Displaying items by tag: Steve Martin

Back in simpler times, what seems like decades ago, during a global pandemic, I remember watching an NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring the Broadway cast of Little Shop of Horrors. In the middle of the string of incredible songs from the show, the songs’ composer Alan Menken sat down at the piano and, before playing it, discussed how “Somewhere That’s Green” was a classic “I Want” song, one that enlists us, the audience, on a journey to fulfill a dream.

“Somewhere That’s Green.” “Part of Your World.” “Sante Fe.” Some of my favorite songs, all written by Menken and Howard Ashman. All of them, the spunky upstart in a big, bad world dreaming that the sun’ll come out tomorrow. That things’ll get better. The sort of dreamy songs and dreaming characters and dreamed up worlds that are the reason we go to the theater—the sort of theater that the Marriott Theatre always does right and certainly does in their current production of Little Shop of Horrors.

That dreaming—sweet, delusional, stubbornly human—sits at the heart of this production, anchored beautifully by Jackson Evans’ Seymour. Evans plays Seymour as a cartoonish nerd, yes, but also as an everyman in the truest sense: gentle, unsure, but never empty. His Seymour is the kind of guy you root for, because Evans lets us see the decency beneath the desperation. Even as the body count rises and the moral compromises pile up, there’s something achingly recognizable about his Seymour. He’s all of us.

Opposite him, Maya Rowe delivers a quietly devastating Audrey. “Somewhere That’s Green” lands here not as a kitschy parody of 1950s domestic fantasies, but as a heartbreakingly sincere confession—and at the end it felt and looked like she was singing it right to me. Rowe resists the temptation to overplay Audrey’s quirks, instead grounding her in a bruised realism that makes her longing feel earned. When she dreams of a life that includes frozen dinners and a plastic sofa, Rowe is reminding us that while Little Shop of Horrors may be funny and absurd, it’s also a story about people like each of us, people dreaming of something better. (Side note: A chance encounter in a theater hallway post-show found Rowe’s actual persona as sweet as her onstage Audrey—taking a moment to take a photo with my young daughter and offering words of encouragement to her about her own theatrical dreams.)

Seymour and Audrey’s grounding make the production’s comedic turns all the more effective, particularly when longtime Marriott favorites Andrew Mueller and Mark David Kaplan enter the fray. Mueller brings infectious energy and sharp comic timing—not only to Orin, the biker/dentist/villain whose portrayal by Steve Martin delighted me as a kid), but to a slew of other characters, while Kaplan once again delights with his own comedic and vocal talents. Their work fills out the Skid Row world that we inhabit for a couple of hours without ever pulling focus from its emotional center.

And then, of course, there’s Audrey II, the most iconic carnivorous plant in musical theatre history. The combination of Lorenzo Rush’s velvety, menacing voice work and the precision of the puppet operation is nothing short of thrilling. The puppeteers both sink into the background and provide their own characterizations as leafy parts of Audrey II’s anatomy. The plant feels alive in an unsettling way, its charisma as seductive as its hunger is terrifying. Rush’s performance finds the perfect balance between playful swagger and genuine menace - the audience enjoying the sound of the voice even as we recoil from what it represents. (Although Audrey II’s hilarious pre-show no-phones-or-posting warning seemed to have been unheeded by several oblivious influencers on opening night.)

Still, the beating heart of this Little Shop belongs to the trio of Crystal, Ronnette, and Chiffon. Lydia Burke, Daryn Whitney Harrell, and Miciah Lathan deliver a masterclass in ensemble performance, functioning as Greek chorus, Motown girl group, and omniscient narrators all at once. Their 60s-period-correct harmonies are immaculate, their energy is electric, and each of their vocals are utterly commanding.

All of this talent is corralled and focused by Tommy Rapley’s direction and choreography, which keep the production moving, with the intimacy and magic unique to the Marriott’s in-the-round design. The set design creates a mid-century Skid Row that’s a world where our heroes live. And all of the characters - heroes or villains - are beautifully costumed by Amanda Vander Byl, with amazing wigs and makeup by Miguel A. Armstrong being especially delightful. Meanwhile, the orchestra - so often an unsung hero at the Marriott - delivers Menken’s score with precision, swelling where it should and pulling back when restraint serves the story better.

What ultimately makes this production of Little Shop of Horrors resonate is its refusal to treat the show as a novelty. Yes, it’s funny. Yes, it’s outrageous. Yes, it involves a singing plant from outer space. And yes, the stage ending’s a bit different than the one I remember at the movie theater from my own childhood. But Marriott’s production understands that behind all of this, Little Shop of Horrors does what all great musical theater should do - take its audience on a beautiful journey through a world populated by talented artists whose dreams and desires aren’t that different from our own. Come journey with Marriott Theatre to somewhere that’s green, as Little Shop of Horrors runs now through March 15.

Grab a glass of wine with me and journey with me to Paris, France 1904. We stumble in as guests to a local artist haunt in the Montmartre District and remain on the exterior of the room. It's a cozy, intimate, and simple bar, with witty, smart, and regular patrons who are tres amusant. We do not know what the evening will bring, but we’re welcomed by the barkeep and entranced by the colorful characters that enter the bar. This is The Lapin Agile.

The Lapin Agile is a comedy play written by the incomparable Steve Martin. The comedy imagines a meeting between a 23-year-old Pablo Picasso and a 25-year-old Albert Einstein at a real life artists’ hangout in Paris at the dawn of the 20th century. It’s 1904 and the two geniuses are about to complete their most significant accomplishments; Einstein’s theory of relativity and Picasso’s painting “The Young Ladies of Avignon.” They have a lengthy debate about the value of genius and talent which is often interrupted by colorful patrons of the bar.

While such a meeting between the two artists never took place, the play brings the imaginary encounter to life, giving it plausibility. Einstein, played by Mark Yacullo and Picasso, played by Travis Ascion, embodied the intelligent and charming men, exchanging witty remarks about the others’ occupation and trade. With smart jokes, witty comebacks, and hilarious moments, the play delves into meaningful conversations where two seemingly opposite geniuses in their own rights find commonality in the power of their imaginations and how their pens allow them to transcend modernity.

The Lapin Agile is a real bar in the heart of Paris. Located in the Montmartre arts district, this bar was famous as a local artist's haunt drawing in many famous names in art, music, literature, and more. The Citadel Theater brought the charming 20th century haunt from Paris to its modest stage, nestled in the charming town of Lake Forest just North of Chicago. The ensemble cast provided the perfect enchanting bartenders, servers, and patrons, much like one would encounter in a real Paris artist’s bar. The play was surprisingly and consistently funny, lose focus for a moment and you might miss a subtle joke about Euclidean geometry or a playful jest about the French. The ensemble cast skillfully breaks the 4th wall, never stepping out of character or the Paris district they were playing in, in fact you were tempted to ask the barkeep for a drink to share with the cast.

At its heart, The Lapin Agile imagines the possibility of sitting in a quiet bar at the turn of a century and allows you to imagine what could be. What could be beautiful, revolutionary, colorful, loud, and what could break through the realm of possibility, even transcending time and space. It’s a beautiful play, performed by a talented cast, in a surprisingly charming theater.  

The Lapin Agile is playing at the Citadel Theater, located at 300 S Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL through May 22, 2022. Santé!

Bright Star, the Steve Martin-Edie Brickell show that earned musical acclaim in its New York Broadway run, is destined for a love affair with Chicago for Boho Theatre's producion.

The show opened Saturday like a meteorite, sparks flying as the company marched on stage in powerful harmony for its opening, "If You Knew My Story." Then we hear those clarion chords as Missy Wise strides into view, and into our hearts – in a penetrating soprano sailing above the chorus, tuned to a rapid country vibrato that channels Reba McIntyre, Alison Krause and Tammy Wynette, only more dulcet and beautiful. It makes you cry it is so good. And they are only one minute into the number. Phew!

Maybe in Manhattan Bright Star wasn’t approached just right, because they only liked it - or more likely New York is the wrong market. Bright Star is a serious drama, a timeless morality play and a country music operetta all at once – based loosely on the true story of a lost baby (the Iron Mountain Baby), the emotional toll for those involved, and in this telling, delivering a satisfying ending that brings redemption and healing.

The story covers decades, following teenagers Jimmy Ray (Josiah Robinson) and Alice (Missy Wise) who had a baby out of wedlock and were forced by their families to split, and give up the child. But the flame never died, and the two searched for the child and each other for nearly 20 years. 

While at times the book is flaccid and goes a little astray it does not matter - the story is inherently engrossing, and the songs so beautiful and dramatically expressive they carry the show. Treading carefully to avoid a spoiler, we can say Bright Star is exceptionally well cast, with a knockout performance by Jeff Piermont as Billy, a GI home from WWII and beginning a writing career.

Steve Martin’s hand can be seen in witty scenes, and some colorful, scene-stealing characters – including Daryl (Dwayne Everett) and Lucy Grant (Rachel Whyte), co-workers at the publishing house where much of the action happens.  

Martin and his musical partner Edie Brickell insert the band as a character, fitting for a country-inflected musical. Though the band mostly next to and behind the stage, Hillary Bayley on fiddle and other players appear with the cast at various points. 

We watch the teens become adults. Jimmy Ray is heir to a family fortune and business; Alice gets a degree and becomes a celebrated editor at a prestigious Asheville publishing house – one known for shepherding emerging Southern writers (Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, Zora Neal Hurston, Flannery O’Connor,  etc.). On stage, Wise and Robinson have real chemistry together, making their story even more compelling.

Director and choreographer Ericka Mac knows her way around Chicagoland musical theater (among many credits are Parade and Company at Writer’s Theatre), but this Greenhouse Production is perhaps the most intimate space – and she has made the most of it. Scenic design is by Lauren Nichols and lighting is by G. Max Maxin. Costumes, important to the settings and action, and sometimes changed onstage mid-action, are by Robert Kuhn.

Bright Star is highly recommended. It runs through May 5 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln, Chicago.

“Picasso at the Lapin Agile” is a charming “what if” story that has twentieth century groundbreakers Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso unexpectedly meeting at a bar in 1904. Set in Paris, France at the Lapin Agile, both men are on the brink of remarkable ideas – Picasso just a few years away from his famous Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and Einstein months away from publishing his revolutionary theory of relativity. Both men are also very confident in their genius and competitive in gathering attention for their intellect.  

Written by Steve Martin in 1993, “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” debuted at Chicago’s Steppenwolf on October 13^th of the same year following a brief workshop of the play in Melbourne, Australia. There are plenty of laughs as Einstein tries to impress the bar patrons with his wayward predictions of the future such as the automobile being a fad, or France becoming the superpower of the twentieth century while Germany becomes the voice for peace.

At one point, Picasso, quite the ladies’ man and not one to be pushed out of the spotlight - especially in front of one of his lovers, challenges Einstein to a drawing duel, creating a scene that is preposterously funny and really shows the boyish competitiveness in each of them. It takes many an intriguing debate or perceptive musing before the two fianlly realize that their contributions to the human race are equally valuable. Interestingly enough, Martin makes a weighty statement on how the contributions of these great difference makers of the twentieth century are remembered by most as Einstein and Picasso meet Elvis towards the end. As the three look to the heavens and see their names in the stars, Elvis points out, “There’s my name. Above both of yours and three times as big.”

The play is filled with interesting characters. Outside of Einstein and Picasso, we have a bartender, Freddy, who now and then surprises all with a profound statement of his own. We also have an idealistic barmaid, Germaine, Picasso’s art dealer, an inventor and a few regular patrons at the bar to which Einstein is often found attempting to break down his theories in a much simpler language in order for them to understand.

Superbly directed by Josh Anderson, the Organic Theatre Company’s current production of “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” at Greenhouse Theatre is an insightful piece that is both imaginative and funny. Joel Moses is wonderful as Einstein and Anthony Perrella Jr. is equal to the task as Picasso, together providing just the right touch of parodic humor to each character while keeping an appropriate tribute in place.      

The highly amusing “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” is being performed at Greenhouse Theatre through June 26^th.  For tickets and/or more show information visit www.greenhousetheatre.org.