Goodman Theatre

Inherit the Wind – Goodman Theatre – September 28, 2024

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Not being a Blacklist viewer, the last time I may have seen Harry Lennix he was giving Superman a hard time when all the poor guy was trying to do was save the world from General Zod.

In Goodman Theatre’s Inherit the Wind, it is Lennix, as Henry Drummond, who is trying to save the world, from the followers of the close-minded honorary Colonel Matthew Harrison Brady, in a play that is as forceful and timely today as it was when it debuted in 1955, especially when one considers the reports that came out this past week (Banned Books Week) from the American Library Association and Pen America concerning the enormous amount of book censorship taking place across the country.

I was particularly struck by the following exchange – Brady: “I do not think about things I do not think about.” Drummond: “Do you ever think about things that you DO think about?” It reminded me of the famous 2002 Rumsfeld quote – “There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.”

The other thing that struck me was how much Brady, when addressing the town, came across as a much scarier version of Professor Harold Hill. I could almost hear him saying “We got trouble, right here in Hillsboro, and that starts with T and that rhymes with D and that stands for Darwin.”

That said, the problem with the opposite side of the argument is exemplified by people like the clearly unevolved guy sitting behind me, whose 18.5 minutes of high decibel, bag rustling, open-mouth chewing at the beginning of the show made me yearn for a Rose Mary Woods to turn off his sound.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Part 2) – John Berendt and Taylor Mac – American Writers Museum – July 8, 2024

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I had trouble determining the identity of the musical. Taylor Mac, who wrote the book of the show, helped by saying he meant to present two interwoven stories, those of Jim Williams and The Lady Chablis, aided by an antagonist for each, Emma Dawes and Lavella Cole, respectively.

The book’s author, John Berendt, stressed how important humor was, stating that his background at Esquire magazine had taught him to write with knowledgeable irreverence.

Mac specifically pointed to the Dawes character, played by Sierra Boggess (what a voice!), who had my favorite line of the show when, in representing the interests of historical and hysterical Savannah, she promised she wouldn’t sell Mercer House to anyone who would knock down a wall to make an open kitchen.

As I stated last time, J. Harrison Ghee, as The Lady Chablis, was great. Their antagonist, Cole, as played by Shane Bailey, had, for me, the best song, among many good ones, in the show when she delivered Clap on One and Three.

I was going to complain about the opening of the show, but Mac’s comments about slowing the audience down to Savannah time, seemed reasonable, though I might still tweak it a little, as I would in a few other places. (I don’t think the audience as the author was explained clearly enough for all.)

Mac commented that no one should expect to “get” everything upon first viewing, that just like a book or movie, a second viewing lends itself to greater appreciation. Moreover, he said they changed the ending after the first five previews, so, oops, you also might have to go again for that reason. Nice marketing.

I also wondered whether the show would be attractive to post Broadway licensees. I asked Mac about whether he took possible future productions into account in his writing. He said he, unlike many others, does, and that the Choreographer, Tanya Birl-Torres, who also was the Cultural Consultant, played a big part in those considerations.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – Goodman Theatre – July 3, 2024

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This will be a two-part blog, the second half of which will come after I attend the discussion next week at the American Writers Museum by the author of the book, John Berendt, and the author of the stage adaptation, Taylor Mac.

Part of my reason to delay is that, although I’ve seen the movie, I’ve never read the book, and I think that the musical needs some adjustments to better serve those who have done neither. I’ll be interested in hearing what they have to say about that and whether they will discuss any possible changes before looking towards Broadway.

On a general note, let me say that I’ve been to Savannah, and, though I walked around town quite a bit, I didn’t meet anyone interesting there, only lawyers.

Also, I’m a fan of Jason Robert Brown, who wrote the music and lyrics for this show, and also for Parade and Honeymoon in Vegas (which I liked very much despite its lack of success). I haven’t seen any of his other work, including The Bridges of Madison County, which is, dare I say, a bridge too far for me.

For now, I will leave on a positive note. J. Harrison Ghee, Tony award-winner for Some Like It Hot, is a force, worth the price of admission. And the audience was ready, giving them a raucous welcome the second they walked onto the stage, reminding me of the greeting Michelle Williams received at first sight in Death Becomes Her. In a moment predictive of the rest of the evening, Ghee looked out into the audience and said “wait until I earn it.”

English – Goodman Theatre – May 25, 2024

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For some reason, I tend to see Pulitzer Prize-winning dramas that have one word titles – Fiorello!, Rent, Proof, Doubt, Hamilton and now English. If I’m allowed to count movies, add in Harvey, Fences and Picnic.

Not surprisingly, a strong list. English definitely belongs. It’s funny, it’s thoughtful, it has tension, it never drags. It’s about small stories and a big picture. For most of us, it makes us think about things we may never have thought about before.

It also leaves us wondering about some things about the characters, but that’s okay. I don’t need a sequel. Neil Simon pulled that off with his Eugene Trilogy, but how many people remember Bring Back Birdie, the sequel to Bye Bye Birdie that closed after four performances on Broadway.

I kept thinking that the male lead in English looked familiar. I was correct. Pej Vahdat played Arastoo Vaziri on Bones for eight years.

A fair amount of the play, which takes place in a classroom in Iran where adult students are learning English, is in Farsi, except not really. If you go see it, you’ll understand what I mean, though it may take you a couple minutes, as it did for most everyone at the performance. In any event, don’t think that you have to spend a year learning the language before seeing the show, though you could brush up before the play’s anticipated Broadway arrival in December.

The Nacirema Society – Goodman Theatre – October 8, 2023

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The last time I saw E. Faye Butler she was starring as Rose in Gypsy for Porchlight Music Theatre. Her turn in The Nacirema Society as Grace DuBose Dunbar, the matriarch of quite a different family from the . . . , wait a second, do Rose and her kids even have last names in Gypsy? Unlike the real people upon whom those characters were based, I don’t think so.

Grace does.  It’s the prestigious one of an upper class family in Montgomery, Alabama in 1964, and one that she overbearingly, like Rose, wants her, in this case granddaughter, to do proud.

Instead of the part being a vehicle for Butler to highlight her substantial singing skills, it’s one for her to demonstrate her considerable comedic chops. There was great music, however, in the form of partial Motown recordings played during each scene change. I know at least one critic complained that it made the play too long. I liked it, couldn’t stop bobbing my head.

The first act brought a lot of setup and some laughs, but, more noticeable to me, were the many times that the audience reacted with something between an ooh and an oy when confronted with conversations featuring uncomfortable humor. This isn’t a criticism, just an observation of the presence of shock value. I liked it and everyone else seemed to also.

The second act brought the house down. One guffaw after another, and not just from the dialogue, as Shariba Rivers, in the role of Jessie, the maid, was given license to do a lot of upstaging, literally and figuratively, via comedic facial expressions and body language. I left with a smile on my face.

The Who’s Tommy the Musical – Goodman Theatre – June 24, 2023

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A year after The Who released their album Tommy, I saw them perform it live at the Auditorium Theater. I had trouble hearing for two days thereafter, but I didn’t care.

With that memory in mind, I thought about bringing ear plugs to the musical, but decided against it, though I was told afterward that the Goodman had them available for audience members, apparently out of my line of sight.

It was loud, though not nearly as loud as the concert had been, and, again, I didn’t care, and don’t appear to have any residual hearing loss.

I came for the music, and was rewarded with not only a tremendous orchestra, but also a great cast, terrific choreography and incredible set design, which included all kinds of amazing light displays. This production is very special, unlike anything I’ve seen before.

The Pinball Wizard scene that closes the first act is itself worth the price of admission, but I’ll also give a shout out to the way in which the paratroopers’ actions were depicted near the opening of the show.

When the full cast started singing the finale, the audience couldn’t contain itself any longer, standing en masse and cheering well before the song ended, which I suppose also could have been reflective of a need for movement given how cold it was in the theater. It’s always something.

The show has been extended to the end of July. See it, feel it.

Toni Stone – Goodman Theatre – February 16, 2023

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The program states that Toni Stone was the first woman to play as a regular on an American big-league professional baseball team, while at the same time parenthetically admitting that the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League preceded her achievement. Huh? I guess they meant to say to play on a men’s professional baseball team.

According to a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Stone, while first, was one of twelve Black women who played in the Negro Leagues because they were denied the chance to play in the women’s league. It’s Toni’s story, so we never heard about the others.

Except for the audience’s imagination, the set was the infield and scoreboard of a baseball diamond, which starts out as a nice visual, but then mostly provides the backdrop for a series of interspliced scenes attempting to depict game action, while actually adding nothing. As with movie monsters, things that aren’t seen are often the most powerful depictions.

Of course, the play isn’t really about baseball, and the second act provided some needed visual variety by ingeniously using the bleachers to simulate the bus used by the team, with home plate as the steering wheel.

And Stone’s interactions with Millie, conceptualized as being away from the field, were the best thing in the show.

If the object of the play was to make me curious about Toni Stone, it succeeded. If it was to add to the conversation about the various issues it addressed, then I would suggest that it worked the pitcher to a full count, but struck out swinging, with the bases loaded. Wait til next year.

Clyde’s – Goodman Theatre – October 1, 2022

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I didn’t think to count, but, according to the program, there were 21 sandwiches in this play, set in the kitchen of a truck stop eatery.

The last play I saw with this much food on stage was Sweeney Todd. That time the food wasn’t actually what it was alleged to be in the show (I hope).

Similarly, I doubt that all the ingredients suggested in Clyde’s were as stated, but, this time, I suspect, for convenience and budgetary sakes, not to avoid criminal prosecution.

But that doesn’t mean that the Goodman is cutting corners, as evidenced by the quote in the program from the props supervisor, who had to decide things like, “how many pickles do I need.”

If she messes up and there are too many leftovers, do they take it out of her pay? And I wonder how much food they went through in rehearsals. Did the actors ask to redo scenes so that they could eat more?

Speaking of the cast, their fine performances were highlighted by the fact that no one said their lines with their mouth full, which was particularly important in a performance without captioning.

Good Night, Oscar – Goodman Theatre – March 20, 2022

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Spoiler alert! In case you don’t know—I did—Sean Hayes was a musician before he was an actor or comedian, having studied piano performance in college, and working thereafter as a classical pianist. (It’s amazing the stuff you learn on the Internet when you have nothing else to do for two years.) He has musical chops.

What I didn’t know, but was glad to see, was how much time he must have spent studying all things Oscar Levant, so that he could emulate his tics and mannerisms as if they were his own. (After the performance I found and viewed on YouTube Levant’s final television appearance, as the mystery guest on What’s My Line, to confirm the accuracy of the depiction.)

Now, imagine Hayes playing Rhapsody in Blue while playing the quirky Levant at the height of his mental health issues and drug addiction. Chopsticks would be tough under those conditions.

This is the seventh Goodman show I’ve mentioned in my blog. Regulars may remember that I haven’t been too kind in regard to four of those prior productions. In my defense, they weren’t kind to me either. But this one had everything, including actual Levant insights like “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.”

The Music Man – The Goodman Theatre – July 7, 2019

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I would rather see a Neil Simon play than one by Shakespeare, so it should come as no surprise that I smiled for two and a half hours while watching The Music Man (despite what I considered a rather drab performance by the leading man), just knowing, that at some point, the Wells Fargo Wagon would be coming down the street, to the roars of the audience, creating even more excitement than an Amazon delivery.

I didn’t find the play dated. To me, River City is like Brigadoon, a pastoral place, frozen in time, that seems uninviting if you’re a cynical New Yorker or an anvil salesman, like the ten-time Jeff-nominated, scene-stealing Matt Crowle, but, eventually, idyllic, if you’re Tommy Albright in Brigadoon, or Harold Hill, who realizes that there was nothing till there was Marian, and the beautiful singing voice of Monica West.

When Hill jumps off the train, it reminds me of the passenger, who definitely didn’t know the territory, in the Twilight Zone episode A Stop at Willoughby, a place around the bend, when he jumped into “sunlight and serenity.”

The Music Man features a wonderful group of townspeople that fittingly includes three of the actors I last saw auditioning for roles in Porchlight Music Theatre’s production of A Chorus Line in May. No solos for them this time, but Laura Savage and Adrienne Velasco-Storrs, along with Ayana Strutz (great name for a dancer), help light up the stage.

I don’t know if Meredith Wilson, through Professor Hill, introduced the “think method” of learning to play an instrument as a wink and a nod to the then incipient Suzuki method of instruction, but Rock Island and Ya Got Trouble are still my favorite rap songs.

Seventy-Six Trombones is the signature song of the show, but the best line is Hill’s concession that he always thinks there’s a band. With a nod to another show, that should be everyone’s new philosophy.