Review: Chicago Premiere of GLORY DAYS Captures Sweet Agony of Adolescent Friendship

Refuge Theatre Project's production of contemporary musical GLORY DAYS may be the only show I ever see that features four male actors drinking Natty Ice onstage. And yet in a musical about four best high school friends who reunite for the first time after their freshman year away at college, this seems like a perfectly natural activity. In moments like this, GLORY DAYS accurately and earnestly captures that in-between space between childhood and adulthood, and the odd feeling when home no longer feels like home but college doesn't yet feel comfortable, either. But like the adolescent characters in the musical, young composer-lyricists Nick Blaemire and James Gardner's musical suffers from some growing pains.

GLORY DAYS debuted on Broadway in 2008, where it lasted 17 previews and one regular performance. And though the Circle in the Square is one of Broadway's more intimate theaters, director Matt Dominguez's staging on the third floor of the Flatiron Arts Building in Wicker Park provides a more apt setting for GLORY DAYS. In fact, I don't think I've ever sat closer to the actors than I did at this production. And as the theater encourages audiences to BYOB the performance, theatergoers can drink right alongside the actors. This intimate setting suits GLORY DAYS well and adds to that pervading sense of both joy and anxiety that the four friends feel upon their reunion.

GLORY DAYS introduces us to four nerdy best friends, who bonded in high school during (unsuccessful) football tryouts and have since then functioned as their own kind of team. Each of the four friends plays his role in the group dynamic, and unfortunately, their distinct personalities border on the archetypal. I wished for a bit more nuance in the character development. There's Will (Brad Atkinson), who observes the dynamic of the friendship and writes down his thoughts in an old-fashioned black and white composition book. Though he is incredibly shy, Will controls the narrative in GLORY DAYS and becomes the lens through which the audience views the show. Then there's Andy (Roy Brown), a slightly homophobic frat boy prone to skipping class. Rounding out the group are the intelligent hipster Skip (William Rude) and the reserved Jack (Hunter Lindner).

Blaemire and Gardner have nicely captured the jargon of adolescent male friendship, which lends an air of authenticity to the show. Andy is prone to using the word "totes" as an embellishment to his language, and the boys call each other all sorts of names throughout the musical's proceedings. This language factors into the musical numbers as well, though sometimes to cringe-worthy effect, as in the song where Andy and Will proclaim they've had "girls by the balls" in college. The music also has that familiar pop-rock sound of contemporary musicals that gives it a conversational feel, yet I wished for more variation in the score.

GLORY DAYS draws its strength from the earnest, winsome performances of the four actors. Lindner, Atkinson, Brown, and Rude are all fine singers - and sound especially strong when they harmonize as a group. The fine acting chops on display here also help elevate the occasionally cliché nature of the characters and the language. Though Andy seems on paper to be a stereotypical frat boy, the authentic emotions that Brown displays in his performance make the character seem real. And while Skip's song "Generation Apathy" seems a tad didactic, Rude bestows a sense of real urgency to it. Lindner is especially sweet as Jack. And as Will, Atkinson fully makes the audience believe in his character's desire to maintain the strong dynamic among the four friends - though why anyone would tout high school as the "glory type days" eludes me.

GLORY DAYS revels in the liminal space of adolescence and keenly captures both the uncertainty and excitement of that moment. As rendered by the four actors in Refuge Theatre Project's production, GLORY DAYS nicely depicts the uncertainty of high school friendships as they move into college. Like adolescence itself, GLORY DAYS is not the most polished or musically sophisticated show out there, but the actors truly give the show their all - and can still sing well even after having a couple Natty Ices each.

Refuge Theatre Project's GLORY DAYS plays at Collaboration in the Flatiron Arts Building, 1579 North Milwaukee, Third Floor, through September 20. Tickets are $20. www.refugetheatre.com.

Photo Credit: Matt Arauz

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