Meet Me in St. Louis (Drury Lane Water Tower) - 11/19/08

This production of "Meet Me in St. Louis", which is a remount of Drury Lane's Oak Brook production, fits cozily in the (relatively) intimate Drury Lane Theater in the Water Tower Place. This being a dated piece, I fully expected to roll my eyes over the sticky sweetness on stage, and I did. However, what I did not realize is how pleasingly spunky the show is. In large part, I attribute this to director Jim Corti's breathless pacing and lean, efficient staging: one scene melds into the next with such ease and pizzazz (although some of the choreography is a bit clunky) that you don't have time to "rot your teeth". Same goes with the performers; they all seem to favor attitude over sentiment, which seems to double the effect of moments of true sentiment (notably the "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" number). All in all, a more than solid mounting of a classic show by a theater company back on the rise. The show deserves to be a holiday hit.

Rating: ***1/2 (out of *****)

Grey Gardens (Northlight Theatre) - 11/19/08

"Grey Gardens" is sure to go down in history as one of the most quirky musicals to play on Broadway. The musical is based on a documentary of the same name, depicting the sadly desperate existence of the hermit-like relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy. The musical is a showcase for any musical theater actress aspiring for greatness (playing the mother in the first act, and the daughter in the second). As such, it's no surprise that Chicago diva Hollis Resnick has seized the opportunity with such aplomb; this is an expansive, nuanced performance that I think will go down as one of her crowning achievements. However, instead of rising to Ms. Resnick's level, the rest of the cast and other production elements are merely serviceable. The show here lacks the same level of focus and intensity of its Broadway counterpart. Having said that, the show, mostly on the strength of Ms. Resnick's memorable performance, remains worth seeing as an effective portrait of lives gone sour.

Rating: *** (out of *****)

Well (Next Theatre) - 11/17/08

"Well" by Lisa Kron is a self-described monologue with other characters, and centers around a woman's attempt to analyze her love/hate relationship with her mother. Although the play feels noticeably self-conscious and overly-witty, it does have a fascinating free-wheeling quality to it. And though not totally successful, I thought the play-within-a-play structure acts as an extremely interesting metaphor for the playwright's struggle to crystallize her feelings towards her mother. The performances are all very good, but Mary Ann Thebus deserves a special mention for her perfectly calibrated performance; her performance as the mother turns out to be the most authentic component (visually captured by the scenic design) to this memoir of a play, which I think is totally intended.

Rating: *** (out of *****)

Gatz (Elevator Repair Service) - 11/14/08

Elevator Repair Service, an avant-garde theater company from Philadelphia, is visiting the MCA to put on their nearly 8 hour "Gatz", the group's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic Jazz Age novel, "The Great Gatsby". Set in a shabby office, this is a verbatim regurgitation of the novel in its entirety, as played out by "The Office"-type stock characters. There are drawbacks of course to this setup, given that even the most mundane sections of the great novel are read/played out. However, there are stretches of transcendence: the sequence in which Gatsby and Daisey reconnect is pure theatrical magic, and the final act seethes with profound melancholy, hauntingly revealing the beauty and meaning in Fitzgerald's achingly lyrical prose.

Rating: ***1/2 (out of *****)

Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train (Raven Theatre) - 11/13/08

Raven Theatre has mounted a solid, if somewhat uneven production of Stephen Adly Guirgis's "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train". With the exception of Esteban Andres Cruz's spot on performance as Angel, the performances I caught were to varying degrees unfocused and uninspired. A play that attempts to capture the psyche of criminals, this is a type of play that needs explosive, no-holds-barred , almost syncopated performances (Steppenwolf's Chicago searing premier production had them). The play has interesting things to say, however, and Guirgis's dialogue crackles with raw wit and insight.

Rating: **1/2 (out of *****)

Echoes of Russia (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) - 11/12/08

The CSO was in marvelous shape as it played Rachmaninoff's Symphony #3 and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1. It was my first time sitting in the Terrace (the section behind the orchestra), and I highly recommend it. Although the sound of the piano was overwhelmed in the Tchaikovsky piece, the power of the orchestra was almost overwhelming from that vantage. Additionally, it's fun to face the conductor as he conjures up some great music from the awesome CSO. Always a pleasure to visit the CSO at home.

Rating: **** (out of *****)

Steve Wilkos Show (NBC Studios) - 11/12/08

This afternoon, a friend and I caught a taping of the "Steve Wilkos Show" at Chicago's NBC Studios. For those of you who aren't in the know, Steve Wilkos spent 14 years as Jerry Springer's body guard and has in recent years spun himself off into his own talk show. His guests are your typical daytime train wrecks: child molesters, abusers of all sorts, you get the picture (we got a prostitute/drugee confronting her mom for "stealing" her disabled baby). Despite the dire circumstances his guests find themselves in, I find the guests secondary to Steve himself. Mr. Wilkos has a dynamic presence: he is a forceful, scenery-smashing (literally), yet ultimately charismatic host. Although after carefully watching him, one starts to notice his flaws: he is short on eloquence, and he has a tendency to revert to certain catch phrases ("get off my stage!"). Arguably though, these just add to his charm. I find that being present for the taping is a more stimulating experience versus watching the finished product on television. One thing I noticed is how much more scripted it feels in person, which is not a bad thing at all. On the contrary, it's fascinating to be part of the process, and I think it adds to the whole theatricality of the proceedings, especially when the audience is as engaged and participatory as this one. I'm not the first one to notice that trashy talk shows make great theater (hey, they made an opera out of the Jerry Springer Show), but it certainly does.

Rating: *** (out of *****)