Nothing defines the essence of American theater more than a tuner, a musical, a song-and-dance even though the last 35 years have brought enormous changes to the form and style of the traditional big, brassy show of Broadway's Golden Age ( roughly 1920-1970 ) . The line-up of musicals between now and April covers the waterfront, offering examples of the old, the very new and the high-concept. Here are my top six picks.
1776, Signal Ensemble at the Chopin Theatre, Jan. 27-March 1—Ben Franklin is a song-and-dance man and Thomas Jefferson is the romantic lead in this cagey Broadway musical, which gives entertaining form to the crucial conflicts and issues that surrounded the founding of our nation. It reminds us of the principles of democratic government that are missing in action under the present American regime. FYI: 1776 will be the very first musical for the small Signal Ensemble.
The American Dream Songbook, Next Theatre Company ( Evanston ) , Feb. 19-March 22—A not-quite-accurate title for an intriguing slice of musical theater that combines Leonard Bernstein's little-known one-act opera, Trouble in Tahiti, with new, original theater songs by cutting-edge New York and Chicago composers such as Michael John LaChiusa, Joshua Schmidt and Kevin O'Donnell ( yeah, all guys ) . Written in 1952, Trouble in Tahiti is Bernstein's satirical and jazz-influenced look at life in suburbia. This is Next Theatre's second musical foray.
Les Miserables, Marriott Theatre ( Lincolnshire ) , Feb. 20-May 11—This overblown but iconic show—part of the so-called British invasion of Broadway ( even if the show actually is French ) —is far from my favorite musical. But it does offer some splendid tunes and performing opportunities, and it's only recently been released to regional theatres. While a local high school ( Can you imagine? ) already has staged it, this Marriott production will be its first independent professional presentation, and Marriott always does very good work.
Can-Can, Circle Theatre ( Forest Park ) , Feb. 29-April 6—A bit of the old pizzazz is sure to surface as Circle Theatre revives an early 1950s Broadway classic with music and lyrics by the great Cole Porter and a book by master director Abe Burrows. I Love Paris and It's All Right with Me are among the hummable tunes. Circle Theatre, just over the border from Oak Park, has a way of extracting the best from old shows and squeezing surprising production numbers onto its small stage.
Carousel, Court Theatre, March 6-April 13—This early Rodgers and Hammerstein show is earthy, heavily dramatic and features one of Rodgers richest and most melodious scores. Court Theatre "reimagines" great American musicals and—for my money—destroys them by so doing, but I remain in a critical minority that feels that way. Court Artistic Director Charles Newell has engaged a choreographer for Carousel, so maybe even Charlie now understands that if you refuse to stage production numbers, you're robbing a musical of its very essence.
Nine, Porchlight Music Theatre at Theatre Building Chicago, April 4-May 8—This thoroughly hetero musical is based on Federico Fellini's legendary film, 8 1/2, about a movie director pursued by women ( past, present, real and imaginary ) as he contemplates his next project. Somehow, composer Maury Yeston and book writer Arthur Kopit have boiled Fellini's somewhat-surreal flick into an entertaining and popular vehicle. ... Antonio Banderas starred in its most recent Broadway revival. Nine is quite a different choice for Porchlight, which knows how to extract the heart and soul of a show.
