Steadstyle Chicago
	June 2008 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	Looking for a Ticket Broker? Check out the hottest broadway tickets from Gotickets.com The Kid from Brooklyn Critical Evaluation: ** out of **** (Left) Karin Leone and Brian Childers; (Right) Christina Purcell, Brian Childers, Adam LeBow and Karin Leone in "The Kid from Brooklyn".  Photos by Johnny Knight. People of my age can recall the memories of the talent of the great triple threat (singer, dancer, actor/comic) Danny Kaye, but many of today's theater goers might only know about him from the movie "Hans Christian Andersen", possibly "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" or from some of his old TV and radio shows, or even the brilliant work he did for UNICEF, helping the needy kids of the world.  For those who want to test these memories, or for people who want to learn more about this man, I am afraid the new pre-Broadway production at The Mercury Theater, "The Kid From Brooklyn" will not fulfill your total wishes. This four person production co-written by Director Peter J. Loewy and Mark Childers is a two hour tale of the rise to fame that Danny Kaye rode and the bumps along the way.  While it doesn't take us into the depths of his life, it does highlight his career and many of the people whose paths crossed his along the way.  We learn more about his wife, Sylvia, who also might be responsible for his rise to fame, and some other relationships in his life.  Were they all real?  Even today, we cannot believe all that we read about people in the public eye.  We can only take in the information, digest what we think is true and spit out the best. While Brian Childers is amazing as Danny Kaye, capturing every little nuance and movement, laugh and guffaw, the script is not as honest as it could be with the real and true story.  Of course it would be difficult to capsulize over 60 years in two hours, but this script takes on a path that is what the publicity people wanted us to think (back in the  50's and 60's) and only parts of the story.  This would be a perfect time for radio's Paul Harvey to chime in with his "Rest of the story", but since he won't we will at least let you know what you can anticipate.  A very talented man portrays a very talented man with a solid performance by Karin Leone as his wife, Sylvia Fine.  Two supporting actors playing all the other roles; Christine Purcell and Adam Lebow are top-notch, making exits as one character and reappearing, in a different costume, as another in just under a minute in some cases.  The costumes by Shon Le Blanc were very authentic looking, great work. While the script is a little weak, the talent is high.  The only problem is the sound.  I am not sure if the orchestra was too loud or the performers too soft, but one of Danny Kaye's talents was the ability to put a lot of words out there in just a short period of time, and the audience must hear the words to make it a clear talent.  If muffled, it has no meaning and therefore not a memorable experience.  I am pretty sure Mr. Childers said all the words, but for some reason (other than age) I didn't get them all.  The orchestra was solid, but we need to tone them down just a bit.  I will tell you the "Minnie The Moocher number, working with the audience, was a highlight and probably worth the cost of the ticket just for the experience.  As a youth, I saw Mr. Kaye perform and in this sequence it almost made me feel that he was alive and I was that young boy sitting with my dad and laughing.  If you have good memories of this man and his era, you will certainly enjoy this production and recall those days of yesteryear.  If not, this production will teach you something about a great talent, who despite some personal problems and situations, brought comedy, music and laughter to America and helped to bring healthy lives to hundreds or thousands of kids. "The Kid From Brooklyn" will continue through August 24, 2008 at The Mercury Theater, located at 3745 N. Southport in Chicago.  Performances are Wednesday at 2 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m.  Tickets range from $42.50-$48.50 and can be purchased at the box office, by phone at 773-325-1700 or online at www.thekidfrombrooklynmusical.com.   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 EpochTimes.  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.     Danny Kaye Lives at the Mercury Theatre Review By Ruth Smerling **** out of **** Mark Childers and Peter J. Loewy really adored Danny Kaye.  They penned "The Kid from Brooklyn: The Danny Kaye Musical", on stage at the Mercury Theatre and it is spectacular.  An entertainer is sought after when they are as much a part of your day as your friends and family.  For us baby boomers, Danny Kaye, with his weekly TV show and movies, was an integral part of our lives.  As hot a water cooler topic as "Desperate Housewives" or "Grey's Anatomy".  But you know an entertainer is truly great when he brings out the absolute best other performers have in them.  Actors like Brian Childers who stars as David Daniel Kaminsky, a.k.a. Danny Kaye in "The Kid from Brooklyn".  He spans Kaye’s rise from the borscht circuit in Catskill hotels to his rise to fame, fortune and a torrid affair with Eve Arden.  Karin Leone plays his devoted wife, Sylvia Fine, not only his life partner, but the creator of all his music.  As Childers recreates his rise to world renown, Christina Purcell and Adam LeBow, in lightning quick costume changes play all the people who helped him catapult to heights most of us wouldn’t even dare to dream of.  Kaye was the son of two Ukrainian immigrants.  As a boy, David Daniel Kaminski was expelled from high school for being unruly.  Filled with nervous energy and artistic ability, he went right to work in dive after dive doing shtick night after night.  Soon word got around that he was bringing the house down and agents started to take notice of him.  He had a unique ability to sing songs and tell jokes in a high art kind of gibberish that uncannily spoke volumes to an audience.  Soon he begins touring, doing movies and television.  Soon he begins making scads of money. But life on the road was not all great.  Night after night away from home led him quickly into the arms of his beautiful co-star, Eve Arden.  Eve even left her husband but Sylvia put too much into Danny Kaye to relent so easily.  Probably his greatest regret was not being able to spend enough time with his beautiful daughter.  Instead he became a spokesperson for UNICEF and raised millions and millions of dollars for underprivileged children around the world.  "The Kid from Brooklyn" is a real test of endurance for Brian Childers.  In two hours, with one brief intermission, Childers spans about 40 years of history at a fever pitch.  He captures every zany motion, the unique patois Danny spoke, as well as the crushing exhaustion and disenchantment.  This Danny Kaye was a man of unlimited energy, enthusiasm and commitment who gave more to the world in one day than most of us will in an entire lifetime.  "The Kid from Brooklyn" is a wonderful show for the whole family and runs through August 24 at the Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport.  Phone 773-325-1700 for tickets and information.