Displaying items by tag: Christopher Chase Carter

Ever since my folks saw the Tony-winning production of Big River on Broadway when I was little and brought home the soundtrack on vinyl, the Roger Miller-penned musical has been my favorite. It not only acted as a gateway for young me to become a fan of Broadway, but it also introduced me at an early age to Miller’s and others’ classic songwriting, and to the story of Huckleberry Finn that I’d then revisit so many times in classrooms and libraries and pop culture. So, I’m always excited when there’s a production of the show, all these years later.

I was especially excited when, a few months back, I learned of Big River’s current production—now through June 11—at Mercury Theater, who have become one of my favorite companies in the past couple years, for their talent, for their show selection, and for the joy and heart that go into each of those shows. This production, by Mercury’s Artistic Director Christopher Chase Carter, did not disappoint.

The theater itself is always charming—a turn-of-the-century silent movie house ready to transport you someplace else. The set, 19^th-century Missouri on the banks of the Mississippi, by Jacqueline and Richard Penrod, completed the time travel. And as the show began, so did the narrators—Marcus Jackson (as charming as he was last year in Mercury’s Priscilla) as Mark Twain and newcomer Eric Amundson as Huck. The setting, Marquecia Jordan’s costumes, and the grounding that this is, in fact, an old-timey story do nothing to take away from said story’s timelessness or its lessons for today.

Quick note on Huck Finn’s datedness—one choice for any production of Big River is whether or not to incorporate Twain’s original language. This production does so, which was initially shocking. But, not to speak for the director’s intent, I think that was the point.

Amundson is a strong lead—his vocals stronger than many Hucks I’ve heard, especially on “Waitin’ for the Light to Shine”—and a charismatic Finn, boyish but in command of the stage. He harmonizes beautifully with Twain’s and Big River’s other protagonist…and as any great production of this show needs, it’s his friend Jim who’s the real star.

That star here is Curtis Bannister. Bannister truly takes command of the stage—most of the time on the raft the two share, or on various river islands along their journey—with his presence, but also with his voice. The orchestra, conducted by Marques Stewart, slows the tempo of the show’s songs just a touch, making them slightly more soulful and less showtuney than Miller’s original. This plays into Bannister’s singing strengths, letting him investigate and investigate each song’s melody.

And what songs they are— “Muddy Water,” “River in the Rain,” and “Worlds Apart” are duets he shares with Amundson where their voices seamlessly mix, while Jim’s “Free at Last” beautifully ends the show, accompanied by members of the ensemble playing those still enslaved, still seeking freedom.

Perhaps the vocal highlight of this show is by ensemble member Isis Elizabeth, who turns the schoolmarmish hymn “How Blest We Are” into funereal gospel. Perhaps the most timeless of the songs here is “Guv’ment,” a screed against everything that wouldn’t be out of place in right-wing or reactionary media. Huck’s Pap is played less over-the-top and boisterous, by David Stobbe, than any other Pap I’ve seen. He didn’t play for laughs as much as for sympathy—it worked for me—but he completely went for the laughs as the King, who, accompanied by Gabriel Fries’ Duke, gives the show some levity at its darkest moments, their malaprops and Shakespearean gobbledygook and medicine show shenanigans a lot of fun.

The rest of the ensemble is every bit as great as casts at the Mercury always are. Cynthia Carter—who I’ve long enjoyed in Chicago theater; seriously, if her name is on the playbill I know I’m in for a good show—provides beautiful vocals. McKinley Carter—last seen as Mrs. White in Mercury’s Clue—is a character, as always, as Miss Watson. Amanda Handegan’s Mary Jane brings heartbreak to her songs. Callan Roberts’s Tom Sawyer is the aw-shucks fun and adventure that Twain first explored in that boy’s book. And March Marren brings slapstick and charm to their roles as Jo and the Young Fool. As good an ensemble as you’ll find, which is what I’ve come to expect at the Mercury Theater.

And this production, overall, is what I’ve come to expect at the Mercury Theater—a new like at a classic work, featuring Chicago’s finest talents sharing their voices, their creativity, their joy, and their soul, which they will be doing from now through June 11.

Arriving at the quaint Mercury Theater—a century-old nickelodeon turned comfy neighborhood cabaret—for Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the excitement of the other theatergoers coming and going, outside near the Music Box Theater and inside the Mercury’s cabaret room sipping their drinks, hinted at the show I was about to see. And what a show…

The Mercury’s cast and crew, led by director and choreographer Christopher Chase Carter, have gone all out in their production of the musical based on Stephan Elliott’s 1994 hit movie. The colorful posters outside, the flashing disco ball cocktail cups one can get filled with the cabaret bar’s signature punch, and the audience’s bright attire only hinted at the lights and dazzle onstage.

From the moment the first actor steps onstage, it’s a spectacle. Costume designer Bob Kuhn’s dressed a cast of all body types in the flashiest drag costumes and the dustiest duds from the Outback (and even a wrestling singlet or two, which made me LOL) as Tick/Mitzi, Adam/Felicia, and Bernadette waltz across Australia in Priscilla, their bus. What a feat to costume such a varied cast and make every member stand out, and stand onstage as confidently as the three leads.

Said leads are all wonderful. Josh Houghton’s Tick is a paradox of towering cool and nervous angst, professional and polished onstage as Mitzi and the story’s protagonist who brings the others along on his own adventure. Shaun White plays the beautiful young Adam/Felicia, whose exuberance and humor keep the trip interesting. And legendary Chicago cabaret performer Honey West is perfect as Bernadette, her talent and mere presence lending the performance gravitas.

But the rest of the cast proves the leads’ equal. Darren Patin’s Miss Understanding starts off the show right, and Patin continues throughout in a killer ensemble featuring Ayana Strutz, John Cardone, Michael Kingston, Brittany Parker, Marcus Jackson, and Matthew Weidenbener. The show’s divas—Lydia Burke, Jessica Brooke Seals, and Heather J. Beck—sizzle in Kuhn’s outfits and stun with their vocals, under Eugene Dizon’s musical direction. But perhaps the vocals that most astounded me came from Gabriel Solis, a young actor making his professional debut on the Mercury Theater’s stage.

And if you have not seen it yet, make your own debut through the Mercury’s doors for this spectacular production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, playing through September 11.

The first time I saw ‘A Chorus Line’ was when I worked backstage for a touring production while I was in college. Perhaps it was my youth, or perhaps it was the fact that I was in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the fit and fabulous cast, but at the time, the show struck me as one of optimism and youthful energy. But all these years later, Porchlight Theatre’s current — and fantastic — production Michael Bennett’s classic look at the often-anonymous dancers on Broadway’s stages held a much different meaning for me. Instead of just being wowed by the performers’ talents, I really understood their pain and the lives they’ve lived on said stages — in the words of the number “At the Ballet”: “It wasn’t paradise, but it was home.”

I realized that part of that is the brilliance of the show, itself — that it acts every bit as its famed mirror backdrop, reflecting the audience members’ experiences and baggage back at them. But this depth also comes from this brilliant cast and their brilliant performances brilliantly directed by Brenda Didier. Of course, the talent is youthful and top-notch, as it must be for such a classic show. Christopher Chase Carter’s choreography populates the stage and pleases the eye, while the music propels things, thanks to Linda Madonia’s direction. Matthew Weidenbener gets things going with Mike’s Vaudevillian number, “I Can Do That.” Ayana Strutz’s Connie Wong confidently struts and fills the stage despite her diminutive stature. Terrell Armstrong’s Richie wows with his acrobatic dancing. While the show’s one about dancers, not singers, much of the cast has pipes aplenty — Taylor Lane and Aalon Smith’s vocals stood out, and Grant Carriker’s and Chloe Nadon-Enriquez’s married duet “Sing!” was flawless (although Nadon-Enriquez’s Kristine is not supposed to be able to sing). As far as vocals go, Adrienne Velasco-Storrs’ Diana got the show’s two big opportunities to sing — Marvin Hamlisch’s standards “Nothing” and “What I Did for Love” showed that she can sing and brought the house down, as they’re supposed to do.

But, again, it was the sadness, the weariness, and the experience that shone through to this weary and experienced version of me who attended this version of ‘A Chorus Line,’ and that was as much thanks to the performers’ take on the material as the material itself. Of course, Paul’s iconic monologue, here delivered with all the feeling one would expect by Alejandro Fonseca, manufactures emotion. But Erica Evans’ world-weary Sheila, looking for one last shot on the line, provides those same feels from start to finish; I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Natalie Welch’s Val also draws the eye, even before her showstopper “Dance: Ten; Looks: Three,” although Welch’s age is a bit on the young side for the veteran Val. But while Val’s at last got the “it” she needed to succeed and Sheila laments the “it” that once made her successful, both of these actresses definitely have “it.”

But the real It Girl in this show is Laura Savage’s Cassie. The red dress draws the eye, of course, as does her constant backstory back-and-forth with director Zach, given both authority and empathy by Richard Strimer. But it’s the mix of confidence and brokenness that Savage brings to the role that did it. Only after the show did I learn that Savage, during last year’s Marriott Theatre production of Newsies in which she dazzled with her dancing, seriously injured herself, and has only at last recovered enough to lead this production. But lead it she does, shining as the starlet who’s looking to start back at the beginning, and who’s looking at herself in that mirror she sings about. And it is Savage’s Cassie, I guess, that spoke to me the loudest and most longingly, that gave this show the depth it was meant to have, and that most brightly shined, to myself and the rest of the audience, during this breathless, breathtaking, and unbeatable take on a timeless Broadway tale.

Through May 31st at Ruth Page Center for the Arts.