Review: Blood Brothers (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre)

  
  
Blood Brothers 

Written by Willy Russell  
at No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood (map)
thru Nov 15 |  tix: $34-$39  | more info
  
Check for half-price tickets  
  

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Stunning and intimate

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre presents

Blood Brothers

Review by Lauren Whalen 

Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers is one of Great Britain’s most popular musicals, running from 1988 to 2012 on London’s West End. While the Broadway run lasted two years and enjoyed six Tony Award nominations, Blood Brothers still isn’t as known in the United States. Thanks to Theo Ubique’s stunning and intimate production of the tragic but lovely parable that echoes “The Prince and the Pauper,” one might wonder why. A deep understanding of the text coupled with a vocally gifted cast makes Blood Brothers a worthwhile trip to Rogers Park.

After being abandoned by her husband, Mrs. Johnstone (Kyrie Anderson) must face a difficult life of scraping by with seven rowdy young children. She finds herself pregnant again, this time with twins, and doesn’t know how her family will survive – until her employer, the wealthy Mrs. Lyons (Victoria Oliver), offers a solution. Unable to conceive, Mrs. Lyons asks to adopt one of the babies and swears Mrs. Johnstone to complete secrecy, eventually resorting to threats and termination. Young Mickey (Charlie Mann) remains with his birth mother and her hardscrabble existence, while Edward (Cody Jolly) grows up in a state of naïve privilege. The two boys meet and become best friends without any idea of their shared parentage, but when they both fall for Linda (Dana Anderson), trouble begins to brew.

While Russell’s dialog is sometimes cliché (was the occasional rhyming really necessary?), Blood Brothers is a sad but compelling story of the secrets we keep and the price we pay for doing so. An omnipotent Narrator (Jordan Phelps) oversees the action and plays several minor roles, including a bus driver, a milkman and a schoolteacher, and Mrs. Johnstone presides over the action as well, actively mothering Mickey and watching Edward from afar. Her thru-line (or thru-song, as it were) is the resigned “Marilyn Monroe,” using the iconic actress as a touch point for the ups and downs of her life, and in turn, Mickey and Edward’s lives. Blood Brothers kicks off with a literal bang – the twins’ fate is revealed in the show’s first moments – then circles back to where it all began, a fitting bit of non-linear storytelling.

With its challenging vocals and grand yet personal plot, Blood Brothers is an excellent match for Theo Ubique, which prides itself on strong voices in a cabaret setting. Director Fred Anzevino (also the company’s Artistic Director and Co-founder) and choreographer Maggie Portman nimbly navigate the tiny space of the No Exit Café – actors use the aisles, dance around each other and interact with audience members in a manner that’s cozy without being invasive. Adam Veness’ set design maximizes the café space, and production stage manager Mary-Catherine Mikalayunas keeps the action smoothly running.

   

Music director Jeremy Ramey deftly guides a small but mighty ensemble through Blood Brothers’ demanding score, as well as playing piano in a four-piece orchestra that’s just as strong. (Kudos to dialect and vocal coach Adam Goldstein for accents that are accurate but easily understood.) As twin brothers Mickey and Edward, respectively, Mann and Jolly play ages eight to late 20s with fierce aplomb, and their onstage relationship is nothing short of heartbreaking. Ryan Armstrong is an ensemble standout, and Phelps is equal parts empathetic and threatening as the Narrator. But Anderson’s Mrs. Johnstone is the piece’s true heart: her exquisite vocals and nimble acting perfectly capture the mother figure who sets her sons’ fate in motion, and is then relegated to an observer of its subsequent wreckage.

This fall, Chicago is enjoying a bustling and diverse theater season – one of its strongest in years. Even among a sterling flock, Theo Ubique’s Blood Brothers is a distinctive force. Thanks to sturdy source material, fantastic direction and brilliant casting, this production makes me look forward to the coming season, both at Theo Ubique and throughout the city.

Rating: ★★★½

Blood Brothers continues through November 15th at No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood (map), with performances Thursdays 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays 8pm, Sundays 7pm.  Tickets are $34-$39 (students/seniors $5 discount, $15 college rush tickets when available, dinner available before show), and are available by phone (800-595-4849) or online through Tix.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at Theo-U.com.  (Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes, includes an intermission)

Photos by Adam Vaness

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artists

cast

Kyrie Anderson (Mrs. Johnstone), Jordan Phelps (Narrator), Victoria Oliver (Mrs. Lyons), Darren Hill (Mr. Lyons), Charlie Mann (Mickey), Cody Jolly (Edward), Cullen Rogers (Sammy), Dana Anderson (Linda), Ryan Armstrong, Ryan Dooley, Alex Knoll, Whitney Rappana, Shanna Sweeney (ensemble)

band

Jeremy Ramey (piano, director), Kevin Brown (drums), Zachary Moore (bass guitar), Justin LaForte (guitar)

behind the scenes

Fred Anzevino (director), Jeremy Ramey (music director), Maggie Portman (choreographer), Courtney Crouse (assistant director), Mary-Catherine Mikalayunas (production stage manager), Adam Veness (scenic design, props design, photos), Maya Michele Fein (lighting design), Bill Morey (costume design), Adam Goldstein (dialect and vocal coach)

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