You’ve Got a Friend

Beautiful—The Carole King Musical

The Highland Park Players have once again proven to Chicagoland that they’re much more than simply another community theatre. In this, my fourth visit to one of this company’s professionally produced musicals, I was entranced by the talent and sheer showmanship of their current production. BEAUTIFUL—THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL is a treat, from start to finish. The Players’ presentation of this bouncy biopic musical, which is pure theatrical joy, totally draws the audience into its catchy music and captivating story. Under Catherine Davis’ expert direction, this exceptional production is, well, beautiful!

Beginning with the artist’s formative years, BEAUTIFUL celebrates the brilliant career of singer/songwriter and musical legend, Carole King. Douglas McGrath’s libretto depicts the many ups and downs experienced by this modest and gifted artist. From a precocious 16-year-old, who skipped two grades in high school to study music education at local Queens College, to her first published and recorded hit song, “It Might as Well Rain Until September,” we watch a talented young woman grow from a sharp kid into a wonderfully wise woman.

Through her whirlwind romance with first love and longtime collaborator, lyricist Gerry Goffin, to their early marriage and the arrival of their two daughters, Carole King hones her talent and learns all the tricks of the trade for surviving in the music business. Eventually Carole also comes to realize that she’s been denying the obvious, all along. Gerry is revealed to be manic depressive and his violent, unexpected mood swings, along with a continual need for something new and different, coupled with a wandering eye for the ladies, leads to a rocky married life.

Along the way to the top, Carole develops a close business relationship and friendship with music publisher Don Kirshner. She also becomes best friends with fellow songwriters Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, while composing hit songs for the Shirelles, the Drifters, Janelle Woods, Little Eva and The Righteous Brothers, among many others. Although she worked tirelessly to make her marriage work, Carole finally comes to the realization that her tumultuous relationship with Gerry has become toxic. In order to find her own voice, Ms. King eventually leaves him and begins a new life in Los Angeles. It’s there that Carole King develops her true sound, while writing and recording the songs for her first album, Tapestry. The musical closes as it began, simply, with Carole King, performing solo on a baby grand at Carnegie Hall, joyfully playing and singing her gorgeous musical monologues of self-discovery.

BEAUTIFUL is under the sharp and skillful direction of Catherine Davis, whose adept work has been enjoyed through over 25 production with the Highland Park Players. What the audience is treated to is a polished, energetic, toe-tapping version of the popular, 2014 Broadway hit. The musical earned three Tony Awards, deservedly winning both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Chicago area phenom, Jesse Mueller, as Best Leading Actress in a Musical. At least two National Tours have visited Chicago, and now the Highland Park Players are presenting their own outstanding version.

Chocked full of songs from the 60’s and early 70’s, the score features such pop hits as “So Far Away,” “Take Good Care of My Baby,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “Up on the Roof,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “One Fine Day,” “Chains,” “On Broadway,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” “Uptown,” “It’s Too Late,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and the joyful, “You’ve Got a Friend.”

Talented Anna Marie Abbate returns to the Highland Park Players in a role that she seems born to play. This lovely musical actress is simply stunning. Ms. Abbate is terrific in capturing Carole King’s subtle nuances, both in her singing, dialogue and mastery of the piano. Her scenes with handsome and charismatic actor/singer Al Katz-Mariani, as Gerry Goffin, are at once romantic, often humorous and eventually dramatic. The always excellent Britain Shutters, whose trained vocals are so smooth and powerful, makes a delightfully droll Cynthia Weil; and Roberto Mata is in fine voice and very funny as hypochondriac composer, and Cynthia’s love interest, Barry Mann. Robin Trevino is funny, fatherly and especially caring as record producer, Don Kirshner; and Kim Buck brings some feisty, well-timed humor to Carole’s meddling mother, Genie Klein.

A particularly gifted musical ensemble sparkles and glitters in this production, both vocally and dramatically. They sound fantastic under Anna Wegener’s professional music direction and look great in Victoria Jablonski’s perfect period costumes and stylish wig and hair designs. Joe Brhel’s versatile scenic design is festooned with records and microphones. The various pianos and various home and office furnishings arrive and depart the stage with ease, thanks to the cast. The show is lit with pop pizzazz by Kurt Ottinger, and talented choreographer Annie Snow keeps the show in continual motion with her exciting, 1960’s-style dance moves.

Celebrating an amazing 39 years of excellence, Highland Park Players’ new production is an enjoyable and jubilant biographical musical from start to finish. No one will leave the theatre wishing for more because this talented company leaves it all on the stage. This deceptively challenging, proudly presented production of BEAUTIFUL—THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL features a large cast of the very best actor/singer/dancers in the Chicagoland area. Catherine Davis’ expert guidance and staging, along with Anna Wegener’s brilliant musical direction, and her talented onstage orchestra, as well as Annie Snow’s sparkling choreography, are a summertime gift to the audience.

The award-winning musical features an array of gorgeous, beloved pop and rock songs that are a BEAUTIFUL blast from the past. And the entire talented company creates an exciting, well-performed tribute to the great Carole King. This is a production that reminds theatergoers that, through America’s many talented musical artists and their great music, “You’ve Got a Friend.”

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented July 17-26 by the Highland Park Players at the McGrath Performing Arts Center, 3461 Illinois Rd.,
Wilmette, IL.

Tickets are available at the door or by going to www.highlandparkplayers.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.

Photos from the Highland Park Players

Larger than Life

& Juliet

Riddle me this: What if Shakespeare’s most famous romantic tragedy had ended differently? At the top of this musical, we meet Elizabethan playwright, Will Shakespeare (handsomely portrayed by charismatic CJ Eldred (BOOK OF MORMON, ROCK OF AGES). We’re at the opening night of his latest play, THE TRAGEDY OF ROMEO AND JULIET. Will is depicted like a mega popular rockstar, who’s worshipped by his many adoring fans (“Larger Than Life”). Suddenly, Will is surprised to find his wife, Anne Hathaway, among his groupies. She’s played by the beautiful and brilliantly talented Crystal Kellogg (SCHOOL OF ROCK, FINDING NEVERLAND). It seems that Anne has hired a sitter back in Stratford to watch their two daughters, so that she could attend her husband’s premiere in London. But when Anne learns how this story is going to end, she emphatically tells her husband that his drama could use a rewrite. However, Will strongly disagrees (“I Want It That Way”).

Thus begins this engaging, original, very inventive, “Larger Than Life” jukebox musical, currently back in Chicago for another two-week visit. This new production once again dazzles and delights throughout its two acts of spirited storytelling, powerful pop songs and creative choreography. Playwright David West Read, the Emmy Award-winning writer of  “Schitt’s Creek,” has crafted an original, clever and incredibly entertaining script that turns Shakespeare’s tragedy about two young, star-crossed lovers into a side-splitting comedy that also promotes girl power and equality for everyone. 

The show is a tuneful, toe-tapping musical that’s filled with contemporary themes as modern as today’s news. 

Mr. Read has fashioned his comedy into a clever jukebox musical, liberally laced with an infectious score with witty lyrics by prolific composer, Max Martin. All the songs in this show were originally written by Martin for pop stars like Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry, Pink and many others. Amazingly the songs neatly fit into the story, and most of the audience will actually know the music. All of this makes for an entertaining, energetic musical comedy that boasts a powerful message for everyone.

Anne Hathaway goes on to argue with her husband that she’s tired of his female characters always dying while the men get to live. So Anne proposes to rewrite the script. She asks, “What if Juliet doesn’t die? What if she awakens from her sleeping potion and, finding her beloved Romeo dead (“…Baby One More Time”), leaves the tomb and decides to continue with her life?” So Anne takes up her husband’s quill pen and proceeds to rewrite his tragedy on the spot, giving the play a comic and playfully feminist twist.

In Anne’s new version Juliet attends Romeo’s funeral, and discovers that she wasn’t his only true love. Among the gathering of mourners, both women and men profess to have been Romeo’s paramours. So what’s a girl to do? Well, in the hands of lovely, young, immensely talented triple-threat named Fabiola Caraballo Quijada (the 2025 winner of the Jimmy Award, and in her very first Broadway National Tour), Juliet first belts out “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.” 

Then the girl assembles her posse of friends. They include Angelique, her Nurse, portrayed once again in her second National Tour of this musical by powerhouse Broadway singer and comedian, Kathryn Allison (COMPANY, WICKED). In addition Juliet invites May, her alluring, larger-than-life non-binary friend, nicely played by Nico Ochoa (HEAD OVER HEELS, ROCKY HORROR), in a sensational, star-making performance. And last, but definitely not least, her new bestie, April—an original character that Anne Hathaway has written just for herself. The four friends then head off to Paris (“Show Me Love”), and that’s when things really start to get interesting.

At a Parisian party, Juliet and May meet young musician, Francois, portrayed with geeky candor by the handsome and talented Noah Marlowe (BOOK OF MORMON, ACT ONE), and they both fall for him. Frankie, as Juliet nicknames her new friend, is kind of shy, very inexperienced and not sure if he’s into women or men. Then we meet Lance, who is Frankie’s Father. He’s played by former NSYNC star, Joey Fatone (RENT, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS), with excellent comic timing, an authentic French accent and that familiar boyband voice and charm. Lance has been pressuring his son to marry, so Francois thinks that maybe he and Juliet should wed…but he’s not really in love with her. To Francois, May seems much more desirable, especially after locking lips (“I Kissed a Girl”).

The plot thickens when Lance delights in discovering that Angelique, his old flame, is back in Paris. So he tries to rekindle their romance (“Teenage Dream”/“Break Free”). Shakespeare isn’t thrilled with his wife’s radical changes to his script. To complicate matters even further, Will decides to resurrect Romeo and bring his protagonist back from the dead to woo Juliet (“It’s My Life”). Shakespeare’s motive is to provide the happy ending that he thinks his wife wants (“Oops…I Did It Again”). The clueless Romeo is played with humor and vocal prowess by dapper Joseph Torres (MEAN GIRLS).

The story continues with Lord and Lady Capulet’s arrival in Paris to bully their daughter, May’s disappointment with Frankie for deciding to marry Juliet, Romeo rekindling feelings of love in Juliet and Juliet having second thoughts about wedding Frankie. Anne and Will quarrel over how blind Shakespeare seems to be concerning his wife’s feelings. Anne accuses Shakespeare of loving his art more than her. She begins to think that maybe the love has left their union and, like Juliet, she should go off her own without him. The musical continues with even more bouncy hits, like “Since U Been Gone,” “Whataya Want From Me,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” “That’s the Way It Is,” “Shape of My Heart,” “Fuckin’ Perfect,” “Stronger” and “Roar.”

Once again, director Luke Sheppard’s stages a briskly-paced production. The show’s energetically choreographed like a music video by Jennifer Weber and is musically directed Mark Binns, who also conducts a talented 7-member backstage musical combo. Soutra Gilmour’s chromatic, continually-changing scenic design works hand-in-hand with Andrzej Goulding’s electrifying video & projection design and Howard Hudson’s concert-style lighting. But it’s the marvelous mashup of Elizabethan and fashion trends from the 90’s that make Paloma Young’s costumes so cleverly delightful. Enhanced by stylish hair, wigs and makeup by J. Jared Janas and you have the complete visual package. It should be mentioned that the original 2020 Broadway production earned 9 Tony Award nominations. 

& JULIET, in its second visit to the Windy City, is just as exciting and fun. Every inch a true Broadway production, the National Tour is only playing here for two weeks. It’s not only a comedic and clever reimagining of Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET, it’s an infectiously tuneful musical that features a great score of 30 pop hits from the 1990’s. The cast is strong, including a talented, hardworking ensemble, whose choreographic talent and harmonic vocals will astound every theatergoer. And this musical is particularly noteworthy in that the company, as well as the lead characters, look like real people from every walk of life. This includes a positive portrayal of gay and non-binary folks who finally get to enjoy their own happily ever after. All-in-all, Broadway in Chicago has once again delivered another magical musical that’s “Larger Than Life.”   

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented July 22-August 2 by Broadway in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Pkwy, Chicago.

Tickets are available at all Broadway in Chicago box offices, by calling the Chicago Ticket Line at 800-775-2000 or by going to www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.

Photos by Evan Zimmerman 

Genuine Winners

Good People

After suddenly losing her minimum wage-paying job, Margaret (affectionately called Margie, with a hard “g”), a middle-age single mom struggling to make ends meet in South Boston, needs to find work fast. Margie pleads with Stevie, the young manager of the Dollar Store, to give her one more chance. When begging doesn’t work, Margie unloads her problems on her two best friends, Dottie and Jean. As Margie’s landlady, as well as her babysitter, Dottie is brutally honest about the shoddy situation. If Margaret can’t come up with the rent for her modest apartment, Dottie’s going to let her married son move into it. Then Margie and her adult daughter with special needs will find themselves out on the street.

A Flash From the Past

Hair

It’s hard to believe that it’s been just shy of sixty years since the theatre world was first introduced to HAIR, Gerome Ragni and James Rado’s “Amcrican Tribal Love-Rock Musical.” The show is remembered for an infectious musical score by Galt McDermot and lyrics by Ragni and Rado. Joseph Papp wanted this brand new style of rock musical to open his new Public Theater in New York’s East Village. The show drew huge curious crowds and proved popular with theatergoers, but the antiwar musical didn’t immediately impress the critics. 

Love, Friendship and Individuality

A Year With Frog and Toad

I want you to meet two great friends. Toad is short, brown and a little on the stout side. While just as caring as his friend, Toad is more uptight, serious and a bit pessimistic. Frog is taller, green,  considerably more cheerful and easy going. While it would appear that these two couldn’t be more different from each other, you know what they always say? Opposites attract. In this delightful one-act musical that celebrates brotherly love, friendship and individuality, they do indeed. We get to share a full year with this pair of endearing amphibians who are different, but deeply devoted to each other. 

Finish the Fight and Keep Marching!

Suffs

Not many Americans know very much about the long, difficult  struggle it took to achieve Women’s Suffrage. All that is mentioned in most high school history textbooks is that “in 1920 the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationwide.” A few famous names may be mentioned, but the actual journey toward giving women equality is sadly simplified. The words “Suffrage” and “Suffragette” often pop up, but many people aren’t sure what those terms mean. They have nothing to do with suffering, as many believe. Suffrage simply means the legal right to vote in public political elections and referendums. And a Suffragette, or Suffragist, is a woman who advocated for women’s rights. But there’s a great deal more to learn from history about this bitter fight for gender equality. And, more importantly, while major advances have been made since 1920, equality for all women still isn’t a sure thing, even in 2026. The timely musical message that we hear repeated over and over again in SUFFS, is that we must “Finish the Fight” and “Keep Marching!”

One Hundred Ways

Men of Soul

There’s big news from the top, just as the incredibly entertaining and uplifting Black Ensemble Theater celebrates its 50th anniversary. Jackie Taylor is announcing that Daryl Brooks, the creative force behind so many of the theater’s wonderful, effervescent productions over the past 20 years, has been named Artistic Director. Congratulations to Mr. Brooks for this well-deserved achievement! And then, to illustrate why this talented young man is the perfect new face of the Black Ensemble Theater, the company has revived MEN OF SOUL, one of his thoroughly researched and most entertaining productions from the company’s archives of wonderful shows. 

Total Insanity

Iceboy!

Wacky! Bizarre! Absurd! Stupid! Those are some of the audience reactions heard on opening night, following the curtain call of ICEBOY! One patron commented that it was like seeing “All About Eve” on ice! I agree with all of these comments…and many more. At this point in time, like practically every show that’s had its eye on a successful Broadway run, ICEBOY! has already gone through countless script rewrites, musical tweaking and cast changes. As the production opens to Chicago audiences eager to see an original hilarious musical and live, comic performances by its two high profile stars, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. And there’s no denying that the supporting cast for stars Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman is equally as talented. These local actors all share high accolades for their versatile characterizations, comic timing and musicality. But at this stage in its development, ICEBOY! still has a couple problems to address before the show is ready for a New York audience.

The Power of the Vampire

St. Nicholas

In a commanding and brilliant tour de force, multitalented and prolific actor Kevin Webb delivers a one-man performance that completely captures the imagination of his audience. The two-act presentation is storytelling, at its best. Mr. Webb mesmerizes his audience and envelopes them in a frightening, sometimes humorous, tale of the supernatural. Through Kevin’s polished performance and ingenuity, he recounts a series of related events experienced by the nameless character he plays that, by the end of the evening, chronicles the power of the vampire.