Playwright: Chad Beguelin ( book/lyrics ), Matthew Sklar ( music ). At: Chicago Theatre Workshop at The Edge, 5451 N. Broadway. Tickets: ChicagoTheatreWorkshop.org; $40-$42. Runs through: Oct. 30
Nights are sultry in Wicked City, dames are hot and private eye Eddie Cain is "the best dick in town."
If you like 1940s-style jazz and close-harmony vocals, this 95-minute show is your shot o' rye in the familiar pattern of noir thrillers, where the tough-talking gumshoe falls hard for the voluptuous babe whose hidden secrets outnumber her diamonds, and she has lotsa diamonds. Wicked City also has an unexpected classical pedigree that will enhance your enjoyment if you recognize it, but won't inhibit your pleasure if you don't.
You see, years ago Jo Van Cleave ( shapely Lauren Roesner ) abandoned her out-of-wedlock baby, coerced by her gangster-politician boyfriend ( Jason Richards ) into climbing the ladder of power. To repay her scandal-saving sacrifice, he married her and she's been rich—and miserable—ever since. Now Jo wants to find the babe. Set on her journey by Madame Theresa ( Rashada Dawan ), a street fortune-teller, Jo hires Eddie Cain ( Javier Ferreira ). Naturally, it's all told as a flashback in proper cinema noir style.
Wicked City is musically slick, which is a compliment as nothing-but-nothing ever has sounded smoother than '40s jazz. The twisty story is laid out quickly and told in straight-forward manner, with a new song provided at no more than five-minute intervals. The cast handles the musical chores with aplomb and has fun ( but not too much fun ) with the genre and its archetypal characters. Director/choreographer Christopher Pazdernik strikes the right balance. In a small homage to a master of the form, the police detective is named Inspector Hammett ( Gabriel Fries ).
This Chicago premiere of Wicked City is Chicago Theatre Workshop's inaugural production. As the company name suggests, the focus is on brand-new or nearly-new theater pieces ( all musical in some form ) which still might be described as "in development." As such the production is modest, having limited scenic elements, a cast which is several singers/dancers short of a full-scale production and a small three-piece band ( which cooks under Dustin L. Struhall, music director ). Nonetheless, it's a fully staged production, although one can see where a dance number would go, and one can hear where a larger singing ensemble or a brass section would flesh out the sound.
The show is billed as a comedy but it's really a semi-comedy, especially when the classical inspiration becomes apparent. The dialogue is appropriately snappy and clever but a few more real laughs would strengthen the comic tone . . . if that is, indeed, what the creators are after.
FYI: The classical inspiration is—gasp!—a Greek tragedy, which I will not name. It took me an hour to catch on, but maybe you'll be faster than I am ... but I doubt it!
