PicksInSix Review: BOOP! The Musical - Broadway in Chicago

“BOOP! The Musical” Has It All!
PicksInSix® Gold Review | Ed Tracy

When the stunning new show “BOOP! The Musical” arrives on Broadway next year, a new generation will discover the iconic Betty Boop through the spellbinding performance of Jasmine Amy Rogers in the title role, and through the eyes of one of their own—16 year-old pop media phenom Angelica Hale, making her stage debut as Betty’s new pint-sized BFF.  

At the magical moment that Betty catapults into present day Comicon from her cartoon world of the 1930s, she is searching to both escape the adulation of her own time and to satisfy her yearning to discover an answer to the pivotal question: “Who am I?” Upon arrival, she finds a vibrant world in the radiant colors of the rainbow, none of which she knows by name. She also has a predilection to put an ‘L’ in everything, so her new marshmallow world is “plurple.”

It's the black, white and red-hot opening sequence of “BOOP! The Musical” with Rogers as the charming, charismatic, and confident heroine created by illustrator, animator and cartoon innovator Max Fleischer who revolutionized the graphic technology of the day, merging illustrations and live action to create whimsical cartoon series and shorts featuring Betty Boop, Popeye and a cavalcade of quirky characters who morph from inanimate objects to all forms of comic incarnations.

The world premiere of “BOOP!” opened Wednesday at Chicago's CIBC Theatre. After years in development, there is now a dream team in place for the Broadway-bound project directed and choreographed by multi-Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, the first musical venture by Grammy and Emmy award-winning composer/producer David Foster with lyrics by Susan Birkenhead (“Jelly’s Last Jam”) and book by Bob Martin (“Drowsy Chaperone,” “Elf”). The creative team includes a spectacular scenic design by David Rockwell that is beautifully enhanced by Finn Ross’s projections and Gareth Owen’s sound design, Philip S. Rosenberg’s lighting and the stunning costumes of Greg Barnes.

With big, boisterous dance numbers, tender ballads, an extraordinary scenic landscape and masterful illusions courtesy of Skylar Fox, “BOOP!” has it all. It's a love story—three actually—but even more it’s a free-spirited and endearing comedy that has a message for all of us about who we are and the impact we can make on the world and the people in it.

At Comicon, Betty collides with Dwayne (Ainsley Melham) a jazz musician and for maybe the first time, Betty senses an attraction. Overcome by her new surroundings, Betty forges a friendship with Trisha (Hale) a young fan and aspiring artist in need of a little confidence of her own. It doesn't take long before we find that Trisha lives with her aunt Carol (Anastacia McCleskey), who serves as manager for the New York City mayoral campaign of Raymond Demerest (Erich Bergen) and Carol’s brother, who just happens to be Dwayne. The hook is set and a youthful love story begins to unfold.

Back in early 30s, the studio directors, Aubie Merrylees and Ricky Schroder, are in a tizzy when they discover that Betty is nowhere to be found. Grampy (Stephen DeRosa) realizes that Betty’s absence will have a disastrous impact on their present and the future, so he embarks on a cross-dimensional journey of his own with his dog Pudgy (the brilliant marionette artist Phillip Huber). In Times Square he meets up with Valentina (Faith Prince) a retired NASA scientist who is still holding a torch for Grampy that was lit 40 years earlier. At first on a quest to find Betty before it’s too late, Grampy discovers that the fire is still smoldering between the two.

The cat’s out of the bag on the secret that Betty Boop is now alive in the present when she shows up and brings the house down at Nellie’s Place, the jazz club where Dwayne is trying to get a regular gig. Once the news is public, the corrupt Demerest, the King of Waste, tries to hitch his dump truck, and whatever else he has at his disposal, to Betty’s instant celebrity. But it’s Betty who turns the tables on the plan and as always, love wins out overall.  

Martin’s book moves briskly and effortlessly with zingers and easter eggs, old and new, along the way. Musically, Foster has infused the score with a plethora of styles from jazz and pop to some socko Broadway show tunes that allow Mitchell a full range of dance routines for the superb, multi-talented ensemble. Among the highlights, Rogers leads the ensemble in the opening “A Little Versatility,” “My New York” and “In Color,” and the show is at full throttle for the truly sensational Act I closer “Where I Wanna Be.”

World Premiere of “BOOP ! The Musical” at Broadway in Chicago’s CIBC Theatre through December 24, 2023.

Price and DeRosa shine in “A Cure for Love” and the touching “Together, You and Me.” Melham joins Schroder and Probst for “Sunlight” and delivers a blissful “She Knocks Me Out.” Hale’s powerful “Portrait of Betty” is a smash and the lovely “My Hero” with Rogers is one of the show’s many highlights.

It all comes down to Rogers though, whose radiant stage presence is all at once inquisitive, vulnerable and decisive as she evolves to the real version of who she will become: a loving role model of strength and independence.

Rogers’s charismatic performance of “Something to Shout About” is a showstopper. After taking center stage surrounded by a glistening celestial panorama, she steps decisively and defiantly forward and, in that one moment, appears larger-than-life, captivating the audience and signaling the presence of a star.

That she is.  

PHOTO|Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Broadway in Chicago
presents the
World Premiere of
BOOP! The Musical
CIBC Theatre
through December 24, 2023

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PicksInSix Review: The Wiz - Broadway in Chicago

“THIS IS A WHOLE ‘NOTHER LEVEL!”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The national tour of the Broadway-bound musical “The Wiz” opened its limited Chicago engagement at the Cadillac Palace on Wednesday with all the blissful promise and brilliant colors of the rainbow you could ever imagine. With a massive, techno-landscape—a marvel all in itself—the L. Frank Baum-based classic that made its groundbreaking 1974 debut in Baltimore and conquered Broadway the following year with eight nominations and seven Tony® Awards on the way to a four-year run, now comes vibrantly alive for a new generation.

“The Wiz” is ingeniously directed by Schele Williams with some clever choreography by JaQuel Knight that amplifies a superb company large in number and steeped with talent running through their paces at a size and scope rarely seen in a touring production. The show premiered in Baltimore in late September and is making a multi-city tour in advance of its scheduled debut on Broadway in March 2024 with a lot of professional steam behind the William F. Brown book with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls.

The revival includes new musical moments from Joseph Joubert (music supervision, orchestrations, & music arrangements), vocal arrangements and music arrangements by Allen René Louis and additional material by Amber Ruffian. Nearly sixty producers and co-producers led by Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, Kandi Burruss, Todd Tucker, Common, MC Lyte and The Ambassador Theatre Group are the team behind the curtain making this a feat of epic proportions.

Those elements work extremely well for “The Wiz” and are sure to be crowd-pleasers at every stop along the way. The tour will also allow time for the performance elements to coalesce for what is one of the most highly anticipated Broadway openings next spring—a straight-up adaptation focused squarely and beautifully on the central themes of friendship, family and home with just the right touch of panache—with all the right stuff to appeal to contemporary audiences of all ages. If you are a fan who knows this familiar, and much beloved, score that includes “Ease On Down The Road,” “If You Believe,” “Everybody Rejoice” and “Home” by heart, you will not be disappointed.  

Nichelle Lewis’s debut performance as Dorothy will be turning heads in the months to come with her charm, wholesome innocence with a little sass, and heavenly vocal range. Melody A. Betts is a powerhouse in the dual role of Aunt Em/Evillene. You will love the cohort of the remarkably limber Avery Wilson’s Scarecrow, the soulfully spirited Phillip Johnson Richardson’s Tinman and Kyle Ramar Freeman’s effervescent Lion. Alan Miongo, Jr. delights as the inimitable Wiz. The charismatic and glamorous Deborah Cox as Glinda, another superb vocalist, looks amazing in costume designer Sharen Davis’s creations.

The journey begins in Kansas, on a black and white tapestry by scenic designer Hannah Beachler. Once in the full color Land of Oz, the opulent scenic transitions race by at the speed of light through imaginative corn fields with tilted windmills, dark forests and a lion’s den in the jungle, to a stunning glimpse of the Emerald City. Once in Oz, the palate turns emerald and the majestic lighting design (Ryan J. O’Gara), sound design (Jon Weston) and projections (Daniel Brodie) continue to an awe-inspiring scene in Evillene’s lair for “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News” and Lewis’s soaring delivery of “Home” that will sweep you away and ease on down the road all the way to Broadway. No bad news here. 

Post Script: André De Shields
Earlier this week via text, I asked the original Wiz, the omnipresent André De Shields, if he would share a memorable highlight from the original 1974 production. He told me that during the run, the entire company was invited to a homecooked meal prepared by his mother and two of his sisters:  

“The group was so large, that it spilled out of my family’s modest two-story row house onto the 1800 block of Division Street. Forty-nine years later, in September 2023, the revival of “The Wiz” opened in Baltimore at the Hippodrome Theatre, during the same week that the 1800 block of Division Street was renamed ‘André De Shields Way.’”  

And in case you were wondering, the company feasted on everything from oyster fritters, steak fish and kidney stew to sweet potato pie and Chesapeake blue crabs, washed down with assorted flavors of Kool-Aid. et  

PHOTO|Jeremy Daniel

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
presents
THE WIZ
Cadillac Palace Theatre
through December 10

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TICKETS
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PicksInSix Review: Beetlejuice-The Musical - Broadway in Chicago

“Beetlejuice” – ‘Being Dead Has Its Perks!’
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

There is a monster sandworm burrowing its way into theaters across the country and its filling houses and bucking ticketing trends at every stop. There are levitating bodies and the tiny head guy is there, too, albeit briefly, for the multiple Tony Award nominated musical “Beetlejuice” that opened here at the Auditorium Theatre on Wednesday to the delight of enthusiastic movie followers, cult fans and a dusting of first-timers, of which I was one.

I am pleased to say that those attending were treated to a black and white striped (and green-hued) spectacle of snappy repartee, soaring ballads, splashy production numbers and eye-popping special effects that showcased a superb ensemble. But it is the unhinged brilliance of stage veteran Justin Collette as the sly, demonic and blue-cheesy Beetlejuice, and the enormously talented Isabella Esler making a star turn in her national tour debut as Lydia Deetz, that people will be talking about for a long time.    

For those uninitiated: “Beetlejuice” opened on Broadway in 2019, closed during the pandemic, was successfully resurrected in April 2022, and closed in January 2023 with plans for this tour well underway. The show is based on Tim Burton’s 1988 film starring Michael Keaton with the musical book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, with music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect. It begins with Beetlejuice (Collette) at the graveside services for Lydia’s mother, Emily, who is grief stricken by the loss. Meanwhile, at the home of Adam (Will Burton) and Barbara Maitland (Megan McGinnis), death come quickly and the pair are exiled to the attic. When Charles (Jesse Sharp), along with his gal Friday/lover Delia (Kate Marilley) and Lydia show up to move in, everyone is initially amused by the couple’s ghostly antics, except Lydia, who will do anything to thwart her father’s plan to marry Delia and preserve the memory of her mother.

The Maitland’s form an alliance with Lydia, but when things don’t go very well, Lydia succumbs to Beetlejuice’s deceptive charm, says his name three times, and “It’s Showtime!” From there, it’s not long before this farce gains momentum, the house is overrun with ghouls, goblins and other wild goings-on, and Lydia realizes that she is the only rational living thing in the middle of all the madness. A trip to the Netherworld and lots of freakish folly follows that all adds up to one helluva show.

Collette’s comic timing and impish glee serves his bizarre otherworldly character well. The super-charged chemistry with Esler is a perfect match. And, when she’s by herself, Esler explodes with a powerhouse vocal range that belies her youthful stature. This is a magnificent breakout performance, delivered with charm, passion and sincerity and wonderful to see and hear.

You could not ask for more visually from the Alex Timbers directed production team including the intricate set (David Korins), elaborate projections (Peter Nigrini), stunning costumes (William Ivey Long), raucous choreography (Connor Gallagher) and outstanding music direction (Kris Kukal). Of particular note are the multiple views of the Maitland’s  house through its various transitions and a clever transition to the Netherworld that reminds one of the opening of a Twilight Zone episode. So, if you already have a ticket to see this production of “Beetlejuice-The Musical” you are in luck. The relatively short run through November 19 is selling fast, so quickly, in fact, that it was announced this week that the show would be returning in May 2024 at the Nederlander when everyone will again be saying: Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! … You get the idea.  

PHOTO|Matthew Murphy

Broadway in Chicago
presents
Beetlejuice
Auditorium Theatre
through November 19

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PicksInSix Review: The Lehman Trilogy - Timeline Theatre Company | Broadway in Chicago

Searching For The Next Big Thing!
PicksInSix® Gold Review | Ed Tracy

Though it's not customarily appropriate to disclose the ending of a dramatic piece up front—and certainly one as consequential as the Chicago premiere of the 2022 Tony Award-winning “The Lehman Trilogy,” a brilliantly staged co-production of TimeLine Theatre Company and Broadway in Chicago that opened at the Broadway Playhouse on Wednesday night—there it is right in front of us all at the top of the show: A blinding frenzy of news reports cascading across multiple screens on Collete Pollard’s striking, multi-level set composed of stacks of banker’s boxes, copy machines and office furniture. Few born before 1990 will need to know much more about the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis that toppled world financial organizations and placed tremendous hardship on America’s middle class.

“The Lehman Trilogy” serves as a rich and compelling reflection of our troubling financial times and a largely fact-based interpretation of the journey that led to this unimaginable end. The story hinges on the notion that the events that we know all too well are actually a consequence of succession and not of the vision and passion of its founders.

Wisely, and with blistering speed, “The Lehman Trilogy” focuses on the burgeoning path of their family pilgrimage to America, their aspirations and legacy. We first meet Heyum ‘Henry’ Lehman (Mitchell J. Fain), the eldest brother and patriarch of the family empire, as he arrives in New York in September 1844 and establishes a storefront business in Montgomery, Alabama.  Henry is joined by Mendel ‘Emanuel’ (Anish Jethmalani) in a few years and then by younger brother Maier ‘Mayer’ (Joey Slotnick).

Stefano Massini’s script, adapted by Ben Power, introduces several dozen characters—heirs, wives and business partners—who first emerge as brokers in the cotton industry in the pre-Civil War years; expand their influence with a major move to New York City that would eventually diversify business models during the Industrial Revolution and into the emerging Stock Market and then on to investment banking operations. Along the way, the Lehman’s developed dynamic investment philosophies and successfully navigated the aftermath of the 1929 Stock Market Crash in the face of enormous challenges.

Through it all, there is a willingness by the Lehmans to constantly look for opportunity—the next big thing—by taking a simple idea and making money with it. Lots of money.

Perhaps the most important element of this epic tale is not the accomplishments of the Lehmans to perpetuate their version of the American Dream, but rather the brilliantly imaginative way the story is told: with only three extraordinarily talented actors playing all roles over the course of the three-act production, one that moves so swiftly and with such grace, humor and pathos that we feel a sense of wonder and awe at every turn.  

There is an economy of scale to the entire production that co-directors Nick Bowling and Vanessa Stalling have baked into every scene that is worthy of a Lehman investment. At one moment, the Lehman brothers are head-to-head passionately debating the next iteration of the company or one is playfully wooing a partner into marriage. In the next moment, characters shift, the stage is on fire and the story launches forward, challenging the emergence of the next generation of the family to cope with molding America’s investment infrastructure on their own. It’s all together a fascinating adventure tale.

Pollard’s towering scenic landscape is richly amplified by the collective brilliance of John Culbert’s lighting design, Anthony Churchill’s projections, André Pluess soundscape and Izumi Inaba’s period costumes.

In truth, Robert Lehman, the last of the Lehman heirs to run the company in this exuberant, fast-paced and superbly staged production, passed away in 1969. The play then races to its conclusion with mergers, buyouts and the highly questionable move to mortgage acquisitions that led to the eventual collapse with nary a Lehman in sight.

By that time in the piece, having been gloriously entertained by these gifted performers, we are left with the understanding that the founders, and their heirs, had successfully pivoted in the face of every threat to the survival of the company for the next generation.

It’s no coincidence that “The Lehman Trilogy” is indeed the next big thing to strike a chord with audiences in Chicago. The show has already been extended through November 26.

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY
BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
present
THE LEHMAN TRILOGY
NOW EXTENDED
through November 26, 2023

BROADWAY PLAYHOUSE
at Watertower Place

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PicksInSix Review: The Devil Wears Prada - Broadway In Chicago

Sarcasm and Sacrifice Rule the Runway!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Scott Gryder

In its usual fashion, Chicago welcomed another debut to the world stage with “The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical” at the historic Nederlander Theatre, with music by Elton John, lyrics by Shaina Taub, and a book by Kate Wetherland. The packed house fervently cheered as the theater was filled with the sound of echoing high heels, and the curtain rose to reveal devilish red stilettos, clacking their way across the stage to start off the pandemic-postponed premiere. We were ready for the runway!

“The Devil Wears Prada” brings to musical life the 2006 film of the same name, originally based on the true-story memoir by Lauren Weisberger. A young, aspiring writer, Andrea “Andy for short” Sachs,  takes an unexpected turn down her career path to becoming a legitimate journalist, winding up as the 2nd assistant to the infamous editor-in-chief of the acclaimed fashion magazine Runway. What begins as a means to paying bills, with the promised potential of launching her career if she ‘survives it,’ soon becomes a revealing tell-all of sinister truths behind the scenes of this bedazzled industry and the sacrifices one must make for beauty and fame. If beauty is pain, is it worth the price?

The vibrant ensemble of character singers and dancers, with their effortless exuberance and exquisite timing, are the true lifeblood of energy throughout the musical, physically driving the movement of “The Devil” forward. An iconic role to say the least, Tony Award winner Beth Leavel engages less of the venomous villain of the film’s Miranda Priestly and turns to sheer presence as her weapon of choice, making her more revered for her industry experience than feared for her wickedness. The shimmering, bright-eyed ambition of Taylor Iman Jones’ Andy Sachs is a very welcome opposition to the anxiety-ridden and hardened vibe of the film; however, Jones’ portrayal seems less driven by her passion for writing, and more led by her eagerness to please and succeed. The true cast standout is the lovable, Javier Muñoz, who captures the charm of the film’s beloved Nigel Owens, while adding personalized layers of humanity and commitment. Muñoz is surely destined for a Tony nom for Best Featured Actor. What’s missing is a bolder uniqueness between characters. Wetherhead’s book pits each character's subtext in a constant battle of wit and sarcasm, which inspires loads of laughter to start, but soon becomes wearing. Special shout outs to Chicago favorites, Sawyer Smith, who’s a living work of art, and Marya Grandy, scene-stealing character actress extraordinaire.

“The Devil” completes the franchise trifecta with respectable charm, tipping its chapeau to the original source materials in a way to delight the fans of the film and book. In doing so; however, it almost too closely follows the source material, dropping in lines made famous by the film’s stars as glaring Easter eggs, which lose their shine over time. With its broad-stroked homage style, the piece fails to find its own voice, floundering between dated material that would make an HR department’s head spin and overbearing social media references. The energy and visual excitement are there, but “The Devil” fails to take off. As a show based on the eye-popping, dynamic inner workings of the fashion industry, it contextually lacks luster. The creative team would have been wise to remember that the devil is in the details.

August 7, 2022 - World Premiere at Nederlander Theatre - Chicago | Courtesy of Broadway in Chicago

Visually captivating, “The Devil” reaches its most Broadway-bound pinnacle in the 2nd Act as Andrea falls under the spell of Paris Fashion Week. Tony and Oscar nominated costume designer Arianne Phillips steals the show with looks that leave you wishing they were available for purchase in the lobby after the show. And choreographer James Alsop brings a fabulous hybrid of early 2000 campy charm and feverish runway fashion voguing. Anna D. Shapiro’s direction truly clicks in the non-musical book scenes, fiercely juxtapositioning the songs. If only that grounded character development had been infused into the fluffier musical moments, which do less to serve the plot and more to quirkily emphasize each principle character’s tropes. Scenic designers Christine Jones and Brett Banakis elicit audible gasps as their set seamlessly shape-shifts to Paris and back again. As for the tunes of the show, much like his legendary pop hits, Elton John’s music is delightfully catchy, but Shaina Taub’s lyrics try to squeeze a size 6 into a size 4 and fail to advance the plot.

If you’re looking for an evening of visual stimulation and amusing bops, with a touch of nostalgic bronzer, be sure to catch this limited run at the Nederlander. You’ll be catwalking out of the theater to the fresh tunes of Elton John, inspired by an enthusiastic ensemble. Although “The Devil” brings blips of Broadway-quality punch, to quote Andy Sachs, they’ve “got work to do.”

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | SCOTT GRYDER received a Non-Equity Jeff Award for his performance in the one-man show BUYER & CELLAR. www.thescottgryder.com

PHOTO|Joan Marcus

Broadway in Chicago
presents
WORLD PREMIERE
The Devil Wears Prada
Nederlander Theatre
through August 21

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PicksInSix Review: The Play That Goes Wrong - Broadway in Chicago

The Best Laid Plans Gone Awry!
Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

Please allow this writer to share with you about “The Play That Goes Wrong” now offering its wares for a hoped-for extended engagement at the Broadway Playhouse in downtown Chicago by a hardy, hometown band of Chicago actors.  And believe me when you read that this really is the title of the play as presented by an immensely talented, tight group of performers and stagehands and audience members, because everything—literally everything—goes wrong.  And that’s the point.

The time-honored concept of farce steps into sharp focus here. There are two sets of theatrical credits in the program.  One, of course, is devoted to the professionals who are actually involved in the production itself—Colton Adams (Trevor), Joseph Anthony Byrd (Jonathan), Ernaisja Curry (Annie), Michael Kurowski (Dennis), Matt Mueller (Chris), Kelly O’Sullivan (Sandra), Jarred Webb (Max), and Jonah D. Winston (Robert).  The other is a list and bios of the “actors” from the Cornley University Drama Society as they present the world premiere of Chris Bean’s “The Murder at Haversham Manor” (cue: organ).

As guided in brilliant fashion by director Matt DiCarlo, we immediately sense a rollicking tone in a “pre-show” speech, designed to soften the blow of what was to come next. This man, “Chris Bean”, has done nearly everything in and for the show—Author. Director. Designer. Dialect and Voice Coach.  He even sold the tickets and created the PR.  And naturally, Mr. Bean plays Inspector Carter, the hero-with-a-twist who tries to solve the murder in the title.

And so the entire evening goes. It’s a cast that commits itself fully and joyfully to every miserable event.  Actors playing actors who play characters in a murder-mystery.   We see everything go terribly awry, and we absolutely go along with it all.  One actor playing a butler forgets his lines and refers to them, written down on his hand.  Another (a stagehand) is shoved into a role herself—script in hand—when her predecessor onstage is literally knocked out with an open door and is dragged through an open window to help the action continue. Still another actor/character loves the limelight so much that he allows his awareness of the proceedings to filter into his character and thus begins flirting and smiling and laughing with the actual audience. And when the set itself begins to disintegrate, well…

Please know that more can be shared, but too much has already been said.  Such is the priceless value of farce that is well-done. The less you know, the more you’ll be pleased at the joyous ride you’ve taken.  And yes, this play is a wonderful, expertly conceived farce, a real rarity these days. One that all can identify with. The best laid plans gone awry with hugely satisfying and hilarious dividends.

We’ve all had quite a time now in our COVID world, where for the longest time, laughter seems to be not only absent, but a bit inappropriate.  “The Play That Goes Wrong” erases such feelings. This group of creative spirits—an authentic ensemble whose oneness bands its members together—will gleefully take you down a merry path.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL www.solochicagotheatre.com    

PHOTO: Jeremy Daniel

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
presents
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
The Broadway Playhouse
Water Tower Place

through May 29, 2022

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For More About the Show, Visit: CONVERSATIONS | Kelly O’Sullivan December 13, 2021

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PicksInSix Review: PARADISE SQUARE

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JOAQUINA KALUKANGO—A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!

The fiercely defiant performance of Joaquina Kalukango in the role of Nelly O’Brien electrifies the ambitious new Garth H. Drabinsky produced musical “Paradise Square” directed by Moisés Kaufman that opened its pre-Broadway run on Wednesday at Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre. Throttling up in the face of adversity through the clash of cultures story during the Civil War, Kalukango stunned the opening night audience with the epic and emotional Act II anthem “Let It Burn” that resonates with such strength as to cross generational lines and echo the issues of our time. It is a powerful coda to a complex musical about social inequality and unrest whose score splendidly weaves together 19th century Irish immigrant and African American dance styles.  

Up front, it is important to note that after nearly three years of civil war, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, however, the Proclamation only applied to specified rebellious states and regions. When it was enacted on January 1, 1863, the Proclamation had already served as much to define the war as a fight for freedom from slavery as it did to further polarize the unsettling and growing hostility between the surging immigrant communities in the North and those freeborn Black Americans and escaped slaves seeking a safe haven.

The Five Points district in New York City was a melting pot for freeborn Black Americans and Irish immigrant populations whose work and intermixed family lives found common ground in the shared desperation of poverty. Fueled by white upper class discrimination that perpetuated their containment to the area, the cultures were actually allowed to coexist and, in many cases, prosper in the midst of the deplorable conditions. However, what could be a new order was not. As casualties from the long and brutal war continued to mount, attitudes sharply eroded. In April 1863, when Congress enacted a draft that exempted those who could pay their way out of service or enlist a substitute in their place, the inequities were laid bare. The draft order also unjustly disqualified the Black population in New York from serving, despite many other regiments already in place, leading to descension, mistrust, and, ultimately, violence in the form of the death and destruction during the July 1863 New York Draft Riots.

It is at this historical tipping point that the show begins with a flashback to Five Points in late 1862, with the escalating war as a dramatic background. Nelly (Kalukango) is the Black owner of Paradise Square, a brothel that welcomes everyone to mix and celebrate. With her white husband, Will O’Brien (Matt Bogart), her brother Reverend Samuel Jacob Lewis (Nathaniel Stampley) and his wife Annie Lewis (Chilina Kennedy), the titular opening number exudes the ethnic stamp of the neighborhood as a welcoming, inclusive and safe place.  We quickly meet Annie’s nephew, Owen Duignan (A.J.Shivley), an Irish immigrant and Washington Henry (Sidney DuPont), an escaped slave who are given shelter by Nelly and her husband while Milton Moore a/k/a Stephen Foster (Jacob Fishel) is offered a job as a piano player.

There are several storylines to unpack along the way within the book written by Christina Anderson, Marcus Gardley, Craig Lucas and Larry Kirwan, who is also credited with conceiving the work. Nelly and Annie are under scrutiny by the uptown boss Frederic Tiggins (John Dossett) that results in fines and threats of closure. When “Lucky” Mike Quinlan (Kevon Dennis) returns from the war disabled and bitter about his personal situation and the loss of jobs available for Irish dockworkers, he leads a public protest against the draft decree that will further diminish the rights of Irish immigrants who are at the top of the draft list. Fearing that he will be drafted to fight for a cause he does not believe in, Owen competes for a $300 prize—a years pay at the time—that will buy his exemption from service, while Washington, desperate to be reunited with his wife Angelina Baker (Gabrielle McClinton), walks a tight rope between the flight to freedom and prosecution for past actions.

The company of over fifty actors and musicians perform twenty musical numbers—music by Jason Howland with lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare—on a massive, multi-level Allen Moyer designed urban set that evokes a gritty, mid-19th century landscape and incorporates gorgeous Toni-Leslie James costumes. The orchestral arrangements would benefit greatly with the addition of a box accordion for a larger and more varied interpretation in the Irish step-dancing numbers enhancing the strong fusion of all of the dance numbers. Bill T. Jones choreography is exhilarating. The music of Stephen Foster is uniquely interpreted by Kirwan including “Oh Susanna” all superbly performed by the ensemble. Notable highlights include Stampley and DuPont’s “I’d Be A Soldier”, Kalukango and Kennedy’s touching ballad “Someone to Love” and “Ring, Ring the Banjo”—a perfect spot for a banjo solo. The wide-ranging elements of the book tend to minimize Nelly’s compelling story. In the shadow of a devastating war, there is more than enough material to increase the dramatic tension, but that hardly matters to the overall enjoyment of the searing final moments of Kalukango’s exhilarating performance that will make anyone’s visit to “Paradise Square” a night to remember.  

PHOTO|Kevin Berne

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
presents
PARADISE SQUARE
James M. Nederlander Theatre
24 West Randolph
through December 5, 2021

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SHOW WEBSITE

PARADISE SQUARE begins previews February 22, 2022 at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre, 243 West 47th Street, where it opens March 20, 2022. TICKETS

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PicksInSix Review: What the Constitution Means to Me - Broadway in Chicago

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Can I stay here all night?
Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

“What the Constitution Means to Me” leaves a profound impact on the audience by way of whip-smart and engaging storytelling from playwright Heidi Schreck and director Oliver Butler, played exuberantly by Cassie Beck in the national tour of the two-time 2019 Tony Award nominated play that opened Wednesday at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. In a captivating narrative of her personal journey with the United States Constitution, we spend time with the fifteen-year-old Schreck on a Rachel Hauck set designed to look like the American Legion Halls where she competed in debates about the Constitution for college scholarship money.

Teenage Schreck loved the Constitution and had high hopes for its continued potential as a living, breathing document essentially twisting and bending to afford us basic human rights. She held tightly to this love and also tightly to her family history without the emotional capacity to yet relate her familial trauma to this country’s long history of violence against women, indigenous people, Black communities, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ folks.

As the play progresses, we watch her connect the dots. Schreck’s older self weaves in anecdotes and deeper, critical analysis of the Constitution and seminal constitutional law cases. In the very capable hands of Beck, Schreck’s narrative thrusts us into facing staggering statistics about epidemic levels of domestic violence against women and severe inequities faced by immigrants, pointedly acknowledging her own privilege as a white woman throughout. In rapid succession, she also beautifully captures the struggle that inhibits many of us from honestly engaging with the Constitution, those in power who interpret it and the Constitution’s impact, on a deeper, personal level. Looking inward in this way requires transcending political talking points and disassembling preconceived notions and tired schoolbook narratives to truly connect with where we have been and need to go collectively… DING! 

The bell rings. Times up. In a great auditory transition to the next topic, the American Legion Hall debate moderator, played by Mike Iveson, abruptly stops Schreck mid-monologue and instructs her to talk about the second clause of Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment. Iveson sits in the corner throughout the play, largely silent with a grimace as Schreck pushes his comfort level. I particularly loved when Iveson’s character sheds the moderator role and presents as himself, a gay man. He tells a story illustrating the complexity of struggling with masculinity while directly participating in patriarchal oppression, and I thought to myself “How much more can she possibly cover? Can I stay here all night?” 

I could have. She covered so much. I learned so much. I cried and also laughed heartily because Schreck does a good job inserting blistering humor which Beck delivers with pinpoint comedic timing in a well-rounded performance that transitions smoothly from the often harsh and tragic to laugh-out-loud funny. The live debate about the future of the document between Beck and high school student Emilyn Toffler adds a dynamic that is both real and fun audience participation. I thoroughly enjoyed Toffler’s excellent performance but do wish a local Chicago high school student participated in this portion instead.

“What the Constitution Means to Me” ultimately fosters important dialogue surrounding the continued fight for human rights and one’s personal journey through growth and change. It’s entertaining, challenging and shines a very real light on the relatable struggle to keep pushing toward hope despite it all. Wailing and wailing and wailing … forward and forward and forward.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | KAITLYN LINSNER graduated from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2020 and currently practices as an attorney in Chicago.

PHOTO|Joan Marcus

BROADWAY IN CHCAGO
presents
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME
BROADWAY PLAYHOUSE
Water Tower Place
through November 7

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FEATURE: PicksInSix Q & A - Cassie Beck - October 20, 2021

For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago

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