Word: heller
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Dates: during 1990-1990
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...fairness, one must admit that Chicago director Beth Heller did not have the best material with which to work. This 18-song musical, although created by John Kander and Fred Ebb, the same duo which brought Cabaret to the American stage, boasts none of that show's sharp characterization, memorable lyrics nor attachment to the era in which it is set. While Cabaret was firmly rooted in the fears and expectations of Weimar Germany, this play floats around its 1920's setting; aside from the choice of music, Chicago gives little reason why its action should take place in this...
Directed b Beth Heller...
That said, Heller does nothing to aid her own cause. Although Chicago boasts skillful choreography and exuberant performances, this show is saddled by clumsy direction, offensive racial stereotypes and a chorus whose constant vocal presence ensures that we will rarely hear the lead in any song. In Chicago clutter replaces cohesion, and although this cast tries to provide some razzle-dazzle, the poor script and staging result in only fitful success...
...Heller cannot be blamed for the script's shortcomings, but her staging decisions accentuate the play's negative qualities. Producing Chicago in the Leverett House Old Library is a serious mistake. Although Heller and choreographer Allison McDonnel cleverly incorporate Leverett's stairwells into the action, the choice of venue leaves almost no room for the 18 actors. Chairs for the audience and the four-piece band swallow the majority of the available stage space; the side aisles should have been opened to provide the dancers with an outlet for movement. As is, the concentration of bodies results in our hearing...
...adaptable village-square setting by Kate Edmunds. The production is so good that even a predictable climax -- the villain's armed intrusion at the wedding of a shepherd he despises and a maiden he means to rape -- achieves the abrupt power of surprise. Among a solid ensemble cast, Jack Heller is a wonderfully hissable overlord, full of chill arrogance and hot rage, and Domenique Lozano and Stephen Burks are the most affecting of his victims. The chief asset, however, is the play itself, which is both a singular masterwork and a reminder to every U.S. nonprofit theater that there remains...