'Show Us Your Love' Is A Tasty And Rewarding Sampler Of American Musical Theater

Playing on Sunday nights in February and March in Mary's Attic, that casual and funky space above Hamburger Mary's restaurant in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood, is the equally casual and funky "Show Us Your Love," a fundraiser cum audience development activity cum consumer survey vehicle that has somehow morphed into a performance event on its own very enjoyable terms.

Featuring a cast of eight and an orchestra of three, "Show Us Your Love" includes songs and the occasional dialogue snippet from nine different musicals, each purportedly under consideration for the 2010-2011 season by the "new, reorganized" theater collective known as Bailiwick Chicago. The response, and the vibe, have been so strong for this show that the company has doubled the length of the run, and it may, just may, become an annual part of Bailiwick's performance schedule.

The shows sampled in the diverse yet mysteriously unified evening include three well-known Broadway musicals (in chronological order: HAIR, PIPPIN and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE), two lesser known Broadway musicals (BARNUM and BROOKLYN), and four Off-Broadway musicals (CLOSER THAN EVER, FLOYD COLLINS, SUMMER OF '42 and SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED). The night's encore is a brief rendition of "Fortune Favors The Brave" from AIDA, already announced to be produced this July.

Cast members are each given a chance to shine, and take turns singing back-up for each other as well (all in character, mind you--this is not a stool-based songbook revue). Audience members are asked to mark a paper ballot as to which shows they would want to see as full productions, and the results of this voting, it is said, "will influence Bailiwick Chicago's show selections for future seasons." And, as Mary's Attic is really a cabaret space, with tables, chairs, couches and stools, audiences have the opportunity to purchase food and drink during the show. What's not to love? 

Really, considering how this could easily have been an awkward mush of disparate styles, or an even more awkward plea for money or attention, the show (running just over an hour, with no intermission) is somewhat multi-layered, frequently transporting and nearly always riveting. What are they going to sing next? Who are they going to be? Which performer will take the lead? How many costume add-ons do they have back there? And what, exactly, is the meaning of the graphics that play on the video screens mounted on the walls to the sides of the pocket-sized playing area? 

Director Kate Garassino has given the evening the feel of a late 19th century living room musicale, updated to right now and transformed into musical theater terms. Choreographer Christopher Pazdernik has supplied frequently witty dance moves and a vocabulary of insider physicality for our friends, the cast, to perform for us, their lucky best friends. And the very busy musical director Robert Ollis has somehow melded the music of ten or so different composers so that it sounds, well, not exactly alike, but rather as if it all were coming from the same part of the universe--no small feat, I am sure. Properties were designed by Kyle A. Gibson, costumes are the work of Julie Burt Nichols (accessories and hats by Love, Lulu Mae) and lighting and sound were designed by Michael Dunbar. 

The production's 19 songs are all winningly sung, thoroughly acted and frequently danced by the four women and four men who make up the accomplished young cast. PIPPIN's "Corner of the Sky" was perhaps the single best vocal performance of the show, by the big and blond Mark LeBeau, Jr. Button-cute Sean Effinger-Dean and the formidable new-to-Chicago Emily B. Macomber made a nice case for SUMMER OF '42 with the well-sung and acted duet, "Someone To Dance With Me," a classic "I Want" song. Matthew W. Miles came on strong for BARNUM's "There's A Sucker Born Ev'ry Minute," though in this and in other spots he reminded the audience that it had been a week since the show was last performed. The magnetic Eric Martin led the full ensemble in two sexy and tribal numbers from HAIR, flanking a truly touching rendition of "Frank Mills" by blonde Brittany Townsley. 

The big ballad from BROOKLYN, "Once Upon A Time" was given a rousing ending by the lovely and talented Jill Sesso, though she had some difficulty connecting emotionally with the audience and could not be heard in the softer, lower parts of her register. Eric and Sean left us wanting more SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED, and the funny, big and beautiful Abby E. Sammons performed well all night, particularly in "Miss Byrd" from CLOSER THAN EVER. Only the numbers from FLOYD COLLINS made me wonder why I liked my memories of the show more than I did the excerpts presented. But this was forgiven when, with only a couple of props and not a scene designer in sight, "Sunday" from SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE reminded everyone of the power of the imagination, the song, the gesture, the creative force. 

If you like musicals, particularly the smaller, newer kind, and if you like getting to know the performers and the company that may well help shape musical theater in Chicago's off-Loop community in the foreseeable future, get thee to "Show Us Your Love." These are experienced professionals, doing work they love, and witnessing them stretching their late winter, recession-weary chops is a reward and a privilege. You will learn, you will feel, you will revel. Love is being shown. 

"Show Us Your Love" by Bailiwick Chicago will play every Sunday through March 28, 2010 at 7:30pm at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark St, in Chicago. Tickets ($25 for reserved seating, $15 for unreserved seating) are available at www.bailiwickchicago.com, or at the door on the night of each performance.

Photograph of Eric Martin courtesy of Bailiwick Chicago

To post a comment, you must register and login.