Rolling Stones musical more than satisfies
As codas go, it doesn't get better than “Satisfaction,” a perennial Rolling Stones encore and telling postscript to Signal Ensemble Theatre's terrific jukebox musical “Aftermath,” which premiered last spring at Raven Theatre and is currently being remounted at the company's new home.
That's not just because the 1965 tune is one of the all-time great rock songs. Or because it resonates with aging baby boomers drawn to writer/director Ronan Marra's thoughtful, astutely crafted, liberally interpreted look at the final years of Stones founder Brian Jones.
Here, “Satisfaction” represents the skyrocketing success The Rolling Stones achieved sans Jones, a multi-instrumentalist eager to experiment with non-Western music. At the same time, the song in this context stands as a poignant testament to Jones' failure to retain control over the band he founded with Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Ian Stewart in 1962.
Epitomizing the band's commercial success, the number also suggests the artistic satisfaction that ultimately eluded Jones, who became increasingly estranged from bandmates who did not share his passion for world music or his determination to use it to remake rock 'n' roll. In June 1969, they ousted him from the group. Less than a month later, the pop pioneer was found dead in his swimming pool, a victim of “misadventure.”
Six songs comprise the soundtrack of this sympathetic yet frank portrait. And the perceptive Marra has chosen each expertly.
There's the relentless, sitar-driven “Paint It Black” from “Aftermath,” the 1966 release that marked a turning point for the band (and from which the show's title comes). It's paired with George Harrison's lilting “Norwegian Wood,” also featuring the sitar, which illustrates the myriad forms that result when rock and world beats collide. “Lady Jane” about a lout who chooses security over love serves as a metaphor for Jagger (Nick Vidal) and Richards (Joseph Stearns) choosing commercial success over art. And the merciless “Sympathy for the Devil” allows Vidal's Jagger to coolly preside over the destruction of Jones (Aaron Snook, whose devastation is expressed in exquisite, heartbreaking detail).
Snook is compelling as the fey, fragile, often irksome Jones whose drug and alcohol use and his desire to “change the course of rock 'n' roll” caused a rift with his bandmates. As Jagger, the wiry Vidal nimbly combines arrogance and insecurity with a side of ruthlessness, while Stearns makes Richards' boozy cognition credible. Bries Vannon and Dylan Stuckey round out the quintet as Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman, who frequently find themselves elbowed aside by their more flamboyant counterparts. Andrew Yearick delivers an affecting performance as Jones' kindred spirit George Harrison. And Glen Ellyn native Simone Roos is very good as model/actress Anita Pallenberg, whose compassion for Jones can't withstand his increasing paranoia.
But it's the remarkable Snook who anchors this earnest, energetic production. He and the other actor/musicians don't so much impersonate the Stones as they channel the spirit of musicians on the brink of stardom, engaged in a battle of wills over the soul of their band.
That's really what “Aftermath” is all about. It's about the conflict between the visionary and the pragmatist, the clash between the man who wants to create new forms and the man who yearns for commercial success. At the time, Jones' vision of rock and world beat didn't add up to success. Decades later, it does.
Brian Jones never got satisfaction, but he did get vindication. Maybe that's enough.
<P>“Aftermath” </P>
<P>Location: Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice Ave., Chicago, (773) 347-1350 or signalensemble.com</P>
<P>Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 12</P>
<P>Running time: About 90 minutes, no intermission</P>
<P>Tickets: $20 </P>
<P>Parking: Street parking nearby
Rating: For adults. Contains strong language, sexual themes and references to drug use</P>