New roller skating-inspired tuner 'Skates' needs finessing
“Skates” - ★ ½
One thing going for “Skates,” the new, nostalgia-fueled, pandemic-delayed tuner that opened Sunday at Chicago's historic Studebaker Theater, is that it premiered in a handsomely restored venue.
The storied Michigan Avenue theater, which opened in 1898, has been renovated several times (most recently in 2021, according to press materials) and the results are impressive. Unfortunately, one can't say the same about this muddy, middling show, which will require revisions if it hopes to have life beyond the Studebaker Theater.
“Skates” is the brainchild of writer/lyricist Christine Rea, a singer/actress from the South suburbs who based the musical on her childhood love of roller skating and her experiences playing Mary in the national tour of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
The action begins in 1994 with rising pop star Jacqueline Miller (“American Idol” runner-up Diana DeGarmo) enjoying her first hit record while confronting a rocky romance and a bungled national tour. After her saxophone-playing boyfriend Blake (fellow “American Idol” alum Ace Young, DeGarmo's real-life husband) abandons her for a waifish supermodel and her tour gets canceled, the musical flashes back to 1977. There, Jacqueline encounters Jackie (the personable Emma Lord), her 13-year-old self whose greatest joy is spending Saturday nights at the Windy City Skates roller rink.
The narrative might have been better served by having the 1994 scenes frame Jacqueline's “retrospective journey,” a coming-of-age/first-love tale. Instead, the show shifts between 1994 - where Jacqueline deals with the two-timing Blake - to 1977, where young Jackie spends Saturday nights at the Windy City Skates roller rink with boy-crazy best pal Meghan (Kelly Felthous) and her crush Scotty (Adam Fane), the awkward, endearing boy-next-door.
Chicago-area veterans Cory Goodrich, of Wheaton, and Jason Richards play Jackie's doting parents and Zach Sorrow plays her devoted older brother Brad, who later becomes his superstar sister's manager.
Also on hand is tough-girl Tonya (Adia Bell), one of several bullies who harass young Jackie, and Jack (the terrific Kelvin Roston Jr.). A roller disco sage who dresses in spangly red shorts, Jack's function is unclear. He exists mainly to initiate production numbers (choreographed by Christopher Chase Carter) and utter platitudes. His advice to Jacqueline and Jackie: “use what you got,” which is about as thoughtful as this show gets.
Director (and Lincolnshire native) Brenda Didier's diligent cast does their best, but there's not much to these formulaic characters, all of whom get a solo, which not all of them merit. Also problematic is the underwhelming book and ham-fisted storytelling. The teenage characters' squealing gets tiresome. And the sometimes overblown acting borders on parody, a problem that compounds the show's lack of authenticity.
As for the songs, I couldn't help but wonder how “Skates” would fare as a jukebox show pairing MTV staples from the mid-1990s with the greatest hits of the disco era. That notion was likely prompted by echoes of The Trammps' “Disco Inferno” and Deniece Williams' lilting “Free,” which I thought I detected in composer/lyricist Rick Briskin's score. That said, some of the songs - enthusiastically performed by the cast accompanied by an onstage quintet - have charm. Among its bright spots: the novelty number “Do Damage,” in which a father advises his teenage daughter how to handle bullies; a first-love song “I'm Crushin' on You”; “You're the One,” a celebration of longtime love sung by the talented Goodrich; and the high-octane “Forward Motion,” a catchy number (superbly performed by leading ladies DeGarmo and Lord) about making a course correction after losing traction and spinning one's wheels.
Unfortunately, a few buoyant tunes aren't enough to propel “Skates.” Not in its current incarnation. But with some rewrites and some streamlining, who knows? This nostalgia trip may yet find an audience who appreciates the musical as well as the theater.
Location: Studebaker Theater, Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, (312) 753-3210, skatesthemusical.com
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, through Aug. 28
Running time: About 2 hours, 15 minutes, including intermission
Tickets: $46-$99
Parking: Grant Park South Garage, 325 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago; other nearby paid lots
Rating: For teens and older, contains mature situations and some strong language
COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required