Saturday night, February 6. We made the trek up to Chicago to see Refuge Theatre Company's production of "High Fidelity" - the musical version of the film with music by Tom Kitt who went on to write Next To Normal and Amanda Green (daughter of Phyllis Newman and Adolph Green). I'd wanted to see a production. The show is not in a theater. Instead, Refuge rented a space and converted it into a "record store" - and an "apartment". They had to hang their own lights - figure out sound balance - place the band so it wouldn't overwhelm the actors. The technical achievement, alone, is worthy of praise. Except, be warned. The theater space is up at least two flights of stairs - thin, tall stairs. (On the plus side, two exceptional Chicago Italian restaurants are around the corner - Piccolo Sogno and La Scarola (where we did eat!)
Top Five Things about High Fidelity
1. Stephen Garrett as Dick. The most
consistent character. He was Dick at all times. An absolute
delight.
2.
Caitlin Jackson as Liz. She owns the stage
whenever on it. Her voice may have been tired for “She Goes” but she sold
it.
3.
Use of Space/Lighting - The lighting by
Jessica Doyle was particularly impressive.
4.
Band – Tight. The cello and trumpet parts
of the show were well done.
5.
Max DeTogne as Rob. He has charisma.
He makes you root for him. Although some in our party felt he did
most of his dialog in the same sing-song pattern.
Bottom Five Things about High Fidelity
1.
Liz Chidester as Laura. In Act One, she
was just flat in lines and song. Little energy or emotion. No
reaction. Number Five with a Bullet was oddly lifeless. She
warmed up a bit for Act Two, but not enough to make up for Act One, where she
was a Laura that Rob should have been happy to be without.
2.
Male Ensemble. Not bad – just not
memorable. The women owned them.
3.
Tony Carter as Ian. It felt like he
was acting – just hitting prescribed beats. Ian may be a caricature, but
he has to seem a little bit real. We saw an actor – not an Ian.
4.
Stairs. Quite a shlep up.
5.
Springsteen/Young impressions. These were
disappointing. The Springsteen was way off. Not enough gravel in
the voice.
Note: People sitting behind us were commenting on the
director sitting in the front row and, inadvertently, drawing attention to
himself. He was visibly enjoying the show more than other audience
members. The people behind us were wondering what effect his close
proximity was having on the actors.
Another note: Because the actors are so close to the audience,
it was more apparent that the actors looked too young for their roles.
Yet another note: My daughter said she heard the cast chatting before the show about having had a late night the night before, drinking and being out in the cold too long. So, maybe that had an effect?
Bottom Line: Tickets were $20 ($22.09 with online fees). The space is small - seating for maybe 60. The show is being promoted as BYOB - the theatre company is providing glasses, bottle openers and ice. We brought "Not Your Dad's Root Beer." High Fidelity plays through February and is worth a trip. Website is here: Refuge Theatre Project's High Fidelity
No comments:
Post a Comment