Steadstyle Chicago
	September 2009 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	Yeast Nation For those of you who remember "Urinetown," one of the funniest musicals in years, the new premiere at American Theater Company will give you the same feeling, a humorous look at insanity.  Written by Mark Hollman (music and lyrics) and Greg Kotis (book and lyrics) this is a far-fetched story dealing with The Primordial Soup, circa 458,000 B.C. and the world's first family, a colony of salt eating yeasts that live in the brine of the soup under the rule of Jan The Elder (Joseph Anthony Foronda).  Foronda gives a marvelous performance and once again proves how talented he is.  All of the residents of the colony are named Jan and his number one son, Jan The Second (Andrew Keltz) goes to the outer world in order to find something to eat as the resources are almost gone.  There he discovers something new and the start of evolution begins changing the course of history forever.  Keltz, who has shown us his stuff in many smaller roles, exceeded my expectations and showed that he is ready for prime time in Chicago. This is a rock musical with some very strong music and lyrics.  The one problem with rock musicals is that the band is often louder than it need be and so the audience misses some very clever lyrics.  It might be a good idea to have the sound people speak with club owners and learn how to do a mix that makes both audible.  Directed by PJ Paparelli on a wild and crazy set by Walt Spangler, and some wild lighting by Jesse Klug, this is a wild ride into how evolution might have happened.  There is a lot of humor and a talented cast.  Barbara Robertson, as always, shines in her performance as Jan, the unnamed.  Melanie Brezill is a powerful Jan, the Sweet (Jan the Second's amour), and Phil Ridarelli is dynamite as Jan, the Wise.  Although his character started off a bit slow, he grew into the role when he sang "Liar".  Jan, the Sly (deftly handled by Sandie Rosa) is the sister to Jan the Second and next in line for the throne should something happen to her father and brother, which she attempts to make happen.  She plots and plans with Jan the Wise, only to be thwarted in the end. Confused?  Well, it is difficult to explain a show like this, except to tell you that it is a theatrical experience worth gambling on.  You will laugh and find yourself tapping your feet to the beat of the music.  The rest of the cast is also up the task of musicalizing this story.  Bernard Balbot, Wendi Weber and Stephanie Kim handle the named characters and the chorus of six with solid voices are Bill Ingraham, Bethany Thomas, Briana de Giulio, Trista Smith, Govind Kumar and young Robert Gerdisch, who is quite the talent.  The voices of this cast fill the theater and if they tone down the musicians, the outcome would be perfect.  The four musicians handled the music well, so I am not blaming them.  Mark Elliott, Jeremy Fink, Sean Koop and Ben Mason are terrific.  I also want to praise the choreographer Tommy Rapley for doing a fine job in a limited space. ATC as a theater company is now going through its own evolution, so it is very fitting that they chose to bring to us, the theater audiences of Chicago, a play that deals with evolution, a play that will probably undergo changes as it continues to reach audiences.  I for one wish ATC and its new leadership the best in the 25th season for this company and will watch as they grow and continue to bring us quality theater at affordable prices. "Yeast Nation" has been extended through November 8, 2009 at ATC, located at 1909 W. Byron, just East of Lincoln Avenue and South of Irving Park Rd.  Performances are Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.  Tickets range from $35-$40 and can be purchased at the box office, by phone at 773-929-1031 or online at www.atcweb.org.  There is parking in the area, some metered, some not, and the theater is accessible by public transportation.   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.