PicksInSix Review: The Front Page - Northlight Theatre
‘The Front Page’ - A Grand Slam!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy
As if ripped from the headline of a major market daily, Northlight Theatre opened their sparkling new Evanston home on Friday night with a fast, fierce and uproariously funny production of “The Front Page” on the very day that the First Amendment is again under siege in Washington.
And even as life imitates art, and that other story is still playing out at our press time, the headline here is that BJ Jones, the Walter C. Greenough Artistic Director and the entire Northlight organization have checked every box for success. A new, state-of-the-art home. A terrific world premiere adaptation of the Ben Hecht|Charles Macarthur Chicago-based classic by Jeffrey Hatcher. A magnificent company of actors that reads like a who’s who of theatre royalty in town, and; a wildly appreciative audience soaking up every memorable moment. Simply put, Northlight’s “The Front Page” is a Grand Slam!
Without missing a beat, Hatcher has winnowed the original script down to two highly entertaining acts with a fast-paced run time of just over 100 minutes. The action flies by with the likes of the exquisite duo of Kate Fry as ace reporter Hildy Johnson and real-life husband Timothy Edward Kane as her dominating editor Walter Burns, and a press room that includes Guy Swearington (Endicott), Kelan M. Smith (Kruger), Joe Dempsey (McCue) and Mark David Kaplan (Bensinger) caught in the middle of an escalating crisis involving Earl Williams (John Drea), an escaped man convicted of murder and destined for the gallows the following day.
The political twist to the story is served up by the hilarious performances of William Dick as Sheriff Hartman, John Lister as The Mayor and Tim Kazurinsky, who all but steals the show as Pincus, the bearer of good news for Williams and bad news for the pending election only a few days away. As Hildy does all she can to follow through with her plans to run away to New York with her fiancé Brad Hefflefinger (Peter Moore), Burns lures her back to cover the story of the century. All the while, Brad, his staunchly suspicious mother, brilliantly played by Cindy Gold, and the sultry Rae Gray as Williams love interest, Mollie Maloy, are comically nibbling around the action.
It all takes place in and around a gritty and artfully detailed set of the Chicago Criminal Courts Building Press Room by Jeffrey D. Kmiec, enhanced by Izumi Inaba’s era-appropriate costumes and the slick, stark lighting of JR Lederle. Andre Pluess’s superb soundscape is key here as the dialogue flies effortlessly to everyone in the new 287-seat space.
It all harkens back to the day when print headlines in the morning edition decisively ruled the news cycle. More than any other profession, the newspapermen—and newspaperwomen—of legacy publications depicted in Northlight’s terrific production of “The Front Page” lived by the phrase: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out!” The lesson learned is that, then as now, there exists a highly competitive atmosphere where dedicated, hardworking reporters are rewarded with a byline, where managing editors must continue to relentlessly push their organizations for all the facts with faith that publishers will stand firm and wield their great power and influence against corruption whenever and wherever it threatens our democracy and quality of life.
PHOTO | Michael Brosilow
Northlight Theatre
presents
World Premiere
The Front Page
1012 Church St,
Evanston, IL
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