Steadstyle Chicago
August 2009 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
High Fidelity
Almost 10 years ago, the movie "High Fidelity" starring Chicago area's John Cusack became a hit and then a cult film developing a following that even as it ages continues to love the story. A young man who owns a record store has had one bad relationship after another and with his music and his clerks attempts to see where and how he went wrong. An Interesting love story and a deep search into one's personality and the 30 something audiences took to it at once. How does one take a cult film with a large following and convert it into a musical for the stage?
First of all, they had to do some re-writes (book by David Lindsay-Abaire) and of course add music (music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Amanda Green) and after all was said and done, after 19 previews and 13 performances, it closed on Broadway. How could this happen? One reason might be that this story is far too intimate for a large theater. The audience needs to be close to Rob (a strong performance by Stef Tovar who has a marvelous stage persona), his friends and his women. The music is very rock and the cast members are musicians as well as singers and actors. While you will not leave the theater humming any of the tunes, you will feel good about the theatrical experience you just had and probably come back again, and bring a friend or two.
This is all taking place at Pipers Alley at North and Wells in Old Town while "Tony and Tina" are on their honeymoon. And while this space is indeed intimate, I found it a little uncomfortable for a two hour show on a very small stage with two little side stages and the main area being used as both the record store and where the music is made. Perhaps, when Tina and Tony come back, they can move this to a spot like The Royal George Mainstage or if "Million Dollar Quartet" leaves, The Apollo would be a natural. There is a lot of activity and great energy that gets lost when you can't see all the action and this needs to be fixed.
The cast features some marvelous talents. Michael Mahler, who always plays the soft spoken nerd but is so good at it and what a musician, plays Dick, one of Rob's clerks and Jonathan Wagner does a powerful job as Barry, the other. His "Boss" is Marvelous, with a Capital M. Laura, his girlfriend who is breaking up with him is played by Tricia Small and the five lost loves of his life are played by Christin Boulette, Kelly Maier, Blair Robertson (it is nice to see her in something more adult), Katie Jeep and Maggie Chambers, who also take on other roles.
Dana Tretta adds a great comic touch to her character Liz, the person who introduced Laura and Rob, and the always reliable Michael Webber takes on several roles but shines as Ian. The rest of the cast, Kevin Barry Crowley, Ian Paul Custer and Derek Hasenstab are all musicians first and actors second and the drums are handled by Jim Barclay who as always is sensational. Many of you might remember him from "Buddy". He does a set to start the second act that is worth the ticket price on its own.
The normal tech items that are mentioned in my reviews will be missing in this one as there is no real set and the lighting was not up to what I would like to have seen, but that may be all the "Tony and Tina" Theater has to offer. Director and Choreographer Peter Amster was somewhat limited as to what can be done on this small stage, but managed to keep the flow moving and thanks to an all-star cast of players, this show is a pleasure to watch and listen to. Again, I would prefer a more comfortable venue where people are not craning to see the action and moving from side stage to side stage as if they were at a tennis match. If you are into rock this is perfect for you. If you are into love stories, this is one that will bring a smile to your face, but you will laugh and you will have a great time.
"High Fidelity" will run through October 11, 2009. Performances are Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday 4:30 and 8:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets range from $29.50 to $39.50 which is a true bargain for entertainment of this caliber. There is an open bar and you can drink during the show and pre-show dinners are available. Call 312-664-8844 or visit www.hifichicago.com. There is parking available at Pipers Alley, but you might find the lot at Treasure Island just North of the theater a little less costly and of course public transportation makes it easy to get to Old Town. Have a ball.
About Alan Bresloff
Alan
Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago
Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for
LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra
Newspaper and The Epoch Times. He also writes for ElImparcial
and TeleGuia. His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.
Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a
"reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater
itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical
and more.
"Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad. Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen. You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.