Songs from an Unmade Bed
Lyrics by Mark Campbell
Directed by Derek Van Barham
at Apollo Studio Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln (map)
thru April 27 | tickets: $25 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
Read review
A gem of a musical review
Pride Films and Plays presents
Songs from an Unmade Bed
Review by Lawrence Bommer
Starting with the highly suggestive title (referring equally to recent sex and emotional disruption), Songs from an Unmade Bed is a gem of a revue. Pride Films and Plays’ Chicago premiere is a clever concept perfectly executed. Rightly a two-person show (though originally intended as a solo showcase), this song cycle presents 18 musical vignettes with lyrics by Mark Campbell and melodies by 18 guest composers (whose similarities are worth far more than the contrasts).
“Songs” begins and ends with the men in close embrace and toxic kiss. In between comes a story of separation, jealousy, erotic confusion, unearned certainties, lovers’ remorse and all the quirks that clash or connect. You find it first in Webb’s opening “Here In My Bed,” no apres-sex celebration of coital contentment but a very believable confession of the loneliness that follows too-rapid intimacy and unearned emotions. (He fears he’s risking “death by sulking.”)
What follows is so rich I’ll catalog the charms: We see Webb’s character experiencing but not enjoying “Spring,” distracted by a too-perfect, closet-case cutie (“The Man in the Starched White Shirt”), and infuriated by competition from “The Other Other Woman.” Jordan Phelps’ ardent tenor and anguished lover is haunted by problems from past passions (“Perfect, Finite”), even more so by the mixed-up mess left by unsought infatuation (the wonderful hymn to false innocence, “Oh, To Be Stupid Again”). He remembers refusing to cater to the narcissism of a selfish thespian (“Exit Right,” a huge crowd pleaser), then delights in his new boyfriend’s sweeter side (“He Plays the Cello”), while Kevin ponders the lovely lad’s “Funny Gesture.” By the end of the first act, friction defeats fondness and both confess “I Want To Go Out Tonight”—but not together.
A second act brings a second chance: “Songs” wisely shows how boyfriends, like lost dogs and cats, find their way back home, even when curiosity hurts (“He Never Did That Before”) and a “Dinner Party” becomes a territorial showdown interrupted by a make-up session. Jordan delivers the bittersweet “I Miss New York” (poignant because he’s never left). Leaving Gotham at least in imagination, Kevin imagines a fantasy of reconciliation in the ebullient “Florence.” At a memorial for a friend Jordan regretfully contemplates “Our Separate Ways” but, in a rare duet, the guys find common ground in the simple ballad “To Sing.” Coming full circle, Kevin ends this tour d’amour with “The Night You Decided To Say,” a love song that echoes and cures his opening doubts.
Hot and healing, “Songs” is a consummate inventory of how love breaks and works, making it an ideal “date show” or the perfect prelude to an inevitable wedding. Cute and acute, both performers act out every nuance as forcefully and honestly as they sing out every note. (Handsome understudy Tommy Thurston presents Broadway favorites before and after the show and during the otherwise unnecessary intermission.)
Though there are 18 different composers, the songs–alternately languorous, plaintive, and pointed,–blend well as they tap into the hip, wistful, ironic and driven mindsets inspired by Campbell’s supple lyrics. As ready for a time capsule as an audience, this revue takes our temperature (and it’s good for the blood pressure too).
Rating: ★★★★
Songs from an Unmade Bed continues through April 27th at Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln (map), with performances Fridays-Sundays at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25, and are available by phone (773-935-6100) or online through Ticketmaster.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at PrideFilmsAndPlays.com. (Running time: 85 minutes, includes an intermission)
artists
cast
Jordan Phelps, Kevin Webb (understudies: Jonas Davidow, Tommy Thurston)
behind the scenes
Derek Van Barham (director, sound design), Jenny Giering, Joseph Thalken, Gihieh Lee, Lance Horne, Chris Miller, Jake Heggie, Duncan Sheik, Steven Lutvak, Jeffrey Stock, Greg Pliska, Brendan Milburn (song composers), Robert Ollis (music director), Ashley Ann Woods (set design), Cat Wilson (lighting design), Raquel Adorno (costume design), Anna Lafontant (production stage manager), Kallie Rolison (sound design), Lindsay Williams (percussion coach)
13-0364
