Drury Lane's bland trip to 'St. Louis'

Chicago Cubs fans are biased against St. Louis for being Cardinals territory. Windy City historians still grumble about Chicago's 1904 Olympics being stolen away by St. Louis to coincide with its 1904 World's Fair (the Louisiana Purchase Exposition to be exact).But the biggest enemy of Drury Lane Oakbrook's production of "Meet Me in St. Louis" isn't Chicagoans holding a grudge for the hometown of Anheuser-Busch -- it's the show itself. In a switch of Hollywood sucking the life out of classic Broadway shows, "Meet Me in St. Louis" is a tit-for-tat reversal where the padded 1989 stage adaptation failed to translate the charm and simplicity of the original 1944 Vincent Minelli film musical in which Judy Garland introduced classic Martin/Blaine tunes like "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."About 15 minutes into "Meet Me in St. Louis," you start to wonder why Drury Lane lavished all that cash on lovely period costumes by designer Tatjana Radisic and the underutilized turntable set by designer Brian Sydney Bembridge for such a pleasantly bland show. Oh sure, there's plenty of young love between the eldest Smith sisters and their hesitant beaus (including an upstanding Justin Berkobien as the boy-next-door, John Truitt). There's also a family conflict that threatens the family's idyllic suburban life just as the 1904 World's Fair approaches.But "Meet Me in St. Louis" just doesn't go anywhere beyond pleasant domestic scenes. That's too bad for the talented acting ensemble gathered by otherwise fine director Jim Corti. Whenever a big dance number winningly choreographed by Tammy Mader's emerges or a feisty character song comes along, Corti steers his technically proficient ensemble to latch on with gusto, since they know it will all soon dissipate into more ho-hum-ness.With a profile that is very reminiscent of Liza Minelli, Jessie Mueller makes an enjoyable teenage Esther (the Judy Garland role with the best songs). As Tootie, the youngest Smith child with a macabre streak, Kamilah Lay is quite convincing as child actors go (the cuteness only cloys sparingly). And in a great example of an actor making more with less, Brandon Dahlquist brings loads of fun nervous energy to henpecked beau Warren Sheffield.There's no question Drury Lane's "Meet Me in St. Louis" professionally taps into our longing for simpler times. But for those of us who prefer living near Chicago, "Meet Me in St. Louis" is far too safe. "Meet Me in St. Louis"Rating: 2 starsLocation: Drury Lane Oakbrook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook TerraceTimes: 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 1:30 and 8 p.m. Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Fridays, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 6 p.m. Sundays; through Dec. 16.Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes with intermissionParking: Ample lotsTickets: $25-$50Box office: (630) 530-0111Rating: Squeaky clean for everyone