Displaying items by tag: The Goodman Theatre

“Truth, like art, is in the eye of the beholder” Jim Williams

The Goodman Theatre has conjured a spellbinding spectacle with the world premiere musical adaptation of John Berendt's captivating "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Tony Award winning Director Rob Ashford masterfully weaves together a tapestry of music, movement, and Southern Gothic, transporting audiences to the heart of Savannah's veiled secrets and vibrant eccentricity.

John Berendt's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" isn't your typical true crime story. It delves into the captivating underbelly of Savannah, Georgia, weaving a narrative rich with eccentric characters and veiled secrets. Berendt masterfully blended humor and suspense, as he explored themes of Southern charm, social facades, and the ambiguity of good and evil. The book's charm lie in its ability to transport you to a bygone era, where Spanish moss hung heavy with secrets and the line between truth and fiction blurred beautifully.

Mac Arthur genius grantee Taylor Mac's book cleverly condenses the sprawling narrative of the novel, focusing on the key players in the central murder mystery. The Savannah social scene comes alive through witty dialogue and sharply drawn characters. Brianna Buckley as Minerva was captivating. Her magnetic presence and performance added a mystical, almost otherworldly dimension to the musical. Sierra Boggess imbues Emma Dawes with a delightful blend of pride and arrogance, perfectly embodying the President of the Preservation League. Austin Colby offers a nuanced portrayal of the ill-fated Danny Hansford, adding a layer of tragic complexity to the narrative.

Two-time Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown's score is a mesmerizing blend of styles, echoing the diverse tapestry of Savannah itself. Lush ballads like Jim Williams' (Tom Hewitt) yearning "Mercer House" capture the city's languid charm, while the Preservation League ladies' “Savannah Is Restored” adds a touch of sardonic humor. The show truly takes flight with the electrifying personalities, which is what made the book a best seller. Tony Award winner  J. Harrison Ghee, a powerhouse in every sense, commands the stage as The Lady Chablis. Brown's music allows Ghee's vocal prowess to soar in anthems like the defiant "Let There Be Light," a showstopping celebration of self-acceptance that left the audience breathless.

The creative team behind this production deserves thunderous applause. Christopher Oram's set design transports us to Savannah's foreboding Bonaventure Cemetery, moss-draped town squares and the opulent Mercer House mansion, while Neil Austin and James Platt's lighting design creates an atmosphere both captivating and unsettling. Toni-Leslie James' costumes are a feast for the eyes, capturing the flamboyant style of The Lady Chablis and the understated elegance of Savannah society. Tanya Birl-Torres' choreography is a revelation, blending graceful waltzes with moments of raw, emotional energy. The ensemble cast deserves special praise for their versatility, seamlessly shifting from ethereal townsfolk to flamboyant partygoers.

Several numbers deserve particular mention. Anna Knox Carter's rendition of the mournful "Since My Mama Died" is a poignant expression of grief and loss, while Lavella Cole's "Clap On One and Three" injects the show with a shot of pure infectious joy and humor. The finale, "Butterflies," sung by The Lady Chablis and Company, is a triumphant celebration of opening up and living life to the fullest .

Adapting John Berendt’s book into a musical is a tall order. "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - The Musical " is not without its flaws. The sheer number of characters and storylines can feel overwhelming at times, and the narrative occasionally sacrifices depth for breadth. However, the creative team behind this production rose to the challenge, the sheer brilliance of the production elements and the captivating performances more than compensate for these minor shortcomings.

This is a show that lingers long after the curtain falls. It's a dazzling spectacle,  a love letter to the captivating city of Savannah.  I would suggest seeing "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" before it goes to Broadway….and it will go to Broadway. With its provenance, it is destined to be a Tony Award nominee. It may change a little, but this is a show garden.

Recommended

When: Through Aug. 11

Where: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn

Tickets: $40- $175

Info: www.goodmantheatre.org

Run time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission

Charles Dickens wrote A CHRISTMAS CAROL in December 1843, and by February 1844 London stages were mounting productions of the work. A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a classic, encompassing all those things we say about ‘classics’: it is iconic and traditional; it’s popular and precious (I’m flashing on Gollum as Jacob Marley’s ghost) as well as familiar, universal, standard…. In other words, I doubt there’s anyone reading this review who needs the plot described or its message debated.

And surely nobody in this ol’ town need ask: “Where is A CHRISTMAS CAROL playing?” The Goodman Theatre has staged this show annually for forty-five years, and Larry Yando has played Ebenezer Scrooge for the past 15 of those. Traditional and familiar indeed! I’ll warrant Goodman’s new Artistic Director Susan Booth had a few opening-night jitters about how Chicago would respond to her management of this solemn custom; she could get sympathy from Jessica Thebus – this is only the third holiday season she’s been its Director. But I’d say both can rest in heavenly peace – A CHRISTMAS CAROL totally works.

I’m an habitue of the tiny street front theatres in Lakeview and Edgewater, so for me it was an adventure simply perusing the program – in Playbill! rather than skulking behind a QR code icon. I often see a Fight Director in the production staff, but Andrea Gentry’s role as Flight Director is a new one on me. She did it brilliantly with the airborne Ghost of Christmas Past (Lucky Stiff), who flew covered in spangles and wearing a glowing crescent moon crown. Goodman Theatre has made prolific use of modern technology and staging techniques to bring us a truly awe-inspiring production. The sets (Todd Rosenthal) were ingenious, from the homely Cratchit family kitchen to fantastical trips through the sky, all accentuated by Keith Parham’s masterful lighting. And the sound! Choralists frequently appeared singing carols in assorted languages, often accompanied by ensembles including French horn, flute, concertina, accordion, guitar and fiddle. The sound design as a whole was wrought by Richard Woodbury and Pornchanok Kanchanabanca and directed by Malcolm Ruhl. Composer Andrew Hansen provided lovely originals for the occasion. The highest compliment I can pay them is to say I often didn’t hear the soundtrack, but I felt it throughout.

The show opened with Rika Nishikawa singing a Ukrainian carol, “Siva Zozulenka”, whose lyrics speak of a bird offering blessings and peace—a felicitous prayer for the holiday season in beleaguered Ukraine. This acknowledgement of the chaos devastating our world was as appropriate as it was appreciated.

So … alright, already. I could go on devising ways to make lists of names and titles reasonably coherent and interesting, utilizing gigabytes of characters and multitudinous synonyms for ‘fantastic’, but why? You can find all that information in the reviews from the major newspapers. I concur with their judgments of the show’s quality: it was truly spectacular. But why should I reiterate all that? Suffice it to say the production was marvelous, from the steadfast brilliance of the crew to the superb performance by every single member of the cast. Truly a magnificent work … do see it! But for now, I have some other thoughts I’d like to discuss.

Let’s start with appearances. Goodman Theatre is apparently taking the idea of inclusion seriously; the diversity in race, color, nationality, gender, and body type was remarkable. It was not, however, always congruent with the story. For example: I heartily celebrate casting an African American Tiny Tim, and Christian Lucas was terrific, up to and including “God bless us, everyone!”. But I found it jarring to see him surrounded by the totally white bread Cratchit family. Nobody knows just what affliction caused his lameness (polio? rickets?) – are we to believe this arcane ailment also produces cutaneous hyper-melanation?

And as one who’s spent a lifetime battling love of food and sedentary habits, I applaud the inclusion of cast members who don’t conform to the Barbie ideal of feminine habitus… but weren’t some of those characters supposed to be tubercular? These dissonances tend to make the casting appear motivated more by diplomacy than thematic consonance. There’s a fine line between celebrating diversity and being PC.  We each define that line’s position individually, and we all feel a twitch when venturing too close to that line. I twitched a bit during A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

(L-R) Daniel José Molinaand Amira Danan in Goodman Theatre's 'A Christmas Carol'

Dickens wrote A CHRISTMAS CAROL occurring in the present – the 1844 present. I don’t wish to cast aspersions on the aptitude of the average theatregoer for deciphering a metaphor, but you’ll notice Dickens hadn’t that sort of faith in his audience – he kept it simple, setting the action in the present as a social commentary on the present—1844.

I’d like to see Bob Cratchit’s role taken by LaToya Jones, a single mom of three who’s working at Walmart til closing on Christmas Eve and doesn’t dare ask for the day off for fear she’ll lose her job. Her meagre salary isn’t so much the issue as the benefits. Without health insurance what would become of her youngest son with cerebral palsy?  Defining the role of Ebenezer Scrooge is the real puzzle—the casting call would be humongous. Do we use her boss? Walmart’s CEO? Senator? Too many possibilities!

With these traditional productions it’s a challenge to inject something new. Larry Yando contrives to offer new (and effective!) comedic twists to his Scrooge. We saw delightful innovations from costume designer Heidi Sue McMath and mask designer Sarah Bendix. But I’m talking about a much bigger variation: how about a modern interpretation? Joffrey Ballet gave us a Chicago-based Nutcracker (and it’s brilliant!). I’m suggesting a more complex alteration, relocating the story in time as well as locale. Hundreds of playwrights have applied that sort of exegesis in adaptations of The Bard – how about Boz?

Highly Recommended.