I Sing! and Slide: New Musicals Revue-d

By Justin Sondak in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 20, 2005 5:30PM

Two exciting new Chicago musicals explore our capacity to choose. I Sing!, presented by the White Horse Theatre Company, contends that our most difficult choices are what make us feel alive. Tantalus Theatre Company’s Slide argues that such choices are largely illusions.

Structurally, I Sing! feels like a breezy, traditional musical. The opening number introduces the cast, establishes their broader quirks, and plants the melody that will be in your head the next day. Our characters will face the trials of being young, attractive contemporary urbanites, meaning they’ll grapple with sex, love, relationships, family and personal identity. They’ll be tested, feelings bruised and egos battered, but will come together in a rousing finale. Not exactly new territory, but this work feels fresh thanks to crafty wordplay and nimble music from authors Eli Bolin, Sam Forman, and Benjamin Salka.

The show was conceived six years ago and workshopped at Roadworks. The extra attention paid off. The story is tight and unfolds effortlessly, thanks to entertaining and well-timed character exposition that serves the plot. The five characters are recognizable types yet complex and engaging. Emotionally distant Nicky (Jon Cunningham) breaks up with his girlfriend Heidi (Dana Tretta), a frustrated screenwriter and daddy’s girl. Swooping in for the rebound are sexually aggressive Pepper (Abby Cucci) and the well meaning but gawky Alan (Stephen Feder). Serial daters Nicky and Pepper instantly connect in a bar with a smoldering glance. Pepper takes him home, just as her roommate and gay pal Charlie (Danny Bernardo) develops romantic feelings for her. Alan and Heidi take a more indirect route, he’s the supportive friend (read: nice guy) who lusts after her and they eventually get together.

I applaud the writers for rejecting easy answers and the actors for negotiating so many melodramas in verse. It was refreshing to see a sexually adventurous couple and a “bi-curious” gay character presented with intelligence and humor rather than as cheap punch lines. Among this strong cast, Stephen Feder deserves special mention. Alan is the type of role that could easily fall into borscht belt comic relief, but Feder brings warmth and dimension to this endearing man-child. His burgeoning lust for Heidi also provides the most hilariously perverted moment of the entire evening.

I Sing! is a fun and affecting show that brings an Avenue Q attitude to Sondheim-esque music. It’s well worth your time, a great antidote to the summer heat.

The Tantalus Theatre Group has built a reputation for provocative, boundary busting work ranging from modern interpretations of Greek myth to powerful, immediate public performances. Their new rock musical/bar show Slide channels Upton Sinclair, relating the story of an immigrant family succumbing to the capitalistic machine as an allegory for the mind-numbing lack of imagination afflicting today’s music and art industries. Its protagonists move to a beautiful but creepy town where art production is meticulously regulated and the factory provides all necessities. Their lives keep getting worse. They face death, ostracism, and dislocation, eventually succumbing to the loathed Machine.

Much is asked of this ensemble and they deliver, easily shifting between rock performance and storytelling while taking on multiple characters. They perform original music, many playing three or more instruments, dance, act, sing, perform their own stunts… if you ask nicely, they may even bring you a beer. Most impressive is Mikayla Brown, a triple threat who brings great pathos to the martyred mother Antanas. Austin Ole is convincingly naive as leading man Jurgis but less convincing in his character’s darker moments. Isaiah Brooms shines as the charismatically evil Boss Man whose pearly white grin barely conceals the fangs.

Slide is an entertaining and effective rant against The Man but it fails to sustain dramatic tension. Set One’s contest of human wills becomes the stuff of conspiracy theory in Set Two. If you’re willing to overlook that, or better yet if you share this perspective, this show is for you. Regardless, it’s much better than your typical bar entertainment.

I Sing! plays at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Avenue, Fridays – Sundays through August 13, 2005. Tickets are $18-20. More information at www.whitehorsetheatre.com.

Images courtesy of White Horse Theatre Company and Tantalus Theatre Group.