Displaying items by tag: Burt Bacharach

Jack Lewin/Lewin Productions will bring Going Bacharach: The Songs Of An Icon, a musical revue featuring the classic songs of music legend Burt Bacharach, including such beloved titles as "Alfie," "Close to You," "What the World Needs Now," "That's What Friends Are For" and many more, to Chicago's Apollo Theater, 2550 N. Lincoln Ave., April 21 – May 17. Tickets are now on sale at goingbacharach.com.  

Charles Isherwood, reviewing the production's recent run at New York's Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater for the Wall Street Journal, called the show "A musical review done right... musically dazzling...This intimate show is both warmly nostalgic and musically irresistible." John McWhorter, writing for the New York Times, raved, "it's the most satisfying batch of Burt I have ever experienced... Every Burt song you like is in it, from 'I Say a Little Prayer' to 'Walk on By.' Don't miss it." 

The production comes to Chicago with the entire cast and creative team from the New York run, where it broke box office records at the Marjorie S. Deane. Going Bacharach was co-created by Will Friedwald, Adrian Galante, Tedd Firth and Jack Lewin, and conceived by Lewin. The arrangements and orchestrations are by Adrian Galante, who also serves as the production's Music Director. Musical supervision is by Tedd Firth, and the show is directed by Tony and Olivier Award winner David Zippel.  The cast includes vocalists Hilary Kole, John Pagano (who was chosen by Bacharach to perform with him on tour for several decades), Ta-Tynisa Wilson and Adrian Galante at the piano and playing the clarinet, also leading a five-piece band.  

Scenic Design is by Christopher & Justin Swader, Costume Design is by Frank Cazares and Lighting & Sound Design is by Matt Berman. General Management is by Visceral Entertainment. 

Audiences will rediscover the soundtrack of a lifetime with Going Bacharach, a vibrant new revue celebrating the legacy of one of America's most iconic composers. Three powerhouse vocalists, backed by a five-piece band, take audiences on a melodic journey through the timeless songs spanning Bacharach's extraordinary career. Joyful and illuminating, Going Bacharach offers fresh, sophisticated and original interpretations of some of the best-loved compositions from Bacharach's songbook. 

About Burt Bacharach

For nearly 70 years, Burt Bacharach supplied the soundtrack of the American experience. Over the course of his career, he was honored with three Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, six Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Drama Desk Award. His collaborators include lyricists Hal David, Carole Bayer Sager and others.  

His is one of the most stylistically diverse and individualistic catalogues in popular music. Through his early classical training under composer Darius Milhaud and his exposure to the vibrant New York City Jazz scene as a teenager in the early 1940s, Bacharach was able to seamlessly amalgamate a wide range of stylistic influences to create his own brand of popular song. His catalogue of hits served as a bridge from the classic Great American Songbook standards of the early 20th century to the post rock 'n' roll era of popular music, creating a library of songs that became the soundtrack to the lives of multiple generations -- recorded by many of the most gifted singers of all time, from Dionne Warwick, Karen Carpenter and Aretha Franklin to Adele, from Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley to Elvis Costello.

Tickets and Performance Schedule
Tickets are $49-$99, with VIP Cabaret Table Seating (including a complimentary drink and merchandise gift) priced at $139. All seats are reduced by $20 for performances April 21 – 26. Tickets can be purchased at goingbacharach.com.  

The preview week performance schedule is as follows:  
--Tuesday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m.
--Wednesday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m.
--Thursday, April 23 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
--Friday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m.
--Saturday, April 25 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 

--Sunday, April 26 at 2:30 p.m.

The regular performance schedule is:  
--Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
--Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 7:30 p.m.
--Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
--Sundays at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. 

CREATIVE TEAM
Jack Lewin (producer, co-creator and conceiver) has produced numerous nightclub and cabaret acts. He helped conceive and produced the hit show Our Sinatra, which ran Off-Broadway in NYC for over 1300 performances to rave reviews. It became one of the longest running Off-Broadway shows of all time. The show has run for successful extended engagements at many prestigious venues throughout the country to much acclaim, including The Caldwell Theatre in Boca Raton, Guild Hall in East Hampton, The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, The Stage Door Theatre in Ft. Lauderdale, The Prince Theatre in Philadelphia, The Empire Theatre in San Antonio and many others. Our Sinatra has embarked on two major national Performing Arts Center tours with Columbia Artists (2002 and 2006). The show has had successful return engagements in NYC at the legendary Oak Room at the Algonquin and Feinstein's at the Regency, and continues to have sold-out engagements at Birdland Jazz Club. Lewin conceived and co-created Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love – An Elvis Presley Musical Tribute, which has had several productions around the country. In 2018, he produced Here To Stay: Two Pianos, Two Voices, starring Champian Fulton and John Proulx. The show was commissioned by The University of Michigan School Of Music's "Gershwin Initiative." Lewin has also produced several albums of jazz and American popular standards, including Gerson Swings Disney with the great pianist Roy Gerson featuring guest vocalists Rosemary Clooney, Michael Feinstein and John Pizzarelli.  

Adrian Galante (arranger, orchestrator and music director) is a multifaceted, exciting young multi-instrumentalist, arranger and composer whose remarkable command of his craft belies his youth and earned him a reputation as a prodigy at a young age. Hailing from Australia, where he acquired great success performing around the country and throughout Asia and Europe, he moved to New York three years ago where he is rapidly finding his way to the highest level of critical acclaim. At a recent appearance at New York's Birdland Jazz Club, where Galante was accompanied by jazz luminaries Alan Broadbent, Jay Leonhart and Obed Calvaire, reviewer Andrew Portez described Galante as "..an extraordinary musician who appears to be equally gifted as a clarinettist as he is a pianist... Galante's exquisite lyrical playing created one of the best sets this reviewer has heard in years." Bassist Jay Leonhart adds, "Adrian Galante is a force... he is one of the greatest clarinetists ever. As a pianist, he can only be described as brilliant and imaginative." Adrian's debut album, Introducing Adrian Galante, was released in early 2025. Recorded in Hollywood, California, the album features pianist Tamir Hendelman (known for his association with Barbra Streisand and the Jeff Hamilton trio) and longtime drummer for Tony Bennett and Bill Evans final trio, Joe LaBarbera.

Will Friedwald (co-conceiver) has been called "the poet laureate of vintage pop music" and is America's foremost chronicler of the musical arts. He has written ten books, including the definitive works on Frank Sinatra (The Song is You - which was hailed by The New York Times Book Review as the "single most important book on Sinatra ever published"), Tony Bennett (The Good Life) and Nat King Cole (Straighten Up and Fly Right). His other highly acclaimed books include the award-winning A Biographical Dictionary of the Great Jazz and Pop Vocalists and The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums. In thousands of articles for the Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Playboy, The New York Times and The Village Voice, as well as other publications, he has covered all the major figures of jazz, Broadway and popular music. In addition, he is a consultant to Apple Music and has received eleven Grammy nominations. He has also appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including NPR's "Fresh Air," ABC's "Nightline," "Good Morning America," "The Today Show," "CBS Sunday Morning," and A&E Biography's profiles of Sinatra, Bennett, Perry Como and Mel Tormé. He has consulted and appeared in many documentaries, including "Louis Prima: The Wildest!," "Tis Autumn: The Search For Jackie Paris," and "Anita O'Day: The Life Of A Jazz Singer," as well as PBS's "Soundtrack Of The Century," "American Masters - Sammy Davis Jr.: I Gotta Be Me," and, most recently, "Ella Fitzgerald - Just One Of Those Things" and "Count Basie - Through His Own Eyes."  

Tedd Firth (co-conceiver) is a New York City-based musical director, pianist and arranger. Tedd is currently the musical director for Michael Feinstein, Bernadette Peters, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marilyn Maye, Melissa Errico and Tom Wopat, among others. Among the jazz musicians he has performed or recorded with are John Pizzarelli, Houston Person, Frank Wess, Mark Whitfield, Red Holloway, Benny Golson and Joe Morello. Recent highlights include being the musical director for the reunion of the original Broadway cast of Into The Woods at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California as well as serving as musical director for Michael Feinstein's "Jazz and Popular Song" concert series at Jazz at Lincoln Center. New York appearances include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Iridium, the Algonquin, the Cafe Carlyle and Feinstein's at the Regency. Numerous national appearances include two performances at the White House. As an arranger and orchestrator, Firth's work has been performed by all major American symphony orchestras as well as Liza Minnelli. In 2013, Firth was commissioned by the New York Pops to create new orchestrations for A Charlie Brown Christmas which has had numerous performances across the country in subsequent years. Television appearances include The Today Show, Live From Lincoln Center and All My Children.  

David Zippel (director) A graduate of Harvard Law School, David is delighted to have never practiced law. Zippel has won the Tony Award, two Oliviers, two Academy Award Nominations, three Grammy nominations and three Golden Globe nominations. Musicals: City of Angels, The Goodbye Girl, The Woman in White, Liza's at the Palace, Pamela's First Musical, Bad Cinderella and Disney's Hercules. Films: Disney's Hercules, Mulan, The Swan Princess, The Wedding Planner and Captain America. He directed Princesses (Fifth Avenue, Goodspeed), The Goodbye Girl (Marriott Lincolnshire), The Best Is Yet to Come (Rubicon, 59E59 Theaters – Drama Desk Award). His songs appear on over 25 million CDs performed by: Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, Mel Torme, Barbara Cook, Cleo Laine, Michael Bolton, Nancy LaMott, Elaine Paige, 98 Degrees and Barbra Streisand. 

VOCALISTS
Hilary Kole is a long-beloved staple on the NYC jazz scene and world-renowned as a multi-faceted concert hall and symphony performer. She has performed in famed venues  Town Hall, Birdland, Blue Note, Iridium, 54 Below, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall (with Michael Feinstein and The New York Pops). Kole is also an original cast member of Our Sinatra, the long-running hit from the creators of Going Bacharach. 

John Pagano was the lead male vocalist in Burt Bacharach's touring band, performing alongside the composer for 26 years. Beyond the stage, John has worked with Grammy Award-winning songwriter- producer Barry Mann, legendary composer-producer George Duke, jazz saxophonist George Howard and music superstars including Elvis Costello, Garth Brooks, Whitney Houston, Faith Hill, Wynonna Judd, Brian Wilson and David Cassidy.

Ta-Tynisa Wilson is a Broadway performer known for her appearance in the hit musical Hamilton. Millions have caught a glimpse of Wilson on American Idol, Season 10, where she was one of the top 24 finalists. She has also appeared in The Color Purple and Dreamgirls, and has traveled the world performing on cruise ships which has allowed her to share her talents across the globe. 

Taking part of its title from a defining song that drew attention to the AIDS crisis in the mid 80s, That’s What Friends Are For: Gladys, Dionne and Patti combines thoughtful storytelling and fantastic music to honor the cultural contributions of three outstanding artists.  Currently playing at Black Ensemble Theater (BE) through late July, it also highlights how the three women referenced, now each in their eighth decade, have been able to sustain a close and abiding friendship for over fifty years.  That BE fulfilled its mission to offer a fresh look back on the careers and discography of Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick and Patti LaBelle so brilliantly is more refreshing than it is surprising.   Proving that even when you’ve honed your craft expertly for nearly half a century, you can still innovate and discover new approaches to offer the theater going public something novel and tremendously exciting. 

Written and directed by Daryl D. Brooks, the theater’s Producing Managing Director, the musical’s more dramatic elements take place in the Green Room of a leading Vegas nightclub where the three legends will be headlining a performance.  Chic and relaxingly plush, it reads as a fitting setting for a reunion of luminaries.  Acting as their tender who’s indubitably accomplished at what he does and has a history serving at least one of the women in the past, ensemble member Dennis Dent dials up the comedy quotient by compulsively oversharing some of the racier parts of his own love life while accommodating their every desire. It doesn’t take long to become comfortably acquainted with who’s who and embrace the authenticity of the high regard the women hold for one another. 

We’re initially introduced to the three stars in their fully formed and mature personas.   Rose Marie Simmons portrays the contemporary Gladys Knight and Sybyl Walker and Tamara Batiest play the mature versions of Dionne Warwick and Patti LaBelle respectively. Later, as the play progresses, different actors will represent the younger fledgling versions of each of them.

What appears to be a chance comment by one of the trio early in the show launches Gladys, Ms. Simmons, into a rendition of Oh Happy Day that’s so rousing it makes you sit up straight and causes your eyes to widen.  Captivating your attention with its power, conviction, ingenious arrangement and artistic mastery, a classic is transformed into something splendidly new.   You soon learn singing and blue-chip musicality on that level would be the standard for the entire performance. 

As the women reminisce about their early years, how they all started out as backup singers whose distinctiveness eventually took them to the standalone mic at the center of the stage, the music and sound that led to their discovery and fame was brought back to the fore.  This was done most effectively when focused on Dionne Warwick’s career.   

Anyone faintly familiar with Warwick’s rise knows how pivotal her association with Burt Bacharach was in fueling her fame and it’s the scene with the young Dionne (Brianna Buckley) and Mr. Bacharach, played by Michael Santos, that riveted for its realism and resonance.  When the mature Dionne states she’s always been a “no-nonsense black woman who knows her worth”, it’s Buckley who brings the depth of that conviction to blazing life.  Unyielding in her indignation when she learns her mentor and partner has given a song written expressly for her to another artist, her fury, its intensity made more potent because it was so contained and focused, reverberated like shock waves through the theater.  With the steely ardor Buckley brought to it, the power of that scene could have been used to inspire and spawn an entirely new companion play. Its real-life outcome was to provide the seed for one the biggest hits Bacharach would write for Warwick, Don’t Make Me Over.

Similar insights about pivotal moments and crucial intersections that would go on to define the trajectory of each of their lives swirled through the production; giving each of their lives fuller dimension and engendering greater respect for what they all eventually accomplished.  Fame and fortune have no impact on how well Cupid shoots his arrow and all three women knows, as the play recounts, the sting that comes when it strikes badly.

Reflecting on how their careers overlapped and remembering the friendships they shared with others in the industry, unexpected delicacies were woven into Brooks’ tight illuminating script.  When some of “ReeRee’s” (Aretha Franklin’s) idiosyncrasies were playfully and lovingly recalled, her music was also resurrected with a sensational rattle-the-rafters medley of a few of her signature masterworks, Respect, Think and Ain’t No Way. 

Similar delights lay in wait when Luther’s name entered the conversation.  Characteristically suave, another ensemble regular, Dwight Neal, can always be counted on to nudge the bar to impressive new heights; but his vocal interpretations of Mr. Vandross, in tandem with the outstanding musicianship of BE’s rock-solid band, were remarkable.  Adding another layer of excellence to an already break-out show.  And as wonderful as it was, his performance was not its highlight.  That distinction goes unequivocally to Tamara Batiest in her role as Patti LaBelle. When you consider Ms. LaBelle’s vocal range, outsized charisma and the signature theatrics she’s been known to exhibit on stage, filling her shoes would seem like an intimidating task.  Batiest’s take on Patti makes the challenge look trivial, becoming an avatar who’s as realistic and enthralling, if not more so, than the original.  Garnering her a standing ovation every time she sang.   Seeing Batiest commanding a Chicago stage more often, in addition to Ms. Simmons and Ms. Walker, would be a boon to the cultural vitality of the city.

Also adding to the production’s luster, Tanji Harper’s choreography included a dash of smooth sophisticated elegance to the steps she devised for the Spinners and Ms. Knight’s faithful Pips.  Complemented by Keith Ryan’s polished costume designs, That’s What Friends Are For’s visual pleasures ideally framed a night of marvelous music.  

That’s What Friends Are For: Gladys, Dionne and Patti

Through July 27, 2025

Black Ensemble Theater

4450 N. Clark Street

Chicago, IL   60640

https://blackensembletheater.org

Highly Recommended

*Extended through August 10th

*This review is also featured on https://www.theatreinchicago.com/!