Steadstyle Chicago
June 2009 Theatre Review by Nicholas Ryan Lamb
Bombs Away!
The musically endeared child of Larry Bortniker and Sally Deering, “Bomb’s Away!”, is a story that brings us a Broadway musicologist who has a court order against performing this kaleidoscope of songs that never made it to the final draft of 15 very notable musical’s from “The Sound of Music” to “Man of La Mancha”. Each song of course is an original but is a cleverly written pun.
Surrounded in an openly gay and welcoming community, Mary’s Attic is a quant little cabaret theatre that houses this splendiferous show that erupts with hilarity. Looking in from the outside and then ascending the stairs you soon get a sense of what kind of show to expect but then again you have no idea. Once the house is packed in like sardines, though shockingly not a negative aspect to the place, the show soon arouses the auditory genitalia. This ends up being quite fitting for the show. It had something for everyone and consisted of equal opportunity poke-funnery. The show worked quite well as an ensemble piece.
I feel that the title of “musical” isn’t the correct vernacular. It fit in more with a musical revue with a weak story line. This however does not take away from the fact that vocally the show hit its mark. This is an understatement. Each voice matched impeccably well and harmonized quite fantastically. However, I wish that more of the numbers stuck in my head to allow me to walk down the street humming them. I do give credit to the fact that the numbers incorporated a hilarious bastard version of the actual shows signature numbers. Most notably from “A Chorus Line”, which fused “One”, “Music and the Mirror”, and others, were woven together well and delivered accurately. Not all of the numbers were a success but that didn’t mean the actors weren’t on point.
Each time the cast, which I have deemed the core four, came out, they embodied, which was done simply yet fittingly, the characters/caricatures of each show. Each character was engaging and unique with subtle nuances that allowed me to capture something new each time my attention was pulled into the action. The only character choices that weren’t as solid were the “actor” characters and the emcee. I felt it was a little showy instead of grounded and quirky. The script didn’t allow for much interaction with each other, as the “actor” characters, which tuned me out when it was that time. Though the character choice of the emcee carried until the end I felt talked at as opposed to seeing the audience used to his advantage. The audience was extremely engaged and uproarious. This is a dream equation for an actor in these kinds of shows and I would have liked to see this utilized more.
The show served up a delicious, side splitting, night of entertainment. Those that had the honor of sitting in its house left feeling satisfied. The kind of satisfied that makes you reach for a cigarette or fall asleep exhausted. To obtain this feeling all one needs to do is partake in the show’s yumminess. “Bomb’s Away!” returns to the Center on Halsted August 7-23, 2009. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 5:00 p.m. For more information call 773-883-1090 or visit www.bailiwick.org.
About Nicholas Ryan Lamb
Nicholas
Lamb is a graduate from Illinois State Universities acting program
with a secondary focus on directing. He is also a graduate from
SAK Universities improv school. As an accomplished actor he has
performed in dozens of shows with his most notable credits including
the title role in "Scrooge" the musical, Adan in Milcha
Sanchez Scott's "Roosters" and Nicely Nicely Johnson in
"Guys and Dolls".
Some of his most known directing works are "Barefoot in the Park" and "The Secret Garden". Not only has he worked numerously with acting and directing but his training also includes the technical areas of theatre as well as film work. Nick recently starred as Matt in "The Fantasticks" for Waukegan Community Players and is currently directing "Aladdin," "Charlotte's Web" and "Pinocchio" for Bowen Park Theatre.
Second Thoughts by Alan Bresloff
Bailiwick Repertory is back!!! They have new venues to present their shows at, but the spirit of Bailiwick is alive and kicking, first with a dynamic little musical "Bombs Away!" at Mary's Attic, a quaint little cabaret above Hamburger Mary's at 5400 North Clark in Andersonville. The theater is small and very intimate but David Zak makes it work for this hysterical spoof of the Broadway musical. Many of us have seen the "Forbidden Broadway" shows and have laughed and laughed. "Bombs Away!" is even funnier but does have a more liberal and adult theme with lots of innuendos. The sharp and talented cast of five take us to a performance of songs and characters that did not make the cut of famous Broadway shows. I found this show far superior to "Forbidden".
Written by Sally Deering and Larry Bortniker, "Bombs Away!" is the depiction of Dr. Barry Mishkin (Brian Rabinowitz), a musicologist who has amassed a collection of scenes, songs and even a character that were cut from famous Broadway shows: "The Sound Of Music", "Mamma Mia", "A Chorus Line", "Hair" and many more. There is a wild number from "Miss Saigon" about the reuniting of Kim and Chris; he owns a Mall and she owns a nail salon. Highlights of the non-stop 85 minutes of fun are scenes from "Fiddler on The Roof", "West Side Story" and "South Pacific". The four singers who take on all of the other roles never stop and each character they portray takes on a special life of their own.
Kate Garassino will stun you as "Bloody Mary" and "Golde". Anna Stevens is quite the dancer in her number from "A Chorus Line". Eric Martin and Rus Rainear are fantastic in their "West Side Story" in addition to their roles of Fyedka and Tevye in "Fiddler". They also do a wild "Annie Get You Gun". Rainear uses his rubbery face to the fullest and his sense of comic timing is superb. They are the true show and appear to be having as much fun as the audience. Zak is back with a little help from Christopher Pazdemik, who makes each number special. Musical staging is what they call it; the stage is far to small to choreograph on.
Mary's Attic, like most cabarets allow drinks during the show, but you do not have to drink to have a great time. This is just pure fun. Yes, it is bawdy, after all this is Bailiwick, but unless you are a prude you can't miss having a great time. Theater is supposed to be an escape from reality; a way to get away from the trouble at your job or at home and just enjoy yourself for a period of time. This is more than that. You will find yourself laughing even after you leave the building. What more can one ask?