Strong acting can't boost so-so political musical
The best moments in the new musical "Old Town" don't involve singing or dancing.
The acting prowess of the Strawdog Theatre cast surpasses their singing in the company's modestly executed world premiere of Brett Neveu and Mikhail Fiksel's modest musical about a Chicago political dynasty.
Of course you wouldn't ex-pect this company to produce a show that possessed the kind vocal power Marriott Theatre or Drury Lane Oak Brook typically deliver.
But it says something that the production's strongest voices belong not to the principals but to members of the chorus. The exception is Anne Sheridan Smith, who demonstrates her considerable musical theater chops as Liz, the trophy wife of embattled Cook County Board presidential candidate Jerry Weltz.
Kyle Hamman directs with the briskness that has come to define the scrappy Chicago ensemble. Intermission included, "Old Town" runs under two hours. And the show has a distinctly Chicago feel, with comparisons to the Daleys, Madigans, Strogers and Pucinskis unavoidable and (I'm assuming) entirely intentional.
Peppered with political patois, Neveu's writing is spare and wry. An eight-word exchange between Kat McDonnell's Cindy and John Ferrick's Danny conveys her world-weariness and his benign resignation more effectively than a half-page soliloquy. And Fiksel fixes his score firmly in Americana, with a dissonant detour at the beginning of Act 2 that reflects the old-school machine that powers the Weltz campaign.
That said, except for a sly tango between reporters and spin-meisters, and a jaunty, self-satisfied ode to "politics as usual," the songs are unremarkable.
More than old-style politics, "Old Town" is about loyalty and family obligations from which it is impossible to escape. That conflict makes for a compelling drama. Unfortunately, "Old Town" is a so-so show. But what makes it work -- and parts of it do work -- is the acting, especially that of ensemble members McDonnell and Ferrick, whose performances ring true even when the script does not.
The always authentic McDonnell plays the politico's ambivalent daughter, a second generation politician troubled by corruption and hardball politics and the best hope for the continuation of the Weltz dynasty.
Trouble is, the mantle's tattered and Cindy's not sure she wants to wear it. Ferrick plays the engagingly smitten and perpetually anxious campaign manager who's straight out of an Aaron Sorkin drama. Ferrick's penultimate moments onstage are quietly agonizing and completely credible.
The action unfolds on Elec-tion Night, in the ballroom of a slightly faded but still dignified Chicago hotel (designed by Mike Smallwood) that serves as Weltz campaign headquarters. An undefined corruption charge has left the once-powerful Jerry (a character who doesn't appear in the play) fighting for his political life while his flacks and family members put a positive spin on disappointing returns.
Rounding out the solid cast is Christopher Hainsworth as Scotty, the dissolute son inca-pable of following in his fa-ther's footsteps; Shannon Hoag as a pushy television reporter angling for an exclusive and Tom Hickey as a crafty power broker who heads up a quartet of money men (Danny Taylor, Damian Vanore and John Moran) who operate behind the scenes in their own self-interest.
"Old Town"
2 stars
Location: Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N. Broadway Ave., Chicago
Times: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 7 p.m. Sundays through May 31
Running Time: About 1 hour, 40 minutes with intermission
Tickets: $20, $15
Parking: Limited street parking available
Box office: (773) 528-9696 or www.strawdog.org
Rating: For adults