Hang Your Hat at Mr. Kelly’s
By Jarrin Davis (book), Rob Dorn (lyrics)
and Gary Gimmestad (music)
Directed by Jason Paul Smith
Berger Park Coach House, 6205 N. Sheridan (map)
thru May 24 | tickets: $25 | more info
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Maudlin back story diminishes lovely musical performances
Three Cat Productions presents
Hang Your Hat at Mr. Kelly’s
Review by Kat Hey
I remember the halcyon days of Chicago’s nightlife. Places like the Empire Room, The London House and the inimitable Mr. Kelly’s were the places to see and be seen. I was never old enough to get into any of the cool spots, but I knew of every musician and comedian that played at them. We had the songbooks and albums of many jazz greats on continuous loop in our apartment. Hang Your Hat at Mr. Kelly’s makes a valiant effort at reproducing the sound and excitement through the memories of two residents of a retirement facility. Winston (Todd Neal) is an Alzheimer’s patient who only gets animated when listening to his radio. He bonds with his new roommate Dak (Paul Pasulka) over memories of nights working at Mr. Kelly’s.
Haskins gives a great performance as Fitzgerald and Vaughn. Her voice is clear and she manages the great diction and swooping vocalizations of both singers. Haskins also gives a dose of excitement and pizzazz to her portrayal of Natalie Cole singing “This Will Be”.
Sara Reinecke displays an amazing set of pipes as incarnations of Cass Elliot and Barbra Streisand. They are not vocal imitations of either but rather a tribute to the amazing style and legend of each singer. Reinecke misses the mark as Joan Rivers because it is an attempt at imitating Rivers.
Jason Michael Hammond does a smash job of Mel Torme and Barry Manilow (yes!). (As a teenager in the 1970’s Barry Manilow was the king of the charts and every high school chorus did at least one of his songs at every recital.) Hammond sings two Manilow tunes in a sweet and straightforward style. It is surprisingly emotional to hear “Could This Be Magic” and “Mandy”. Hammond doesn’t do as well as comic Shelly Berman. It’s rote reciting of Berman’s shtick and not so funny.
The gnarly bones to pick in Hang Your Hat at Mr. Kelly’s are Demetrous White, Jr. as Jackie Wilson and Richard Pryor. White is personable and nice looking but that’s not enough for either of the legends for which he is cast. White has none of the physicality or electricity to play Wilson. He sings off tune and quite blandly. Just because someone slaps on a process pompadour wig does not remotely make instant Jackie Wilson. His portrayal of Richard Pryor is even worse. Once again a wig and fake moustache does not create synergy and genius. Pryor was a keen satirist and had subversive yet hysterical observations on race relations and human nature. He also had a very distinctive voice that White does not attempt to imitate and for that I am grateful. The writers or compilers of Hang Your Hat at Mr. Kelly’s should do their research when it comes to Pryor’s most well known commentaries. His remarks on never calling his own people “niggers” came after a life-changing trip to Africa in 1979. The lines are from “Live on the Sunset Strip” in 1982. Mr. Kelly’s closed in 1975. The use of that particular bit feels like they had to throw in a “Black guy thing” to portray the club as progressive and ahead of its time. Major fail. White is able to pull off Bill Cosby, but just barely.
The coach house at Berger Park is set up like a nightclub with bistro tables and has an intimate feel to it. Winston and Dak spend most of their time on the stage in a dormitory-like setting. Neal is mawkish in his portrayal and it is never made clear if he is really speaking to Dak or whether Dak is a hallucination. Is Dak an afterlife escort to lead Winston to his beloved late wife? I neither know nor do I care. A musical review should stick to music and not make up inaccurate back-stories to fill time. Just music would be fine. The house band, segueing beautifully from jazz to R&B to pop, is really quite good and would fit perfectly in a club setting. This is a production that should take lessons from Jackie Taylor over at Back Ensemble Theater. The music revue can be golden and immensely popular if done right and Taylor knows how to get it right. Hang Your Hat at Mr. Kelly’s has great potential to be a perennial favorite or a long running show with some judicious trimming, a recasting or changing of roles, and accurate research. As it stands now, it is an okay way to spend 2 hours.
Rating: ★★
Hang Your Hat at Mr. Kelly’s continues through May 24th at Berger Park Coach House, 6205 N. Sheridan (map), with performances Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays 4pm and 7:30pm. Tickets are $25 (with first five arrivals $5), and are available online at Artful.ly (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at ThreeCatProductions.com. (Running time: 2 hours, includes an intermission)
Photos by Starbelly Studios Photography
artists
cast
Jason Michael Hammond, Nicole Michelle Haskins, Todd Neal, Paul Pasulka, Sara Reinecke, and Demetrous White, Jr
behind the scenes
Jason Paul Smith (director, costume and wig design), Gary Gimmestad (musical director, original music, musical arrangements), David Pollak (assistant musical director), Jess Koster (stage manager), Pat Henderson (lighting design, set design), Rob Dorn (original lyrics and graphic design), Starbelly Studios Photography (photos)
14-0440
