Displaying items by tag: Rob Lindley

All hands on deck Titanic fans! Get ready for a lavishly produced musical that boldly reimagines the Titanic story, navigating it into fresh and unforeseen waters.

The story of the "unsinkable" Titanic is one most of us know well—the ship’s ill-fated maiden voyage on April 14, 1912, ending in tragedy as it struck an iceberg and sank to the ocean's depths. Many are also familiar with the iconic film Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, which, while rooted in historical accuracy, introduced audiences to the poignant love story of Jack and Rose—two young hearts entangled in a passionate romance before disaster struck. But were the events exactly as we’ve been told? According to Celine Dion, who claims to have been there, the story might be quite different.

Alas, Broadway in Chicago and Porchlight Theatre proudly bring you Titanique—a one-of-a-kind musical comedy that's guaranteed to leave you in stitches and thoroughly entertained. Directed by Tye Blue, Titanique is an uproariously funny and gloriously campy musical parody that breathes new, unexpected life into James Cameron's beloved cinematic masterpiece, Titanic. At the helm of this delightfully absurd reimagining is none other than global superstar Celine Dion—or, at least, a larger-than-life version of her. Yes, that Celine Dion! In an inspired twist, Celine barrels her way into the heart of the story, unapologetically seizing control of Jack and Rose's ill-fated romance and retelling it as only she can. Her perspective transforms the tragic tale into a flamboyant celebration of love, loss, and diva-level drama.

But don’t expect a straight retelling! With book by Maria Mindelle, Constantine Rousoull and Tye Blue, Titanique is dripping with outrageous humor, zany antics, and more self-aware silliness than you can shake a life preserver at. This hilarious musical is powered by Celine's legendary hits—including the anthem of all anthems, "My Heart Will Go On"—woven cleverly into the narrative to deliver laugh-out-loud musical moments. Every note and every lyric is infused with heart, hilarity, and that unmistakable Celine flair. Other standout songs include the heartfelt "All By Myself," the captivating "To Love You More," and “River Deep, Mountain High.”

Part parody, part homage, Titanique is a buoyant blend of romance, comedy, and theatrical absurdity that captures the essence of '90s nostalgia while winking affectionately at its audience. It’s a showcase of over-the-top diva brilliance, a love letter to a bygone era, and an experience that is uproariously entertaining with the ridiculous factor cranked up all the way.

Titanique’s Broadway Playhouse run showcases an exceptional all-Chicago cast—and their performances are outstanding.

Let’s talk about show-stopping performances! Clare Kennedy McLaughlin sparkles as Céline Dion, delivering a perfect blend of powerhouse vocals and side-splitting humor. With a flawless mix of diva attitude and quirky charm, she captures Céline's essence in a way that makes her a true standout in this riotous spoof. From her spot-on comedic timing to her ability to belt out those iconic ballads, McLaughlin has the audience roaring with laughter - and cheering for more. Her performance is the heart and soul of Titanique—bold, delightfully campy, and unforgettable.

Adam Fane and Maya Rowe star as Jack and Rose in Titanique at Broadway Playhouse.

Adam Fane shines as Jack, captivating audiences with his charm and comic mastery. Fane’s performance effortlessly enhances the show's playful lampoon of the iconic Titanic tale. With impeccable timing and genuine emotional depth, he brings a delightful balance to his role. As Jack’s love interest, Maya Rowe infuses the role of Rose with vibrant energy, delivering a performance that is both engaging and hilariously on-point. Her portrayal seamlessly complements the show's whimsical and irreverent spirit, showcasing her knack for humor while preserving the heart of her character. Rowe's charm and comedic brilliance make her a standout in this unsinkable production.

The ensemble cast of Titanique is an absolute joy, bursting with energy, humor, and incredible talent in this gut-busting musical comedy. Each performer adds their own unique touch, coming together as a dynamic force that fuels the show’s hilarity and charm. Abbey C. Smith delivers a triumphant vocal performance as Molly Brown, while Lorenzo Shawn Parnell dazzles with his remarkable voice as both The Seaman and the Iceberg. Rob Lindley, as Rose’s mother Ruth, earned some of the loudest laughs of the night, with Adrian Aguilar as Cal and Jackson Evans portraying both Luigi and Victor Garber adding to the show’s irresistible humor.

The scenic and costume design of Titanique is truly remarkable. The neon-lit iconic Titanic staircase draws audiences into a fantastical world that beautifully aligns with the show’s cheeky and whimsical vibe. The costumes are just as outstanding, showcasing a perfect mix of creativity and humor that bring the characters to life in a visually striking way. Together, the scenic and costume design craft an immersive atmosphere that amplifies the charm and playful extravagance of this remarkable production.

Completing the checklist, the Broadway Playhouse in Downtown Chicago offers an ideal venue to immerse yourself in the magic of Titanique. Warm and intimate, the theater offers exceptional sightlines from every seat, allowing audiences to immerse themselves in the performance and feel fully connected to the on-stage magic. 

For a musical comedy, Titanique checks all the right boxes, offering a delightful experience that's worth enjoying again and again. Take the plunge with Titanique!

*Don't bring the little kiddos! There's a good reason the musical's website suggests a 13+ audience. Titanique contains sexual innuendo and adult language.

Performed at Broadway Playhouse through July 13th. For more tickets and/or show information, click here.

*This review can also be found at Theater in Chicago.

"The Temperamentals" by Jon Marans makes its Chicago premiere at About Face Theatre. Artistic director Andrew Volkoff revisits this 2009 Off-Broadway play in a critical time for LGBT rights in America. This play was selected for their season long before the election, but serves to remind that the struggle for equality is not over. 

"The Temperamentals" refers to a slang term for homosexuals in the 1950s. It tells the true story of the Mattachine Society, the first LGBT rights group in America. Kyle Hatley plays Harry Hay, a closeted college professor working on behalf of gay rights. The Mattachine Society is formed when he meets Rudi Gernreich (Lane Anthony Flores). Gernreich is an up-and-coming designer who escaped the Nazis in Austria. His observations about life under the Third Reich inspires Harry Hay to action. 

Maran's script shines in the way it intertwines the historic plotline with authentic relationship dramas between characters. Alex Weisman plays Bob, the promiscuous one, with such sincerity even while cycling through several bit parts. Lane Anthony Flores gives a brave and dynamic peformance as chic European designer Gernreich. Also featuring Rob Lindley and Paul Fagan, About Face has assembled an all-star cast for this vital piece. 

Many think that gay activism started at Stonewall, but what "The Temperamentals" documents is the West Coast movement that began in the 1950s. The Mattachine Society was pitched to influential closested homosexuals in Hollywood, like Vincent Minnelli, but failed to garner mainstream interest for fear of blacklisting. Its intention was to decriminalize homosexuality. 

Jon Maran's play is sexy and stylish. It echos of Larry Kramer and that's what theater needs right now. It's a nearly three hour wake up call to a generation who takes advantage of the privileges fought for by activism. 

Through February 18 at About Face Theatre. Theatre Wit 1229 W Belmont Ave. 

"Funnyman", now playing at Northlight Theatre in Skokie, is a familiar tale about an artist who has reached the end of one phase of his career and has to either adapt to the new environs and trends in entertainment or retire to his old world , hopefully with his dignity intact.

George Wendt, lovingly known for his co-starring role as Norm in the hit series, Cheers, plays the lead character of "Chick", a vaudeville star abused as a child and later who was exploited as an adult in order to rehash, and cash in on, his tired old catch phrase "Wowsa! 

Chick and his faithful agent, Milt Karp, played with real sympathy and humor by talented SNL alumna, Tim Kazurinsky, now makes Chick his only income by doing clownish Bromo Seltzer TV commercials.  

After three years with no offers of theater work, Chick is finally offered a groundbreaking role in a French beatnik production that will bring his gifts to a new young audience and reinvigorate his career indefinitely - if he can pull it off. The flamboyantly gay director, played by Rob Lindley was a real comedic standout and his energy onstage reinvigorated the piece throughout the second act. 

For much of the first act we only see that Chick is very depressed and like other funnymen we have known and loved - Robin Williams, John Belushi, Chick is only "funny' in public when he has to be - as a defense mechanism to get others to like him and finally, after hearing his catchphrase, to leave him alone. 

His grown daughter lives with him after a prolonged absence when she was sent away as child to boarding schools. She presses Chick, Milt, and anyone who knew Chick in the early days and researches the library archives to find out why her father has always been so harsh and unapproachable to her. She also demands to know more about the mystery of how her beautiful showgirl mother suddenly died in a way that no one - least of all Chick - her own father will explain to her.

Although 'Funnyman" is billed as a comedy and there are several good laughs in it, the real satisfaction, and finally catharsis, comes to the audience as the underpinnings of the sometimes harsh world of vaudevillian entertainment come to light. 

Apparently, Chick was used by his mother and father in what they called a "chaser act", meaning they "chase" the audience out of the theater at the end of the show. The thought being that the audience will be less likely to throw bottles and food at a couple holding a baby!

Chick learned as he got older that if he didn't make funny faces at as many as four shows, six days a week, he would not eat. When a four-year-old making funny faces ceased to appease the audience, the family's' routine morphed into what they called a "rough act" where Chick ended up being thrown across the stage for a laugh. 

When one day he actually broke his collarbone after being tossed on stage, the stage doctor told his mother that he could not perform for a few weeks until it healed. His mother, whom Chick believes had sadistic tendencies, tells the doctor without flinching or humor, "No, he can go on, we will throw him underhand." 

At one point Chick makes the observation that "Nobody takes comics seriously until they do something serious." For that reason this production, which was very satisfying as whole on many levels, reminded me of Michael Keaton's Oscar nominated role in the hit film "Birdman".

The audience goes in expecting to see and laugh at the warm, fuzzy, familiar "Norm” from Cheers but leaves feeling they have seen the full dramatic range of what a skilled actor like George Wendt is really capable of when given the right material. 

It's a tragic irony reflecting on the seemingly endless well of insecurity that actors experience in general that in Funnyman they also quote the fact that "The hardest thing in the world... is comedy." 

Great comic actors like Keaton and Robin Williams have forever been trying to prove that they are as "good" or as "gifted" as their more serious counterparts who tend to receive all of the Oscars and respect, when in reality as a skill, comic timing and comic writing are much, much harder to achieve. Comedic timing is quite simply a much rarer gift to be blessed with in this world, a true prolific comic, or comedian/writer is very, very rare indeed. 

Chick's daughter played aptly by Amanda Drinkall finds an old news article about her mother and father performing together and notes that it is quite literally the only photograph of her father truly smiling that exists. Sadly it seems to her that she has never seen that smile on his face in real life - ever.  I don't want to give away this important plot point about the tragedy of his wife's death but it shows that Chick was once a sweet, softie who finally had found happiness with his love, until it was taken away and never returned.  

I loved the video touches with "I Love Lucy" and the Bromo commercial reenactment and the references to the golden age of Broadway including all of the agent to artist arguing and pep talking.

The set was functionally designed to keep the play moving quickly from scene to scene but I found myself wishing for more color, more definition, more character and less generalized nostalgia in each of the spaces. It felt a little sparse and depressing.

I highly recommend seeing this satisfying and ultimately encouraging and heartwarming ensemble type piece about overcoming your greatest fears regarding major transitions in one's life, even if one of your greatest fears, in this case Chick's abusive mother and weak father, are long gone from your life. 

The fear of forgiving those events that have crushed you, and moving on to enjoy present life opportunities with your family and friends that are still here and do love you, must be faced and overcome.

Funnyman, clearly illustrates that if you cannot roll with the changes, especially in later years, then life itself becomes like Chick's life - a joke which has ceased to make people laugh, a bitterly boring and sad repetition of days without laughter or cheer - which is not a life worth living.

Funnyman is being performed at Northlight Theatre through October 18th. For tickets or more show information, visit www.northlight.org.