Chicago Shakespeare stages grand, glorious 'Follies'

Chicago Shakespeare Theater's grand and engrossing revival of “Follies” confirms in no uncertain terms that even a less-than-perfect Stephen Sondheim show still stands feathered headdress and bare shoulders above the competition.

The glorious but ultimately disorienting second act fantasy sequence suggests a lack of coherence, and most of the characters are mere cameos, who tease us with a snippet of a back story and then fade into the wings. But those are minor points in a show I found myself mulling over for several days.

Of course much of the credit for the resonance of “Follies” rests with Sondheim's lovely score — comprised of bouncy vaudeville-style tunes, scorching torch songs, quirky novelty numbers, soft-shoe duets and lavish Flo Ziegfeld-inspired production numbers — and book writer James Goldman's razor-sharp dialogue.

And yet, it's the unsentimental, ever-compassionate direction from Gary Griffin, fine music direction from Brad Haak, Virgil C. Johnson's gorgeous costumes and the all-star cast's flawless performances that make Chicago Shakespeare's gloriously sung revival a must-see.

“Follies” unfolds in 1971, in a decaying New York theater designed by Kevin Depinet. For several decades, it housed the fictional Weismann Follies, but it now has a date with the wrecking ball. Before the curtain descends for the final time, impresario Dmitri Weismann (Mike Nussbaum) hosts a first and last reunion for his former showgirls and performers.

The guests include Phoenix housewife and mother Sally, played with exquisite vulnerability and subtlety by the ideally cast Susan Moniz. Also attending is New York City socialite Phyllis, played by Caroline O'Connor, a powerhouse veteran of London's West End and Broadway who delivers Goldman's sly retorts with wit as dry as the martini her character perpetually sips.

The former castmates and roommates haven't seen each other in the 30 years since they left show business and settled into troubled marriages to their former stage-door Johnnys, a pair of best pals named Buddy and Ben.

Robert Petkoff plays Sally's husband Buddy, a traveling salesman who recognizes he can't relieve his wife's unhappiness and so seeks comfort in the arms of an undemanding mistress. Petkoff earns kudos for his multilayered, emotionally charged performance of a man who is most certainly a heel, but whose love for his wife and his devastation over her betrayal is entirely genuine.

Phyllis is married to the suave, indifferent Ben (the charismatic, silken-voiced Brent Barrett), a former politician and longtime philanderer. Behind Buddy's back, Ben romanced Sally, who still carries a torch for him.

The past and present collide when the couples reunite, conjuring the ghosts of their younger selves, played by L.R. Davidson, Rachel Cantor, Adrian Aguilar and Andrew Keltz. The four replay the moments that led the quartet to where they are. The memories the two couples share suggest that these people could not have ended up anywhere else, making “Follies” an unflinching examination of middle-aged regret (and its attendant despair) over the road not taken, the romance not pursued and the dreams left unfulfilled.

While these former friends play out their domestic drama, the other guests take musical strolls down memory lane accompanied by a 12-piece, onstage orchestra, which under conductor Valerie Maze sounds as lush as an ensemble twice its size.

Sporting sensible shoes and froufrou hat, the terrific Marilyn Bogetich nearly steals the show with her gritty, wonderfully unsentimental rendition of “Broadway Baby,” which comes across as a cautionary tale about the harsh reality of showbiz. Bogetich gets serious competition from Hollis Resnik, who plays Carlotta, the most successful of Weismann's girls. Resnik's revelatory performance of the anthemic “I'm Still Here” is absolutely brilliant. Bypassing the defiance that typically underscores this testament to resilience, Resnik instead delivers a subdued, wholly engrossing rendition, for which Griffin (an especially astute Sondheim interpreter) surely deserves a tip of the hat.

Speaking of showstoppers, the aforementioned fantasy sequence — during which each of the principles buckles under the strain of disappointment and despair — boasts several. O'Connor follows up her delicious, scorched-earth version of “Could I Leave You?” with “The Story of Lucy and Jessie.” A sexy number set to Alex Sanchez's Bob Fosse-inspired choreography, it's a prime showcase for O'Connor's considerable talents. The same goes for Moniz's evocative “Losing My Mind,” an anguished examination of a woman ready to surrender to despair. Like Resnik, the savvy veteran understands the value of understatement. Dressed in a stunning velvet gown, Moniz stands and delivers with heartfelt simplicity the song that describes her folly. Without lifting a finger, she brings down the house.

“Follies”

★ ★ ★ ★

<b>Location:</B> Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or <a href="http://www.chicagoshakes.com" target="_blank">chicagoshakes.com</a>

<B>Showtimes: </b> 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 13. No 6 p.m. show Oct. 30 or Nov. 6

<b>Running time: </b>About two hours, 30 minutes with intermission

<b>Tickets: </b>$55 to $75

<b>Parking: </b>Garage adjacent to theater, validation available at box office

<b>Rating:</b> For teens and older