Steadstyle Chicago
June 2009 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
Follies
It has been over a decade since Chicago last enjoyed a major revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Follies," and it is unlikely that the current lavish staging by the Actors Theatre Company will be equaled much less surpassed any time soon. This is one of the best non-Equity musical productions you will see all year. If you doubt the professional caliber of production standards by this 13-year-old troupe, have a peak at the online video clips of last year's "Sweeney Todd". This obviously was no budget-cutting concert version with actors doubling as their own accompanists, as in the recent Broadway and touring versions; rather a full-bodied account of Sondheim's gothic musical thriller. The same holds true with "Follies". There is a cast of 41 actors, an orchestra numbering 18 and enough dazzling costumes to make even the most spectacular professional production blush. The casting is likewise incomparable, with performers boasting credits ranging from Broadway and professional regional to reputable community theatres.
Sondheim's score has always been an embarrassment of riches, containing heart pounding anthems and show stoppers, powerful, intelligent ballads, delightful pastiche and vaudeville style numbers. What I had never previously appreciated was the depth of playwright James Goldman's solid book, which really does move not only the plot forward but also the musical theatre as an art form. Sondheim was at the peak of his creative output in 1971 when "Follies" debuted. It would be joined that decade by "Company," "A Little Night Music," "Pacific Overtures," and the seminal masterpiece "Sweeney Todd," all important and vibrant contributions to the musical theatre canon.
Of all of them, "Follies" may be the hardest to revive. There is the sheer size of the show for one thing, not to mention the need to fill a cast of predominantly middle to elder aged performers who can sing, act and dance. Simply slapping gray wigs on youthful ingénues does not suffice for the wisdom of experience and maturity. Whoever said "too hard" must not have spoken to Marlon Barden, the exceptionally talented director and founding member of ATC. Mrs. Barden's stage pictures are never less than glorious. The way she mixes the present day (1970's) characters with the ghosts of their younger selves is simply stunning.
She gets a great big hand from Music Director Jack Cameron, whose rousing orchestra never overpowers the singers, and from Choreographer Robin Lehtman, who sets the entire stage ablaze with tapping chorus girls young and old and all divine. Costume Designer Laura B. Kollar stylishly replicates the era of the Ziegfeld Follies with ghostly white gowns capped with marvelously ornate and historically accurate headdresses. Scenic Designer Brandon Wardell wisely keeps the stage scaffolding functional and unobtrusive, and the final projected imagery is quite unforgettable.
The musical takes us to a reunion in 1971 of former showgirls and their stage door Johnny's from the fictional Weismann Follies. Impresario Dmitri Weismann produced his ornate spectacles every year from the early 1900's through the second World War. The theatre has been host to everything from vaudeville and ballet to movies and skin flicks, and now in its final blaze of glory is set to become a parking lot. Not only does the title "Follies" refer to the staged entertainment we see, but also the "folly" of the human heart, and to that extent we follow the loves of two married couples forced to confront their past and present selves. It's a story of regret, of life choices made and second chances considered. As Ben poignantly sings, "The Road You Didn't Take" is paved with possibilities. What kind of person would we become had we followed different courses?
All four leads are well sung and acted and individually they each have a standout star showcase in the second act "Loveland". Mary Alexander's sweet head voice yields to a lush chest belt in the gorgeous torch ballad, "Losing My Mind". Marcia Kazurinsky sizzles in both "Could I Leave You?" and "The Story of Lucy and Jessie," while showing off a pair of gams that would be the envy of many women half her age. Dennis M. Barden is a thoughtful and contemplative Ben Stone and Rick Rapp is a one-man tour de force in "The Right Girl" and "Buddy's Blues".
Fine as the leads are, no less mesmerizing is the procession of show stopping starlets, including the plucky Jeaniane Benton ("Broadway Baby"), the sexy Intercontinental Missie Hirsch ("Ah, Paris!"), salty Marian Kaderbek ("Who's that Woman"), the distinguished Jo Ann Minds ("One More Kiss") and the glamorous Barbara Rosin ("I'm Still Here"). A longtime Chicago theatre staple, Ms. Rosin is making her return to the stage after a 17-year hiatus, so she truly earns the right to her anthem. The one disappointment is that ATC only gives one show a year, however they more than make up in quality what they lack in quantity. They should find a way to keep "Follies" running all summer long. This is a musical theatre gold mine. Don't miss it!
"Follies" plays through June 27, 2009 at Loyola University's Kathleen Mullady Memorial Theatre, 1125 W. Loyola Ave. in Chicago. The play runs 2 hours 20 minutes with intermission. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person, $18 for students and seniors, a jaw-dropping bargain for a production this strong. Call (847) 604-2100 and visit www.actorstheatrecompany.com.
About Joe Stead
Joe
Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has
involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for
the past twenty-five years. He served as founder, producer and
Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland
and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida. Favorite productions
have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap,"
"The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker,"
"Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie
Brown" and "Godspell". He has also performed
leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin,"
"The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," and
most recently as Hucklebee in "The Fantasticks" for
Waukegan Community Players. Joe holds a degree in Commercial
Art from Tampa Technical Institute. As a critic, he has
reviewed everything from Broadway to community theatre and major
regional theatres throughout the United States including the Kennedy
Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey,
Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in
Sarasota, Florida.
Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America. He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers. He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene. Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays. His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).