'Syracuse' Adaptation is Oakbrook's 3rd Straight Homer!

Coming on the heels of a very well-received production of "Sweet Charity," and an even better-received (and transferring downtown) mounting of "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story," young producers Kyle and Drew DeSantis and Artistic Director William Osetek are on a roll with their Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace revisal of Rodgers and Hart's "The Boys from Syracuse." Opening August 14th and playing through the end of September, the show has been rewritten by director/choreographer David H. Bell, and it is a fine updating of a once popular show, one where the performances, not the rewriting, are the stars of the evening. Perhaps that's as it should be. More than any other single factor, the performers here make this show a highly enjoyable late summer confection to be savored by young and old alike. 

Bell, a power on the more innovative side of Chicago's musical theater scene for a number of years, and successful in Washington D.C. and elsewhere, nationally and internationally ("Hot Mikado," "Elmer Gantry," "Pictures in the Hall" and the recent "Knute Rockne: All American," for example), states in his program notes that he has directed four productions of "The Boys from Syracuse" and seven productions of its source material, William Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors." As therefore perhaps the world's most experienced authority on staging the farcical doings of two sets of identical twin boys in a fairy-tale version of Ephesus (though it frequently feels like a 1938 Manhattan nightclub here), he has gone back to both Shakespeare's play and George Abbott's 1938 musical book, raiding the Rodgers and Hart songbook for a few extra musical numbers and losing some original ones along the way.

With the permission of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization (and, one presumes, the estates of Rodgers, Hart and Abbott-all of whom retain their original credits here), Bell has clearly created a version of this show that other theaters can and should utilize. With no overture, no scene changes and no front curtain, the production certainly feels up-to-date. And overall, it has an intimate, fresh feel, remarkable for a seventy-year-old show in a 971-seat theater.

The songs fit so well in the adapted script that there is never a sense of "Oh, God, someone's going to start singing," like one feels in certain recent musical endeavors. A few of the ensemble production numbers stop the action a little too much, but the songs for the leading characters are remarkably well set-up and thought through. And what songs!  "This Can't Be Love" and "Falling in Love with Love" just can't be beat, and "He and She," "Sing for Your Supper" and the lovely male quartet "Big Brother" seem nearly as good. The musical adaptation, by musical director/orchestrator/conductor/pianist Keith Dworkin (additional arrangements by Rob Bowman), fits the revised script like a glove, though there are several extended instrumental sections (dance music and underscoring) that seem simply unfinished, in that a solo piano plays beautifully but alone when surely a fuller instrumentation would be more effective. (Perhaps Dworkin simply ran out of time, as there are nine musicians in the show's covered orchestra pit.)

The scenic design by Sally Weiss is a lovely town square, Shakespeare's Globe crossed with either a detailed theme park or an opulent Las Vegas indoor shopping mall. While providing the large cast of 27 triple-threat performers ample entrance and exit opportunities, an unfortunate correlary of the scenic concept forced leading lady Susan Moniz to spend what seemed like the entire first act of opening night on top of the stage right balcony. (She sang a lovely high note there.) That wasn't entirely Weiss's fault, of course. Lighting designer Jesse Klug kept a fine balance of reality and fantasy going on, and handled day and night beautifully. Many of the costumes by Tatjana Radisic were lovely and showed off the cast to great advantage, thought there were some isolated misfires in the execution of the East-meets-West concept.

One other technical complaint before I move on to complimenting the fantastic cast-whoever edited Bell's "Director's Notes" must have spent too much time watching the no-doubt-entertaining rehearsals, because the thing is littered with mistakes. "Oklahoma!" opened in 1943, not 1941, and "The Dessert Song" is really "The Desert Song."  And I assume the reference to "The Princes Musicals" should be "the 'Princess Theatre musicals.'" Of course, if a few typos are the worst mistakes of the night then the evening was a great success-and it was. But for the record, the scholarship that went into this production is too extensive to allow mistakes like this to creep into the production's "Playbill." 

But now, to that spectacular triple-threat cast! The talk of the rest of this month in Chicago should be the remarkable leading performance of Ryan Reilly as Antipholus of Syracuse. Tim Gregory was originally announced for the role, but had to withdraw from the show. Reilly, the understudy, really stepped up to the plate opening night, with sure-footed dancing, fine enough singing, charming and affecting acting and first-class looks. Is he the younger version of James Rank that Chicago's musical theater community has been waiting to discover? Time will tell, but he will have many opportunities to prove himself once casting directors see his performance here.

The better-known Rod Thomas was excellent as the other Antipholus twin, leading the men's ensemble in more physical shtick than one would almost think possible, and singing beautifully. And Andrew Keltz and Devin DeSantis were both riotously funny as the respective twin servants, the Dromios, with DeSantis showing some fine singing as well. Bernie Yvon was moving and funny as the aging Aegeon.

As for the ladies, the above-mentioned (and above-dwelling) Susan Moniz was as polished as ever as the Ephesian Antipholus's long-suffering wife, Adriana. As her sister, Luciana, Tiffany Topol showed a fine soubrette. The third lady, Luce (the one who ends up with two of the men), was brought to hilarious and bosomy life by Melody Betts. (It is worth noting that Moniz has appeared at the Drury Lane before [with good reason], but the other two are new to the west suburban stage.) Also noteworthy was Dorrey Lyles as The Courtesan and the Pas de Deux dancing pair of Jarret Ditch and Cara Salerno, who received extended applause from the opening crowd of well-wishers and theater regulars. That's always nice to experience.

When all is said and done, this production is clearly a funny and uplifting crowd-pleaser, and it should do quite well for those audience members looking for a light-hearted night out in the dog days of summer. In addition, Rodgers and Hart fans (and George Abbott fans, for that matter) owe it to themselves to see Bell's auteur rendering of this legendary work. Many thanks to Bell, Dworkin, the Drury Lane team and the spirited cast of top-flight Chicago musical comedy talent. Put the word out: the boys from Syracuse are in town, and they are delightful!

"The Boys from Syracuse" by George Abbott, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Book Adapted by David H. Bell, Music Adapted by Keith Dworkin, plays Wednesday through Sundays in a new production directed and choreographed by David H. Bell at the Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, now through September 28, 2008. For tickets, call 630-530-0111 or visit www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.

Photos: Ryan Reilly and Andrew Keltz, Rod Thomas and the men's ensemble, Ryan Reilly and Tiffany Topol, Rod Thomas and the men's ensemble. Photo credit: Johnny Knight

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