PicksInSix Review - Nunsense - Drury Lane Theatre

Holy and Hilarious, ‘Nunsense’ Delivers Big!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

Five nuns from the Little Sisters of Hoboken have taken the stage at Drury Lane Theatre to sing and dance and hopefully raise enough money to give some of their fellow sisters a proper burial. You see, these sisters died from botulism and will be stuck in the freezer if the nuns’ variety show fundraiser fails. This production, however, has absolutely nothing to worry about. What talent and what fun!

Drury Lane’s “Nunsense,” wonderfully directed by E. Faye Butler, features some heavenly performers who know how to work the crowd and a top-notch creative team including music director Julia Schade, choreographer Kenny Ingram, and lighting design by Lee Fiskness. This beloved musical comedy originated from a line of greeting cards. Creator Dan Goggin later expanded the material to a cabaret show and then eventually to the full blown musical performed for the past 40 years.

One of the key features of “Nunsense” is audience participation. The nuns interact with the audience throughout and play in particular to those who went to Catholic school. Breaking the fourth wall works well here thanks largely to the comedic talents of Sister Mary Amnesia (Kelly Felthous). Felthous does a fine job improvising with audience members, and her goofy and campy performance brings on big laughs.

Sister Robert Anne (Rachel Carreras) also shines with great comedic timing. Overall, while some of the humor is dated (and very Catholic), this production is hilarious. There are great one-liners, raunchy content, physical humor, and a very memorable scene from Sister Mary Regina (Cory Goodrich) when she accidentally gets high. Sister Mary Regina and Sister Mary Hubert (Sharriese Hamilton) have great banter, and even when dancing for God, Sister Mary Leo (Aurora Boe) finds ways to make the audience laugh.

The talented cast has superior chemistry and sings beautifully together. The individual spotlight numbers for each nun, though, really showcase their vocal talents. “I Just Want to be a Star” stands out as a remarkable musical number where Sister Robert Anne (Carreras) finally gets her moment in the spotlight and performs a real show-stopper. High praise must also be given to Hamilton who, as Sister Mary Hubert delivers a powerful rendition of “Holier Than Thou.” Plus, there’s tap dancing, ballet, puppeteering, and even a sketch about cooking shows. You really cannot go wrong with “Nunsense.”

Of course, that is the appeal of this musical. You get a bit of everything from the Little Sisters of Hoboken who more than anything just want to entertain. They want you to laugh, tap your toes, clap your hands, and enjoy yourself. “Nunsense” delivers all of this and more and will be sure to keep you smiling from start to finish.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | KAITLYN LINSNER serves as an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Utilities Bureau of the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.

PHOTO|Caitlyn Dennis

Drury Lane Theatre
presents
NUNSENSE
Drury Lane Oakbrook
100 Drury Lane
Oakbrook Terrace, IL
through August 2, 2026

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PicksInSix Review: Ain't Misbehavin' - Drury Lane Theatre

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ - Revival Worth Waiting For!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

For those looking to enjoy a soulful and spirited night of jazz music, consider a visit to Drury Lane Theatre for the wildly entertaining revival of Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz’s 1978 Tony Award–winning musical revue, “Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show.” 

“Ain’t Misbehavin’” celebrates the music of legendary Thomas “Fats” Waller, a popular and influential performer who first studied classical piano and organ before becoming a master of Harlem stride piano playing. The production features over 30 of Waller’s captivating melodies and an incredibly talented cast that brings to life Waller’s prolific songwriting skills with an impressive range of artistry that captures all the emotions of Waller’s catalog from the heartfelt and sultry moments to the upbeat and comedic.

Director E. Faye Butler set the production in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood to share its history through Waller’s music. Butler and choreographer Mz. Flo Walker-Harris do a remarkable job in staging an old fashioned good time, right here in Chicago, and the creative team similarly soars with a set, costumes, wigs, hair and makeup that truly transport and transcend — Andrew Boyce (scenic designer), Lee Fiskness (lighting designer), McKinley Johnson (costume designer), and Kevin S. Foster II (wig, hair and makeup designer).  

The rich vocals of the five-member cast, under the musical direction of William Foster McDaniel and sound engineering of Stephanie Farina, make it so easy to lose track of the time and to get lost in the thrill of it all.  While each song shines in its own right, a few must be highlighted. James T. Lane, Alanna Lovely, Alexis J. Roston, Micah Mixon, Lorenzo Rush Jr. are sensational in “Black and Blue” in reaching heavenly harmonies together. Lorenzo’s comedy chops shine in “Your Feet’s Too Big,” and Lane is too smooth in “The Viper’s Drag.” Other standouts include “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Mean to Me” and the jubilant audience interaction in “Fat and Greasy.”

Perhaps the best part of “Ain’t Misbehavin’” is just how entertaining it is from start to finish. As soon as the show begins, a vibrancy takes hold and pulls the audience into an evening of celebration and delight. It felt good to connect with the stories that unfolded with each song and to fully embrace the feeling of, well, feeling good. 

“Ain’t Misbehavin’” is something special and in the words of Waller himself “the piano’s thumpin’ The dancers are bumpin'. This here spot is more than hot. In fact, the joint is jumpin.’  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | KAITLYN LINSNER is a Chicago-based attorney practicing construction and surety law.

PHOTO|Justin Barbin

DRURY LANE THEATRE
presents

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
The Fats Waller Musical Show
100 Drury Lane
Oakbrook Terrace
through August 18, 2024

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PicksInSix Review: Holiday Inn - Drury Lane

The Home of Boy Meets Girl

Just in time to ring in the season comes Irving Berlin’s “Holiday Inn” a refreshingly homespun backstage musical for the entire family chocked full of explosive dance numbers and the iconic tunes that everyone knows and loves from the Berlin songbook. In the capable hands (and feet) of director/choreographer Matt Crowle, with a streamlined book by Gorgon Greenberg and Chad Hodge, and a stellar company from head to toe, Drury Lane’s “Holiday Inn” is a high-wattage hit!

The stage story setup, more or less true to the original 1942 film, follows crooner/composer Jim Hardy (Adrian Aguilar) and his dance partners Ted Hanover (Drew Humphrey) and Lila Dixon (Darilyn Burtley) who have their sights set on the big time. Hardy wants to settle down with Lila in Connecticut, just as Hanover and their agent Danni Reed (Honey West) book a six-week tour. Despite a marriage proposal from Hardy to Lila, the tour proceeds and Hardy is off on a new adventure as a gentleman farmer and owner of Mason Farm. The farm’s caretaker Louise (Danielle Davis) has a plan to help Hardy and set him up with an elementary teacher and the former owner of the farm Linda Mason (Erica Stephan). One thing leads to another, the engagement falls apart and the two suddenly realize they may have something more in common than the fact that the farm is still deep in debt. With few other options, they decide to turn the inn into a holiday show place, but only on holidays.

Miraculously, and only in a musical, the stage show blooms in a week so that as New Year’s Eve rolls around Holiday Inn magically becomes “the home of boy meets girl.” The story sails by after that and serves as a path to one tremendous dance number after another—every one a gem!

In a remarkable, and long overdue, return to the stage after a multi-year absence, Aguilar is phenomenal as Hardy, a steady anchor who adds numerous dimensional layers to the role. The sure-footed hoofer Humphrey has an abundance of talent and more than enough savoir faire to deliver a series of exhilarating dance numbers. The two are paired with Burtley, who gives a captivating standout performance as Lila. When attention turns to the heartwarming Stephan and the budding relationship with Aguilar’s Hardy, sparks really begin to fly. Stephan not only has a beautifully full singing voice that matches perfectly with Aguilar, she also dances effortlessly with Humphrey in multiple numbers. It’s a joy to watch unfold.  

Among the featured musical performances, Davis is hilariously delightful as Louise, leading the Ensemble in a dazzling performance of “Shaking the Blues Away” and there’s more than a few surprises in “Let’s Say It With Firecrackers/Song of Freedom” with a nifty cameo by Nicole Scimeca (who splits the role of Charlie Wilson with Lily Kocourek). There is plenty to be thankful for all night long when the score has hits like “Be Careful, It’s My Heart,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Blue Skies,” “White Christmas” and “Heat Wave.”

Music Director Linda Madonia and conductor Christopher Sargent deliver the crisp, big band sound of Carey Deadman arrangements. Jeffrey D. Kmiec’s versatile scenic design transitions seamlessly from show stage to New England inn with Lynda Meyers elegant and evocative costumes punctuating every holiday. Lee Fiskness lighting design is enhanced by Bryce Culter’s projections and pin-perfect sound by Ray Nardelli all help to start the New Year right at Drury Lane.  

PHOTO|Brett Beiner

DRURY LANE THEATRE
presents
IRVING BERLIN’S
HOLIDAY INN
through January 9, 2022

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PicksInSix Review: 'NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN' Northlight Theatre

“FOLLOW THE RHYTHM OF YOUR HEART.”

The Northlight Theatre production of Christina Ham’s stunningly raw and musically rich 2016 play “Nina Simone: Four Women” directed by Kenneth L. Roberson that opened Friday at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, is a stirring exploration of Simone’s creative journey in the wake of the September 13, 1963 murder of four African-American girls -- 14 year-old Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, and 11 year-old Denise McNair – in the KKK bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The tragedy of the girl’s death inspired Simone to compose “Mississippi Goddam,” “Old Jim Crow,” “To Be Young, Gifted and Black,” and the iconic “Four Women,” and ignited her passion against social injustice, segregation and discrimination during the civil rights movement. 

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Set inside the ruins of the church in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, ‘Four Women’ features the gifted Sydney Charles as Simone, a musical force of nature, who rose from humble beginnings to the forefront of the jazz music world before her ideology was forever shaken and altered by the devastating attack. Simone’s transitional moment is at the core of the piece that the captivating and confident Charles deftly unearthes in the lush boundaries of her vocal range and a commanding performance that blisters with depth and empathy.

The play resides securely alongside Simone’s dreams and creative aspirations, evolving from a series of anguished, defiant, and, ultimately, hopeful conversations using the framework of her music as a rallying cry, never diverting away from the searing memory of the four girls fate or the civil unrest that is brewing.

Deanna Reed-Foster (Sarah), Ariel Richardson (Sephronia), Melanie Brezill (Sweet Thing) and Charles are the ‘Four Women’ of Simone’s profound elegy to the memory of the girls and who they might have become. As each identifies and struggles with African-American stereotypes, legacy and misunderstanding, Simone implores them as a group to rise up and “follow the rhythm of your heart.”  Through their individual stories, and the rich, soulful and powerfully rendered musical performances, a deeper understanding emerges of heritage, common ground and the conflicts between the women and everyone around them.

Christopher Rhoton’s robust scenic design is a constant reminder of the deadly aftermath of the attack. The stark lighting and sound by Lee Fiskness and Lindsay Jones accentuate Michael Alan Stein’s costumes which define each of the four women. The talented Daniel Riley is the on-stage accompanist and music director.

Northlight’s production is one of eight others currently planned in the months ahead which led American Theatre magazine to name Ham among the top 20 most-produced playwrights of the 2018-19 season. There is also a companion piece for young audiences, “Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963,” which was commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the bombing and debuted at the Kennedy Center and 47 other locations around the country.    

PHOTOS|Michael Brosilow

NORTHLIGHT THEATRE
Presents
NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN
through March 2nd

North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
9501 Skokie Blvd.
(847) 647-6300

WEBSITE
TICKETS
CHRISTINA HAM WEBSITE

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