With so many fine touring productions making their way to Chicago, how do our local theatres compete? The answer at one theatre is simple: Drury Lane Oakbrook keeps reinventing itself with each new production thanks to the encouragement and motivation of new producers Kyle and Drew DeSantis. “Miss Saigon” is the latest jewel in this theatre's crown, and another example of how these men have transformed their theatre into a topnotch venue over the past year. In an economic climate during which most theatres are simplifying their productions and making cutbacks, Drury Lane Oakbrook casts only the finest actors and encourages its directors and technical artists to produce the best local plays and musicals in Chicago.
The “Miss Saigon” that most remember is an example of those over-the-top musicals Broadway produced in the 1990's. “Phantom...” has its crashing chandelier, “Les Miz” has its towering barricade; the spectacle attached to this show is the heart-stopping on-stage helicopter evacuation of Saigon. While not entirely eliminating all special effects, director Rachel Rockwell has wisely chosen to scale them back a bit, stressing instead old-fashioned storytelling and strong characters. Buried within the theatricality, Ms. Rockwell extracts the tragic story of Kim, a young Vietnamese War orphan, and Chris, an American G.I. who meet and fall in love the night that Saigon collapses. This sung-through musical is an update of Puccini's opera, “Madama Butterfly” and features beautifully haunting songs that linger with you long after the show ends.
Everything about this production is first rate, from Ms. Rockwell's decision to move much of the story as close to the audience as possible to Roberta Duchak's lush 11-piece orchestra to Stacey Flaster's dynamic choreography, and Kevin Depinet and Jesse Klug's dramatic set and lighting designs. Broadway actors Melinda Chua Smith and Kevin Vortmann soar musically as Kim and Chris. Their chemistry is immediate and tangible, making their tragic story all the more heartbreaking. Maturity has improved Chicago's Joseph Anthony Foronda's performance as the cynical Engineer—his villainy and black humor sting even stronger than in his national tours.
Drury Lane has once again raised the bar for local productions while remembering that theatre is all about telling the story. Make that drive out to the western suburbs.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
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