director (including presently) James Lapine in under the title, March of the Falsettos—is set in 1979 and features a successful Jewish New Yorker named Marvin (played here by Max von Essen), who is leaving his wife Trina (Eden Espinosa) for a free-spirited man named Whizzer (Nick Adams).

Photo credit on all: Joan Marcus

Trina remains in the picture—and even romantically pursued by Marvin’s therapist, Mendel (Nick Blaemire)—as does her & Marvin’s 10-year-old son, Jason (Jonah Mussolino at the performance I attended).

Act II—originally 1990’s Off-Broadway Falsettoland—moves things to 1981, adds lesbian neighbors named Cordelia (Audrey Caldwell) and Dr. Charlotte (Bryonha Marie Parham) and sadly weaves in the then-nascent AIDS epidemic.

So clearly, Falsettos—which first ran on Broadway in its present form in 1992, and whose 2016 revival sparked the current national tour—presented a “Modern Family” long before the hit sitcom.

And while, in a recent review of Next to Normal, I credited that show's 2009 Broadway bow for ushering in an age of intimate, domestic, highly dramatic musicals devoid of ensembles and dance routines—from which followed Fun Home and Dear Evan Hansen—I can now appreciate how groundbreaking Falsettos was in that regard as well.

Its story about a family that is broken in a traditional sense but forever bonded by love is quite endearing, and all the more poignant being seen during LGBT Pride Month.

With von Essen, Adams, Espinosa, Blaemire, Parham and even young Mussolino—who shares the role of Jason with Thatcher Jacobs—all bringing solid Broadway credits, this is one of the more impressive touring casts I’ve ever seen, in terms of both pedigree and performance, .

Though many of the songs are brief yet wordy, Finn can write superb showtunes, with “Love is Blind,” “I’m Breaking Down,” “The Games I Play,” “I Never Wanted to Love You,” “The Baseball Game” and “What Would I Do” just some of the highlights.

The score is nicely split between company songs, solo turns and tunes featuring various assemblages of characters. In all cases, the voices are quite impressive.

Chicago Tribune theater critic, Chris Jones, who knows the material far better than I, gave this touring rendition 4 stars (out of 4 in his case) and calls the cast "better than Broadway's."

Yet despite my admiration for what Falsettos is about, its long being ahead of its proverbial “time” and my appreciation for the vast talents of those involved—including Lapine, who scripted and directed three Stephen Sondheim musicals I love (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Passion)—my fervor never reached a high-pitched frenzy.

In truth, only a rather gripping conclusion prompted me to award @@@@ (out of 5) rather than 1/2@ less.

This assessment isn’t based on any acute negatives, just a candid gauge of my level of enjoyment and embrace.

Despite many compelling aspects, on an initial viewing Falsettos just didn’t beguile me on par with many musicals I’ve liked much better.

There is delight to be found in its narrative, themes, many songs and touring cast performances, and this is definitely a musical well-meriting familiarity.

But while I love its “love is love” messaging, at this point Falsettos is more a musical I merely liked.

Alive, She Cried: Lookingglass Breathes New Life Into 'Mary Shelley's Frankenstein' -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
written and directed by David Catlin
from the book by Mary Shelley
Lookingglass Theatre, Chicago
Thru August 4
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I have to assume I was familiar with the name Frankenstein by the time I was 10, but other than a fondness for Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein--the 1974 movie, and far less so the 2007 musical--at the age of 50 I have very little recall for encounters with the monster, his maker or the material.

By this I mean I've never read Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Frankenstein, nor seen in full any film versions of her groundbreaking horror--and science fiction--tale.

I'm familiar with various physical depictions of the Frankenstein monster--the name was really that of the scientist but has largely served both cases--but other than via Brooks, only vaguely the story.

And while there have been multiple recent Chicagoland theatrical productions tied into the 200th anniversary of Frankenstein being published--presented by Court, Lifeline, Remy Bumppo and perhaps other theaters--I did not attend any until Lookingglass' current Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

So I was quite grateful for much of what I was able to glean from the striking production, quite
imaginatively written and directed by Lookingglass ensemble member David Catlin--also responsible for their highly successful Lookingglass Alice and Moby Dick adaptations--yet I fear the impressive ambitiousness of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein exceeded my capacity to appreciate it all.

My above rating of @@@@ (out of 5) certainly represents a positive take, and I wouldn't dissuade anyone from seeing this show within Chicago's historic pumping station (although it isn't for young kids).

Albeit with great regard for many aspects of the endeavor, including some glorious acting and brilliant costuming, in full I can't cite it among my favorite plays, even just of those seen in this month of May.

Some of this I would say is "on me," as I was deficiently aware of the source material, and even had some trouble focusing during the early stages of the dimly-lit first act, featuring some Victorian accents.

Of course, I can't write this review based on how much others may enjoy Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and even with the above candor, this is reflecting my personal experience in seeing it.

But while I liked it more than loved it, I will say that the work was sumptuously original...and witheringly visceral.

Perhaps take an extra shot or two of caffeine if you're going on a work night, but you can expect to be wowed by much of what you see.

As per this show's title and authorship credits, Lookingglass isn't presenting a play version of Frankenstein, based on the source novel by Mary Shelley.

Rather, Catlin newly wrote and directed Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, from the book by Mary Shelley.

Yes, from what I've been able to gather about the original novel, what unfolds onstage stays largely true. There is a scientist named Victor Frankenstein, intent on creating a humanoid, who winds up giving life to a rather hideous--and deadly--creature, who the scientist then must pursue.

But this show also puts a good deal of focus on Mary Shelley telling the story, as she supposedly did during a trip spent at the Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

As chronicled at Lookingglass--augmented by some nice informational panels in the lobby--Mary (a superb Cordelia Dewdney) had traveled there in 1816 with her lover, the famed romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (Walter Briggs), and three companions, including the similarly immortalized poet Lord Byron (Keith D. Gallagher, who also winds up playing the creature, brilliantly).

The quintet--also including Mary's stepsister, Claire Clairmont (Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel) and Byron's friend Dr. John Polidori (Debo Balogun)--engage in a competition to tell the best horror story, and as history knows, though she was just a teenager no one could outdo Mary's imagination.

So with the cast never expanding beyond the five performers though at times seeming two or three fold, we get the telling--and enacting of Frankenstein--with occasional reversion to the gathering of friends.

In part due to what I didn't know coming in--including Victor Frankenstein's kinship with a beautiful adopted sister, Elizabeth (also played by Dewdney), circumstances surrounding a much younger brother of theirs, the Creature's desire for a ladylove, etc.--it was all quite intense, including the physical acting by Gallagher, especially.

He is astonishing, and at times--particularly early in Act II--Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a ravishing joy, just for the eyeballs. 

Also in part due to Dewdney's nuance--and the cleverness of Catlin's script and direction--I came away with considerably more awareness about Mary Shelley and why she may have concocted her famed story.  

So this is clearly a piece of theater with a whole lot going on.

Sometimes it was more than I could readily appreciate--and whatever my lack of wherewithal, I had arrived with the best of hopes, like any other audience member--but at the very least Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a beast.

Including, at times, in the very best way.

Hope That Can Save Me: Springsteen-Inspired 'Blinded By the Light' Largely Blinds Me with Delight -- Movie Review

Movie Review + Screening Recap

Blinded by the Light
inspired by a true story and the
words & music of Bruce Springsteen
directed by Gurinder Chadha
Seen May 22 at the Music Box Theatre, Chicago
as part of the Chicago Critics Film Festival
Wide U.S. release: August 14, 2019
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It's honestly an infrequent occurrence, and allergies were assuredly messing with my tear ducts, but I can't deny that Blinded by the Light made me cry.

This doesn't inherently bespeak a sensational movie, but what a British-Pakistani teen named Javed (newcomer Viveik Kalra, who was on-hand for the screening) experiences onscreen--loneliness, ostracism, fierce arguments with his dad, a love of writing--was quite closely in concert with my own life, around the same time. (The movie is set in 1987-88)

And, along with a few kindred friends, relatives and teachers, Javed's foremost coping--and hoping--mechanism was quite literally mine as well, the music of Bruce Springsteen.

I don't know that I ever thrashed about in a raging windstorm as the lyrics of "The Promised Land" swept past my head--such as in one of director Gurinder Chadha's most imaginative scenes--but countless are the times when blasting "Badlands," "Backstreets" or "Born to Run" on a Walkman (or Discman, iPod, iPhone, etc.) got me through a lonesome day or restless night.

So yes, I arrived at the glorious Music Box Theatre for a screening of Blinded by the Light as part of the Chicago Critics Film Festival--about 4 months after the film premiered at Sundance and roughly 3 before it opens nationwide--as definitively part of the target audience. (In a rather cool story, Bruce gave permission for his music to be used in the film, but wasn't otherwise involved in its creation.)

While I do believe that the movie has cinematic, storytelling and thematic merits well beyond its extolling of the Boss, my devout fandom undoubtedly had much to with my appreciation...and waterworks.

Chadha herself, in directing 2002's Bend It Like Beckham, already told a compelling tale about an Asian teen in Britain finding her passion and purpose--in that case, playing soccer--at odds with the traditional values and trepidations of her parents.

For me, Blinded by the Light also conjured 2016's Sing Street, which focuses on a 1980s Dublin teen who starts a band and seeks to find his voice, driven by quarreling parents, an older brother who turns him onto Duran Duran, The Cure, etc. and a girl he wishes to woo.

Embodied by the delightful Nell Williams as Eliza, Blinded by the Light also traipses in young love.

Believe me, I'd love to suggest that this film should have widespread appeal as it celebrates the "We'll keep pushin' till it's understood and these badlands start treating us good" messaging of Bruce's music that emboldens Javed, not to mention me, journalist & Springsteen superfan Sarfraz Manzoor--upon whose memoir, Greetings from Bury Park, the movie is based--and millions of Boss fans worldwide.

Thematically, it's fairly easy to imagine Javed's transformation representing that of anyone of any persuasion or psyche finding meaning, strength, joy and sustenance in the music of Madonna or Prince or The Who or The Clash or Public Enemy or Stephen Sondheim or anyone else.

The essence of what Javed experiences after another Asian student, Roops (Aaron Phagura, who's a delight), loans him cassette copies of Born in the U.S.A. and Darkness on the Edge of Town--and, straining credulity for me, doesn't insist on getting them back as weeks past--is universal.

Or at least I hope it is, given what music--and not just that of Bruce--has meant to my existence.

But the soundtrack of Blinded by the Light is comprised predominantly (if not quite exclusively) by 17 or 18 songs by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Some are heard in full, even getting video montage treatments, while a few are limited to snippets.

I imagine for Springsteen fanatics much of the appeal of this film will be in experiencing how the songs fit in--and I hope newcomers will be grasped by Bruce's working man demanding dignity, hard charging musical heroism--so I won't divulge much.

As revealed in the Warner Bros. film's official trailer, "Dancing in the Dark" and "The Promised Land" are rather prominently featured, and I wish to give props to how Chadha--who wrote the film with Manzoor and Paul Mayeda Berges--slides in "Jungleland" during scenes of ugly unrest and racism during Maggie Thatcher's Britain.

For my money, quite a good bit of which has gone toward seeing Springsteen 50 times to date--which is a third of the reported Boss concert tally of Manzoor--I wish Blinded by the Light could have given Javed a bit more exposure to Bruce's transcendence as a live performer, for as much as I love the man's music, it's his tireless marathons (always with a warm smile on his face) that made me reverential by the time I was 15.

With due respect to the Rolling Stones, Clash, Who, Ramones, Paul McCartney, Pearl Jam, the immortal James Brown, Prince or anyone else I--and/or you--love, I believe Bruce Springsteen to the best live rock 'n roll performer of all-time, by a wide margin.

Uncertain about a thread in the film that may enable Javed to attend an E Street Band show in London on the Tunnel of Love Express Tour, I asked the engaging Viveik Kalra about it during a Q&A after the show.

Without wishing to spoil much, let's just say that Kalra admitted he hadn't before pondered the gist of my question, but rued the sparsity of his experiencing Bruce in concert as part of the movie.

Beyond that, certain aspects of Blinded by the Light feel a touch contrived--and largely predictable--while some film purists or Springsteen naysayers will conceivably blanch at how exaggerated the movie feels at times.

There is quite a bit of exuberant running, gesticulating, even some rule-breaking, but I largely found the visual hyperbole fitting with the feelings of fledgling love, whether for a boy, girl or musician.

The domineering father, particularly of East Asian heritage (played here by Kulvinder Ghir, paired nicely with Meera Ganatra as Javed's mom) feels like an archetype I've seen sufficiently before--though in Bend It Like Beckham it's the mom who's more dogmatic--but what makes Javed's difficult relationship with his dad work is knowing how it parallels that which Bruce seemingly had with his father, Douglas Springsteen. (See Springsteen on Broadway on Neflix if you haven't yet.)

So, abetted by a certain degree of self-identification, Blinded by the Light is a film almost any diehard Springsteen fan should at least like, and probably love.

Its merits go well-beyond worship of the Boss, and I have to imagine the distribution plan for New Line/Warner Bros.--which paid nearly $15 million for the rights despite a lack of known stars save for Hayley Atwell of Agent Carter/Marvel MCU fame--goes far beyond the Jersey Shore.

But if you loathe Bruce Springsteen--and that would be a shame--Blinded by the Light likely isn't apt to help you see the beauty in "wanting things that can only be found, in the Darkness on the Edge of Town."

Who by Symphony: Pete & Roger, Masterful Songs Remain Eternally -- and Blissfully -- Joined Together ... Chicago Concert Review

All photos by Seth Arkin

Concert Review

The Who

w/ opening act Reignwolf

Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, Tinley Park, IL

May 21, 2019

also seen May 9 at KeyBank Center, Buffalo

w/ opening act The Arkells

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On the Who's 1965 single, "My Generation," singer Roger Daltrey famously exhorts, as written by the band's guitarist, Pete Townshend:

"Hope I die before I get old."

Daltrey is now 75.

Townshend just turned 74 on Sunday.

On a chilly Tuesday night, The Who's Moving On Tour--coming 37 years after the band commenced their initial "Farewell Tour"--rolled into the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in Tinley Park.

With an orchestra.

Daltrey and Townshend are the only surviving original members of The Who, with bandmates Keith Moon (in 1978) and John Entwistle (in 2002) having died before they got old.

Of 25 songs performed--I count "See Me, Feel Me" as its own tune even if it's officially lumped into "We're Not Gonna Take It"--only two were from fewer than 40 years ago. (See the setlist here)

Already on this tour, as on recent ones, The Who are getting social media attention--and some guffaws--due to Daltrey complaining onstage about audience members smoking pot (he's allergic), and not without good reason, he repeatedly whined about it being quite cold out on Tuesday, even donning a heavy coat at one point.

So for those prone to snark--and that seems to be what powers the internet--it would be relatively easy to snicker at the notion of a Who tour in 2019, especially as the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater was far undersold and pavilion seats could be had on StubHub for less than the price of a movie admission.

Or to believe that the show was OK at best.

Obviously, anyone can perceive what they want, but here are a few things I believe to be true:

- The Who's body of work is among the Top 5 in rock history, perhaps higher; I will never tire of hearing their songs.

- Pete Townshend is a songwriting genius and brilliant guitarist, and Roger Daltrey is among the best singers and frontmen of all-time.

- There will almost certainly never again arise a rock band as good as The Who.

- The Who would've been more amazing to see live in say, 1970 or 1975, when the original quartet was the loudest rock band ever recorded. But I was too young then--I first saw the Who in 1989; this was show #12--and to this day, Pete & Roger don't step onstage without taking it seriously. On Tuesday in Tinley, despite the cold, Townshend was energized and Daltrey's voice sounded strong.

- Including Townshend's brother Simon on guitar, Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey on drums, Loren Gold on keyboards and others, the two Who legends have long surrounded themselves with quality musicians, including on this tour.

From the May 9 show in Buffalo

- It was truly glorious to hear classics from Tommy and Quadrophenia--plus "Who Are You," "Eminence Front," Who by Numbers track "Imagine a Man," "Join Together" and "Baba O'Riley"--backed by a 50-piece or so orchestra

- Even with the uncomfortable cold, Tuesday's show was fantastic enough that I would happily go again, although it actually already represented going again, as I had seen The Who on May 9--indoors at KeyBank Center--on a brief trip to Buffalo.

Certainly I can give you a few more specifics, such as how I got chills in hearing the Townshend brothers play the complementary guitar parts on "Pinball Wizard," how "The Kids Are Alright"--coming during a 5-song set sans orchestra, which seems to vary a bit from city to city--reminded me how the early Who singles remain as transcendent as any besides the Beatles,' how powerful and poignant "Won't Get Fooled Again" came off as an acoustic rendition with just Pete & Roger on stage, how amazing Pete sounded on "The Rock" instrumental from Quadrophenia, how Roger's vocals still dazzle on "Love Reign O'er Me," how violinist and concertmaster Katie Jacoby sounded brilliant at the end of the closing "Baba O'Riley," etc., etc., etc.

But either you already get it or you presumably won't.

So I'll simply thank Pete & Roger for continuing to give their all onstage, even as they have gotten old, doing service to The Who's incredible catalog with promise of a new album before year's end.

Daltrey's idea of an orchestral tour--prompted in part by his touring Tommy with a symphony last year, sans Townshend--works well, in part because the music has brilliant depth to begin with.

Say whatever you want, but it just sounds swell.

I believe most of the orchestra members are local in each town, supported by concertmaster Jacoby, conductor Keith Levenson and the arrangements by David Campbell (who happens to be Beck's dad).

I'm sorry that I can't provide more specifics on who played with the Who in Tinley Park--their Chicago stop, though they also play Alpine Valley on Sept. 8--or in Buffalo for that matter, but as did Townshend from the stage, I give effusive kudos.

To learn the material, rehearse all day and--particularly in the cold--keep instruments in tune and fingers from slipping, well, that's quite impressive.

Hence, although this review is about The Who and how great they are--in the present tense--having an ad hoc orchestra "join together with the band" is pretty incredible in its own right.

I've long shared how I don't much care for the oft-renamed outdoor venue in Tinley Park.

It's far from home, coldly utilitarian, $30 for a bad burger and beer, often acoustically subpar and a pain to get out of.

But on a night that was silly chilly for late May, in the company of three close friends the evening made for--per a Tommy tune--an "Amazing Journey" in pretty much every way.

And for Pete's sake, The Who still rock.

Roger that.

---
This is a clip of "Baba O'Riley" from the show I saw in Buffalo:

Hey Ho, Let's Go: 'Four Chords and a Gun' Doesn't Fully Capture the Ramones, but Can't Help but Beguile -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Reviews

Four Chords and a Gun

a play about the Ramones

with live music afterwards 

written by John Ross Bowie

directed by Richard Ouzounian

Broadway Playhouse, Chicago

Open run

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There are few bands I revere more than The Ramones, but any myth of punk rock purity is just that, a myth.

Johnny was a hard core Republican and seemingly had no compunction over stealing Joey's girlfriend, which prompted years of minimal communication.

Dee Dee wrote many of the band's best songs--"53rd & 3rd," "Commando," "Rockaway Beach"--yet often was a barely-functioning heroin addict, and supposedly supported his habit through gay prostitution.

And Joey was never content to be a hugely influential cult hero; he longed to be a rich rock star.

So after releasing four terrific and--in many ways, groundbreaking--studio albums, none of which charted higher than #49 in America, in an overt attempt to amp up their popularity, the New York bred and based Ramones went to Los Angeles to work with Phil Spector in May 1979.

One of the most famous record producers ever, Spector is heralded as a genius for developing the "Wall of Sound" and working with the Ronettes, Righteous Brothers, Beatles and many others in the 1960s.

He's also known for being something of a nutjob, and is currently in prison for the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson.

His work with the Ramones, on an album called End of the Century came amid these periods and the new play, Four Chords and a Gun--written by TV star John Ross Bowie--expects one to arrive with some degree of awareness of both the band and producer.

For while the well-researched play provides some backstory and biography, its focus is on the dichotomy of the quintessential punk band collaborating with a quirky--and worse--egomaniac famed for creating pop sheen.

Legal limitations presumably prevent any actual songs being heard during the play, so what we really get to see are arguments among the Ramones and between Spector and the band members, principally guitarist Johnny, who at one point is made to record a single chord ad nauseam.

Though it's never been definitively corroborated--as even writer Bowie concurs--legend has it that Spector pulled a gun on Johnny during the recording sessions.

So what occurs in Four Chords and a Gun is a combination of speculation and imagination, along with caricature-like characterizations of Spector and the four Ramones.

I can't say that it ever really, fully "works," but also can't deny that I enjoyed watching it.

Perhaps it's wrong to celebrate how gleefully smarmy Ron Pederson makes Phil Spector--because not only am I convinced that he's a terrible human being, the play depicts him as being rather cruel to Justin Goodhand's (perhaps too) simple Joey--but it's in making Spector an acerbic little weirdo that Bowie's writing most shines, and humor abides.

Cyrus Lane's Johnny struck me as seeming the most like the real person, and James Smith does a nice job as Marky (the only surviving Ramone).

For those who may not know, Ramone was a fictitious surname; none of the members were actually related.

Paolo Santalucia does a stellar acting job as Dee Dee and makes me envision him as more sweet and sardonic than I had formerly, but we don't get much sense of his musical importance to the band (though I don't know how active he actually was in the End of the Century songwriting).

I believe Bowie takes some creative liberties in weaving the Joey-Linda-Johnny love triangle into the timeframe of Four Chords and a Gun, but the likable Vanessa Smythe adds a nice element to the otherwise testosterone-heavy show.

Some may undoubtedly find it odd that after four actors are costumed and coiffed to suitably resemble the Ramones, four different dudes--looking nothing like the band--play a post-show concert, but renditions of "Blitzkrieg Bop," "Pinhead," "I Wanna Be Sedated" and more rock righteously and contribute to my settling on @@@@ (out of 5).

Other than the post-play music itself, little in Four Chords and a Gun will much help non-fans come to know and love the Ramones, and even given the show's narrow focus, any real insights on End of the Century's music are scant.

But few things have ever lent themselves to being blissful without being overthought more than The Ramones.

And though it's not perfect, this is a play--again, not a musical--about them, and I liked it.

Your Position and Your Place: Strong Acting Fuels AstonRep's 'The Crowd You're In With' -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Reviews

The Crowd You're In With
by Rebecca Gilman
directed by Derek Bertelsen
AstonRep Theatre Co.
at Raven Theatre Complex
Through June 16
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Clocking in at just 75 minutes, The Crowd You're In With feels more like a series of arguments than a fully developed play.

And though the fine writing of Rebecca Gilman--abetted by strong acting in this AstonRep production--keeps things engrossing, the set-up feels somewhat contrived.

Taking place at a backyard barbecue, the show involves two thirty-something couples who have been friends since college.

Windsong (Maggie Antonijevic) is married to Dan (Nick Freed) and is pregnant with their first child, while Melinda (Sara Pavlak McGuire) and Jasper (Martin Diaz-Valdes) have been trying to conceive, but haven't yet.

Photo credit on all: Paul Goyette

The BBQ is taking place at Melinda & Jasper's, whose neighbors and landlords, Karen (Lynne Baker) and Tom (Javier Carmona), drop by, as does Darcy (Erin O'Brien), another friend of the couples.

Karen and Tom are about 60, on their second marriage each, and intentionally childless.

Karen, especially, is rather opinionated about not having kids, and much else.

Her outspokenness not only sparks fevered debate with Melinda and Jasper, but among them, as well as with Dan and Windsong.

Other than some comedic input from Darcy, a waitress, about how parents handle young kids in restaurants, this is The Crowd You're In With in a nutshell.

I don't think the play is a masterpiece, and though many of the arguments from all the characters feel real enough, it seems the conversations--especially those among Jasper and Melinda--would've been had many times over, without their pals and landlords present.

But I've long liked the work of AstonRep, director Derek Bertelsen and--to varying extents--Gilman, and strong work by McGuire, Baker, Antonijevic and the three men makes The Crowd You're In With rather entertaining.

Abetted by a program note from Bertelsen, I can see how the play isn't merely a debate on whether or not to have kids, but a look at how seemingly cordial relationships--among both friends and lovers--can be undermined by both bluntness and reticence.

As a longtime bachelor, I wasn't all that drawn into any suggestions that having children is essential to life having meaning, but found comments about Dan dressing like a teenager and a knock on Bob Dylan--the play's title comes from a "Positively 4th Street" lyric--to be quite untoward.

And perhaps more interesting than anything within the rather brief play, is wondering what happens to Melinda and Jasper from here.

Or whether their desire to have a kid was really born from some sort of desperation, bespeaking something far deeper at play between Gilman's lines.

So particularly with inexpensive tickets--under $20 including fees--available through HotTix, Goldstar or TodayTix, this can certainly be construed as a recommendation.

You'll be in and out of the theater pretty quickly, but during the show--and maybe even more so afterwards--The Crowd You're In With should make for good company.

Of Women Acting, Valiantly: 'Into the Breeches' Explores Efforts on the Homefront...and Centerstage -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Into the Breeches!
a recent play by George Brant
directed by Jessica Thebus
Northlight Theatre, Skokie, IL
Thru June 16
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One of the abiding tenets of my life, and this blog, is that the importance of the arts goes far beyond leisure, frivolity and entertainment.

Whether through watching or participating in music, theater, film, literature, comedy, painting, dance or other art forms, individuals and society can--and should--find enlightenment, serenity, therapeutic benefit, genuine sustenance and more.

We often hear about arts education being the first to go when when schools are faced with funding challenges, but to my mind, the arts should be the first to stay.

This isn't specifically the main point being made in George Brant's likable play, Into the Breeches-- now running at Northlight--but it's part of the message that I drew.

The play, directed here by Jessica Thebus, takes place in 1942, when many American men had been enlisted to fight in World War II.

Photo credit on all: Liz Lauren

From the famed Rosie the Riveter poster to films such as Mrs. Miniver, I've long been aware of how women supported the war effort in very tangible ways.

I hadn't considered it before--and though the play is historically-based, I'm not sure quite how widespread this was--but in Into the Breeches, Brant informs that one of those ways was by continuing to stage theatrical productions, despite the deficit of male actors.

Brant initially set the play in Providence, Rhode Island--that city's Trinity Rep commissioned him and premiered Into the Breeches--but with a bit of customization from the the Morton Grove-native and Northwestern alum, as seen in Skokie the story takes place in Evanston.

There, Maggie (the delightful Darci Nalepa) has long aided her husband, the artistic director of the fictional Oberon Theatre, following his lead to the point of being derisively dubbed, "Andrew's Parrot."

But the unseen Andrew has, like many, been called to the front, and though Maggie initially faces resistance from Oberon's main benefactor, Elsworth (Fred Zimmerman), she aims to keep the theater afloat (with her husband's blessing).

She enlists the star--but as we learn, unpaid all these years, even as less-noted male counterparts were--actress Celeste (Chicagoland treasure, Hollis Resnik).

And with the help of costumer Ida (Penelope Walker) and production assistant Stuart (Mitchell J. Fain)--a man not selected to serve--she embarks on holding auditions.

Along with Elsworth's wife, Winifred (Penny Slusher), two young women with husbands serving overseas--Grace (Annie Munch) and June (Molly Hernandez)--become involved.

I won't tell you about any more of the narrative, which does precede somewhat predictably even as it broaches--and resolves rather formulaically--matters of race, homosexuality and gender equality.

Marketed as a comedy, the two-act, two-hour Into the Breeches is more what I'd call a "nice play" than a brilliant or scintillating one.

But it's easily watchable and I give it props for original subject matter, which is far more slyly resonant today than it may seem.

And the entire cast does really fine work.

It seems somewhat boggling that as the Oberon's first female foray, Maggie opts for the troupe to stage Shakespeare's 4-hour, 3-play "Henriad." (Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part II, Henry V)

I guess it serves to suggest than anyone can--and should--have grand ambitions when it comes to theater, and art.

And Into the Breeches offers a heartwarming reminder that, for reasons some may not understand, even under difficult circumstances, the show must go on.

North Side Story: Genial 'Miracle' Should Delight Cubs Fans, but Isn't a Musical Grand Slam -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Miracle
A musical 108 years in the making

Royal George Theater, Chicago

Open run

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As best I can tabulate, I've seen something like 800 unique theatrical works in my lifetime, most coming in the past 20 years.

And I can safely say that none has had a happier ending than Miracle, a new musical based around the Chicago Cubs winning--in 2016--their first World Series title in 108 years.

As a diehard Cubs fan, that event was one of the most joyous of my lifetime, especially as I attended three Series games (1 & 2 in Cleveland; game 5 at Wrigley).

So, adorned in a Cubs championship t-shirt, I attended Miracle's opening on Thursday night at the Royal George as undeniably part of the target audience.

But I also happened to attend as the second half a theatrical doubleheader, having seen a matinee of West Side Story at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. That show certainly doesn't have a happy ending, but as noted in my review, I believe it to be one of the greatest artistic works of all-time, and the current production is superb.

I don't imagine anyone involved in the development of Miracle--producers William Marovitz and Arny Granat, director Damon Kiely, composer/lyricist Michael Mahler, book writer Jason Brett--would suggest they were creating a musical as monumental as West Side Story, or anywhere near it.

Hence, in large part, it seems quite fair to review it for what it is: a genial musical clearly aimed at Cubs fans wanting to relive the glorious moments of 2016 (while hoping for more). 

In that regard, Miracle is fun, and those arriving at the Royal George in Cubby Blue should find a lot to like well-beyond video highlights of cherished moments. 

Marovitz, a former Illinois State Senator and Broadway investor, and Granat, a partner in JAM Productions, are clearly capable of shepherding a world premiere musical with strong production values. 

Mahler is likely the most notable local composer/lyricist of new works--I've seen his Hero, October Sky and Something in the Game--while Brett and Kiely also bring several fine credits. 

And starting with Gene Weygandt--Wicked, Working, La Cage Aux Folles and much more--as Pops, the 6-person cast includes performers I've seen and liked in several musicals around town.

Brandon Dahlquist is Charlie Delaney--the son of Pops and the deceased Maggie--who now largely runs the family-owned Wrigleyville bar named for her, after having had a promising minor league career as a pitcher. 

Allison Sill is Charlie's wife, Sofia, while Amaris Sanchez and Elise Wolf alternate in the role of their daughter, Dani. I saw Sanchez and she was really terrific. (She had been in On Your Feet on Broadway and on tour.)

Jonathan Butler-Duplessis (Larry, a close friend of Charlie's), Michael Kingston (Weslowski, a neighboring merchant and patron of Maggie's) and Veronica Garza (Babs, another patron and merchant) round out the cast. 

All do fine work, and I would have welcomed a good bit more solo singing from Weygandt, Sill and Butler-Duplessis. 

I also wouldn't have minded a few more cast members to help fill Maggie's Bar during the big games. 


To be clear, Miracle is not a show directly about the Cubs. 

Except on the video screens--so there must have been some team buy-in--you will not see anyone playing Bryant, Rizzo, Lester, Arrieta, Baez, Schwarber, Heyward, Maddon, etc. 

Not so unlike a play I recently saw--The Undeniable Sound of Right Now--Jason Brett's script largely concerns itself with a (fictional) longstanding, family-owned Chicago bar that is facing challenges to stay afloat. 

After a video reel of Cubs seasons that have ended in disappointment, the musical begins at Maggie's with "The Cubby Bear Blues," nicely handled by the whole company. 

After Dani raps "#FlyTheW," we get Charlie--amid Opening Day 2016, after a darn great 2015--declaring "I'm Out," as in refusing to believe in the Cubs anymore.

I get that it's a fairly obvious narrative conceit to loop in the pessimistic, won't-get-fooled-again Cubs fan, and you can't really start this show in, say, 2013. Or after the Cubs lost the pennant to the Mets in 2015. Or when they seemed somewhat on the ropes in Game 4 of the 2016 NLDS against the Giants.

But I don't know anybody who was bailing on the Cubs at the start of 2016, and in doing so--along with having him frequently harangue Pops, Dani, Sofia and others--Brett's script makes the likable (and quite well-sung) Dahlquist feel like a weenie. 

The show, and Charlie himself, comes to eventually realize--and somewhat rectify--this, but even within the bounds of what Miracle aims to be, the storyline feels somewhat askew. 

Believe me, I didn't believe the Cubs were going to win the World Series until the exact moment they did--and the name Rajai Davis still conjures tears & trepidations--but we're supposed to accept Charlie dismissing them as "losers" as they stood at 47-23 in late June?

Upon which he and Sofia sing a tune called "I Hate the Cold," which dreams of leaving town. 

So even in granting that this is a likeable show essentially just for Cubs fans, who will enter and leave with a smile on their faces, it's rather hackneyed. 

Weygandt nicely delivers an ode to legendary announcers--Jack Brickhouse is named, though Harry Caray oddly isn't--called "The Voice Above the Crowd," which was composed by Larry Novak, with lyrics by Julian and Rhona Frazin. 

The rest of the score is by Mahler, who while supremely talented compared to most people, doesn't yet stand with Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Kander & Ebb or the greatest of Broadway composers/lyricists. 

Which isn't to suggest his songs aren't at least passable. 

Dahlquist shows his demonstrable talent on "What's the Pitch," considerable imagination--and fine choreography by Dina DiCostanzo--fuels "Do the Superstition," while "You Gotta Have Faith" offers a fun tip of the cap to Damn Yankees' "Heart."

But there is too much similarity in the song styles, and though "Look for a Miracle" caught my ear nicely upon its reprise, nothing was as glorious or mirthful as singing along to Steve Goodman's "Go Cubs Go" as Miracle ended. 

I didn't myself share news of the Cubs' historic victory at the gravesites of any friends & relatives, but that was a truly touching aspect of Miracle, among other fine components.

But essentially this is a minor league musical, with certain core strengths and fine efforts but no real promise beyond its diehard targets. 

Simply as a new piece of musical theater, I only somewhat liked it. Still, upon its unique playing field, I can't deny loving what it's all about.