A new 'Mame' in town
In comedy, timing is everything.
In Drury Lane Oak Brook's production of "Mame," Alene Robertson's timing is so perfect, she almost steals the show.
Almost.
Robertson ranks among the Chicago area's very best; her deliciously droll performance as boozy diva and best friend Vera Charles confirms it. Good as she is, she has formidable competition from the redoubtable (and unrelated) Barbara Robertson who stars as the titular eccentric in William Osetek's timely, handsome production.
Osetek gets top-drawer performances from his leading men as well as his leading ladies. Liam Byrnes plays 10-year-old Patrick, the orphaned boy from Des Moines adopted by his glamorous Auntie Mame (Barbara Robertson). Ryan Reilly plays the character as an adult. Both are equally endearing as the boy taught to "live, live, live" by a forward-thinking New York socialite who is more than the party girl she appears to be.
Patrick Dennis' 1955 novel about his aunt inspired the 1956 play which inspired the 1966 musical by writers Jerome Lawrence and Jerry Herman with music and lyrics by Robert E. Lee, who's responsible for the tuneful score featuring such gems as "We Need a Little Christmas," "If He Walked Into My Life" and that barbed paean to female friendship, "Bosom Buddies."
The musical opens on the eve of the Depression at Mame's lavish Beekman Place abode where a party - characterized by innocent exuberance more than full-on decadence - is in full swing. In walks young Patrick (Byrnes) with his nanny Agnes Gooch (Kelly Cronin, whose good looks can't be disguised by her character's frumpy dress and sensible shoes). Mame embraces the role of mother/mentor to her surrogate son as enthusiastically as she embraces modern art and a well-made martini. The whimsical, nicely executed montage where Mame introduces Patrick to the banquet of life (which most poor suckers fail to savor), is a winner. More important and less obvious are the lessons she teaches him about tolerance and compassion.
The 1929 stock market crash brings to an end the good times but the Dennis clan, including Gooch and the faithful Ito (Ghuon "Max" Chung), soldier on with help from Alene Robertson's Vera (Mame's ill-fated cameo in Vera's play is a hoot). Their savior comes in the form of Beauregard Burnside (David Kortemeir, channeling Rhett Butler's charm but not his wiles), the landed southern gentleman smitten with the plucky northerner who marries him for love and receives a fortune in return.
Rounding out the cast is Marilyn Bogetich as larger-than-life (and just as cranky) southern matriarch Mother Burnside; Danielle Plisz as uppity debutante Gloria Upson, who along with her snobbish parents played by Mary Robin Roth and Frederic Stone attempts to homogenize young Patrick (Reilly).
The show has the kind of visual pop that has become a Drury Lane trademark this year. Set designer Brian Sidney Bembridge makes a grand statement using a few pieces - an imposing black and gold staircase (whose landing is occupied by music director Ben Johnson's nine-piece band), shimmering black curtains and every-changing murals consisting of comely women. Mostly Bembridge lets us fill in the details for ourselves. Tatjana Radisic's posh period costumes are glittery and gorgeous. But for all that, plus the considerable wattage generated by Robertson and Robertson, the show itself doesn't yet match the luster of its stars. At last week's opening, the cast hadn't yet settled into its groove. When they do, I expect the "wow" factor missing on opening night will be evident and "Mame" will truly be something to see.
"Mame"
Three stars (out of four)
Location: Drury Lane Theatre Oak Brook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace
Times: 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. 21
Running time: About 2 hours, 30 minutes with intermission
Tickets: $28-$31, dinner packages extra
Parking: Free lot adjacent to theater
Box office: (630) 530-0111 or drurylaneoakbrook.com
Rating: For all ages