Trash-talking 'Springer' sings at Bailiwick Theatre
Trash-talking 'Springer' sings at Bailiwick Theatre
By Chris Jones
Tribune theater critic
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Published May 17, 2007
"We eat, excrete and watch TV," warbles the Chicago chorus of vox populi in "Jerry Springer -- The Opera," a shrewd parody opera and a deft European attack on the puerile American tabloid mentality. "And you are there for us, Jerr-rey."
This trash-talking crowd performs clever music designed to ape something by Offenbach or Verdi. And just as Handel heralded the Messiah, so the studio audience at the "Jerry Springer Show" knows what they crave.
"Bring on the losers," they sing, like a bunch of hyper-up Midwestern gladiators.
And, boy, a crowd of spotlight-seeking losers does indeed show up, singing arias.
When I first saw "Springer" in London about four years ago, it was already a big deal. The show, with music by Richard Thomas and lyrics by Thomas and Stewart Lee, was the recipient of a major National Theatre premiere, followed by a successful commercial run in the West End. Thomas' score, an impressive mix of melodic insight and satirical smarts, was justly lauded. But stateside, no Broadway producer wanted the high-camp show -- in part because the tiresome second act is weaker than the first, but more because the show was thought too crude for those who would appreciate the musical satire, and too scornful to appeal to Springer's actual crowd. What was left was urban hipsters. And so the rights fell to the Bailiwick Repertory. And on Monday night, this progressive, non-Equity company on Chicago's North Side staged the "opera's" American premiere.
Bailiwick pulled it off in grand fashion.
Regular attendees of this typically low-budget theater will be blown away by the size and quality of the cast, the presence of a full band and the production values. Better yet, they'll be impressed by Gary Powell's musical direction and director David Zak's staging, which manages to surround the audience with a musical attack on all that Springer represents. Thus we are indicted for his popularity, which surely is what the authors would have wanted for a production in Springer's hometown.
It's crucial that the material be played straight -- the main gag here relies on the contrast between formative excellence and profane subject matter -- and that most assuredly is achieved.
Zak cast a large number of young performers with opera and classical voice backgrounds. And while you won't mistake the collective sound for an evening at the Lyric Opera, the singing is good enough to carry off the premise quite deliciously. And in a couple of cases, such as the fabulous Jeremy Rill as Jerry's Warm-Up Man (and Satan) and Jennifer T. Grubb's sweet-voiced Baby Jane, the performances are as good as I've ever seen at this theater.
As the host himself, Brian Simmons deftly captures Springer's ironic detachment. Thomas and Lee nail the central Springer paradox: The real Springer regards his cast of characters as members of a harmless freak show, and thus removes himself -- even as he knows he can't entirely remove himself, lest his income stream dry up. Simmons hits that mark. But he's also far too introspective. Springer is an ebullient personality, whereas Thomas' underscaled performance is dominated by his warm-up man, a power imbalance the real Springer never would let happen.
By the third act, which finds Springer in hell, you'll likely be ready for the final curtain. That was also true in London and, in fact, Zak's production does a better job of making the show's weaker last hour work. To a point. It would still have been smarter to lop off a good chunk.
In London, this show also smacked of smug anti-Americanism (ironic, in a city that publishes so many pay-for-trash tabloids). But in Chicago, the piece functions as a kind of campy self-meditation. Given the pleasures of the score and the audacity of the concept and execution, Bailiwick surely deserves to have a summer hit with its spunky Jerry Elesion. ---------- cjones5@tribune.com
- - -
"Jerry Springer -- The Opera"
When: Through July 8
Where: Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Tickets: $25-$40 at 773-883-1090
By Chris Jones
Tribune theater critic
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Published May 17, 2007
"We eat, excrete and watch TV," warbles the Chicago chorus of vox populi in "Jerry Springer -- The Opera," a shrewd parody opera and a deft European attack on the puerile American tabloid mentality. "And you are there for us, Jerr-rey."
This trash-talking crowd performs clever music designed to ape something by Offenbach or Verdi. And just as Handel heralded the Messiah, so the studio audience at the "Jerry Springer Show" knows what they crave.
"Bring on the losers," they sing, like a bunch of hyper-up Midwestern gladiators.
And, boy, a crowd of spotlight-seeking losers does indeed show up, singing arias.
When I first saw "Springer" in London about four years ago, it was already a big deal. The show, with music by Richard Thomas and lyrics by Thomas and Stewart Lee, was the recipient of a major National Theatre premiere, followed by a successful commercial run in the West End. Thomas' score, an impressive mix of melodic insight and satirical smarts, was justly lauded. But stateside, no Broadway producer wanted the high-camp show -- in part because the tiresome second act is weaker than the first, but more because the show was thought too crude for those who would appreciate the musical satire, and too scornful to appeal to Springer's actual crowd. What was left was urban hipsters. And so the rights fell to the Bailiwick Repertory. And on Monday night, this progressive, non-Equity company on Chicago's North Side staged the "opera's" American premiere.
Bailiwick pulled it off in grand fashion.
Regular attendees of this typically low-budget theater will be blown away by the size and quality of the cast, the presence of a full band and the production values. Better yet, they'll be impressed by Gary Powell's musical direction and director David Zak's staging, which manages to surround the audience with a musical attack on all that Springer represents. Thus we are indicted for his popularity, which surely is what the authors would have wanted for a production in Springer's hometown.
It's crucial that the material be played straight -- the main gag here relies on the contrast between formative excellence and profane subject matter -- and that most assuredly is achieved.
Zak cast a large number of young performers with opera and classical voice backgrounds. And while you won't mistake the collective sound for an evening at the Lyric Opera, the singing is good enough to carry off the premise quite deliciously. And in a couple of cases, such as the fabulous Jeremy Rill as Jerry's Warm-Up Man (and Satan) and Jennifer T. Grubb's sweet-voiced Baby Jane, the performances are as good as I've ever seen at this theater.
As the host himself, Brian Simmons deftly captures Springer's ironic detachment. Thomas and Lee nail the central Springer paradox: The real Springer regards his cast of characters as members of a harmless freak show, and thus removes himself -- even as he knows he can't entirely remove himself, lest his income stream dry up. Simmons hits that mark. But he's also far too introspective. Springer is an ebullient personality, whereas Thomas' underscaled performance is dominated by his warm-up man, a power imbalance the real Springer never would let happen.
By the third act, which finds Springer in hell, you'll likely be ready for the final curtain. That was also true in London and, in fact, Zak's production does a better job of making the show's weaker last hour work. To a point. It would still have been smarter to lop off a good chunk.
In London, this show also smacked of smug anti-Americanism (ironic, in a city that publishes so many pay-for-trash tabloids). But in Chicago, the piece functions as a kind of campy self-meditation. Given the pleasures of the score and the audacity of the concept and execution, Bailiwick surely deserves to have a summer hit with its spunky Jerry Elesion. ---------- cjones5@tribune.com
- - -
"Jerry Springer -- The Opera"
When: Through July 8
Where: Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Tickets: $25-$40 at 773-883-1090
posted by Carlos T Mock @ 9:24 AM
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