Everything adds up for Porchlight's 'Nine'
Porchlight Music Theatre's "Nine" comes pretty close to a "10."
Sexy and stylish, Porchlight's production of the Maury Yeston-Arthur Kopit musical, inspired by Federico Fellini's seminal, semi-autobiographical 1963 film "8½," is extremely well-sung.
And that's just one element in this winning equation.
Factor in a bravura performance by the charismatic Jeff Parker as Guido Contini, Fellini's alter-ego auteur whose existential crisis --sparked by his upcoming 40th birthday -- drives the action. Add 11 actresses with superior voices playing assorted women from Guido's past and present. Underscore it with Yeston's immensely listenable music animated by baroque-style polyphony, Italian folk and Broadway ballads along with a couple of patter tunes, Parisian dance hall songs. Lastly, put the production in the capable hands of Porchlight's award-winning creative team of L. Walter Stearns and Eugene Dizon.
More Coverage Video 'Nine'
Taken together, the components add up to a fine show whose shortcomings --lyrics that lack the music's eloquence, aloof characters who fail to engage -- have more to do with the show itself than Porchlight's bold, determined production.
The musical shifts between the present and the past, fantasy and reality as artistically blocked, emotionally stymied film director Guido (the magnetic Parker, filling the room with his robust baritone) negotiates his very complicated life. Professionally, he's struggling to come up with an idea for his next project that will satisfy his skeptical producer and silence critics, represented by Brigitte Ditmars in full dominatrix mode. They insist he's lost his touch. In addition, the notorious womanizer and unrepentant narcissist has a crumbling marriage to salvage and a demanding mistress to placate.
Ultimately, "Nine" is about a man stuck in a state of perpetual adolescence, darting from one affair to the next: afraid to commit, afraid to fail, afraid to grow old and afraid to grow up. One might call it a romp, if only the devastation on the faces of the women whose hearts Guido breaks wasn't so deeply etched.
At the same time, it's a celebration of the artist's creative spirit epitomized in the playful and sexy production number "Follies Bergeres" featuring powerhouse vocals from Danielle Brothers and sassy, high-stepping choreography from Brenda Didier. Elsewhere, Didier's simple, graceful moves provide a nice counterpoint to a show where music dominates.
The artist's spirit is also evident in the elaborate "The Grand Canal," an art-imitating-life-dream-sequence in which Guido imagines his movie (inspired by his unruly romantic life) as a lavish period drama.
Less elaborate than Porchlight's last Yeston-Kopit show, "Nine" unfolds in a wide-open space made to look like a soundstage, complete with Klieg lights and a director's chair. A grand chandelier completes the Euro-posh motif. Looming over the stage is the enormous image of a nude woman, fitting considering that females occupy so much of Guido's time.
Speaking of women, Stearns and Dizon have assembled another stellar ensemble led by cool-blonde Heather Townsend as Guido's wife, Luisa, whose resigned tolerance of her husband's indiscretions ultimately gives way to a passionate condemnation that is nothing short of operatic. Petite Maggie Portman epitomizes 'bombshell' as Carla, Guido's insistently sexy mistress. Marie Svejda-Groh (whose silky voice perfectly suits the wistful "Unusual Way" duet) is the actress Claudia, Guido's muse and soul mate. Rounding out the cast is Brothers, terrific as Guido's producer Liliane; Kristin Freilich as Guido's nurturing mother; Bethany Thomas as the prostitute who partly inspires his obsession with women; and Matthew Gold as Guido's younger self.
"Nine"
3 stars out of four
Location: Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
Times: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sundays through May 18
Running Time: About 2 hours, 10 minutes with intermission
Tickets: $34, $35
Parking: $8 valet, limited metered parking adjacent to theater
Box office: (773) 327-5252 or theatrebuildingchicago.org
Rating: For adults, references sexual situations