Strong performances save dated musical 'I Do! I Do!'
I had high expectations for American Theater Company's revival of "I Do! I Do!," coming as it does on the heels of American Theater Company's innovative, critically acclaimed re-imagining of "Oklahoma."
For the most part, the show meets them thanks to the solid, unfussy acting and directing typical of ATC. But given the talent of cast members Heidi Kettenring and Stef Tovar, director Michael Weber and music director Doug Peck, one questions the choice.
Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's 1966 musical chronicles the 50-year marriage of middle Americans Michael and Agnes, from the awkward wedding night through the challenges of parenthood and including career frustration, infidelity, disappointment, reconciliation and retirement. It's pleasant enough, but given the astutely imagined "Oklahoma," I would have expected a better, bolder choice than the conventional, dated "I Do! I Do!" -- a quaint cliche that lacks the finesse of a superior Jones and Schmidt effort, "The Fantasticks."
Weber tries to breathe new life into the show by updating it from the early 20th century (the original version spans 1895 to 1945) to the 21st (this one runs from the mid-1950s to the present). He also personalizes it with some local flavor, placing Tovar's Michael and Kettenring's Agnes squarely in Chicago courtesy of Mike Tutaj's well-done video montages combining archival and original film to create a believable record of the couple's life together. The images of Riverview, Wrigley Field and the John Hancock Building and iconic figures like Irv Kupcinet and Richard J. Daley inject a nice bit of nostalgia. But the fact that clips of Garfield Goose, Ray Raynor and Suzy Snowflake elicited a more enthusiastic response than the tunes suggests a musical of modest merit.
Thankfully, that's not the case when it comes to Kettenring and Tovar, actors with great chemistry and the chops to transcend their caricatures and carry the show.
Kettenring, who spent the last two years playing Nessarose in the Chicago company of "Wicked" and has a stage presence to match her grand voice, brings fire and honesty to Agnes. Kettenring's fervent "Flaming Agnes," in which the middle-aged Agnes uncovers her inner cougar, is a delight. And her version of "What is a Woman?" is an aching ode to middle-age angst.
ATC ensemble member Tovar is also very good as the often oblivious Michael. He has a casual, comedic charm (his deadpan delivery of "The Father of the Bride" is spot-on) that makes us like Michael even at his most annoying. Moreover Tovar rises to the challenge of the sentimental "My Cup Runneth Over," reviving the tired, often mawkish tune with his lovely, guileless performance.
"I Do! I Do!"
2 1/2 stars out of four
Location: American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron St., Chicago
Times: 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays; through Nov. 11
Running Time: About 2 hours, 10 minutes, including intermission
Tickets: $30, $35
Parking: Metered parking available
Box office: (773) 929-1031 or www.atcweb.org
Rating: For teens and older