Lincolnshire theater launches reimagined ‘Shout!’

“SHOUT! The Mod Musical” didn’t exactly have a felicitous reception the last time it played Chicago in 2008.

This 2006 off-Broadway revue celebrating the girl-power songs and swanky fashions of the 1960s opened at the Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place (now Broadway Playhouse) to very mixed reviews, and subsequently closed after a shorter-than-expected run of only two months.

But now “SHOUT!” is back at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire with a shortened title, a largely Equity cast and most importantly, a reconceived staging courtesy of Jeff Award-winning director/choreographer Rachel Rockwell.

Marriott’s “SHOUT!” should definitely fit the bill for audiences wanting nothing more than a top-notch revue to push the right 1960s pop-hit nostalgia buttons.

Rockwell received special permission from licensing house Music Theatre International and original producer Victoria Lang to amplify the Marriott’s “SHOUT!” with new orchestrations and an added octet of high-energy dancers. So instead of just a quintet of sassy women singers to carrying the show as conceived by revue creators Phillip George, David Lowenstein and Peter Charles Morris, “SHOUT!” now bursts forth like a smartly choreographed 1960s TV variety show breaking free from the parameters of the small screen.

Adding the dancers certainly was a masterstroke on Rockwell’s part, since it allows the incredible musical theater singers of Carey Anderson, Brooke Jacob, Tammy Mader, Jessie Mueller and Raena White to each focus on their pop-inflected vocals without worrying about sounding winded after all the songs’ inevitable dance breaks.

Rockwell’s agile dancers also adeptly aid in illustrating many of the song scenarios, ranging from a comical schoolgirl hot-for-teacher situation in “One, Two, Three,” to a mousy woman’s transformation from “Georgy Girl” to “Wendy” (well-deserved plaudits to the dancing ensemble of Lauren Nicole Blane, Giovanni Bonaventura, Jaclyn Burch, Jarret Ditch, Craig Kaufman, Trisha Kelly, Amber Mak, Sam Rogers and Melissa Zaremba).

Marriott also seems to have spared no expense in bringing Rockwell’s new vision for “SHOUT!” to light. Diane Ferry Williams’ colorful and patterned lighting design illuminates all the glamour of Nancy Missimi’s 1960s costumes (done up in swathes of bright Day-Glo colors and black-and-white optical art influences) amid the sparkly banks of hanging beads and flower-power platforms of Thomas M. Ryan’s groovy set design.

But despite all of the ultraprofessional plusses of the Marriott’s reconceived “SHOUT!,” one can’t shake the feeling that so much energy is being lavished on such a slight show. “SHOUT!” largely coasts along a wave of audience nostalgia instead of bringing insight to the times that spawned these jukebox hits.

And with no overriding plot or driving cultural reason for this grouping of songs, “SHOUT!” can often make one wish that the Marriott had instead turned its attentions on a full-fledged 1960s musical (especially when so many slinky stylized moves in the “Round Every Corner” number seem to come directly from Bob Fosse’s 1966 “Rich Man’s Frug” choreography for “Sweet Charity”).

Despite its plot deficiencies, “SHOUT!” certainly stands a better chance of success in the Chicago area this second time around. Marriott’s built-in subscriber audience base will certainly help, but it’s Rockwell’s boldly reconceived take on the show that should make nostalgia-hungry audiences clamor for “SHOUT!”

Location: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. (847) 634-0200, marriotttheatre.com

Showtimes: 1 and 8 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays.

Running time: About 90 minutes without intermission

Tickets: $40-$48 (tax and handling fees extra); dinner packages available

Parking: Free adjacent lots

Rating: For most audiences