(Note: We have a separate list of our favorite productions of Stephen Sondheim musicals.)
Our favorite musicals have books that run the gamut from lame to Pulitzer Prize-worthy, but they all have great scores, appropriately charming or meaningful lyrics, and inspiration for creative design and direction. Some of our favorite productions are brilliantly executed conventional takes on the material, but a few represent radical re-imaginings that deepened the experience.
(in chronological order by date of the musical’s premiere)
Quick links:
Pre-1970: Porgy and Bess Oklahoma Guys and Dolls Wonderful Town How to Succeed She Loves Me Honorable Mention (3 shows)
1970-1999: The Wiz Ain’t Misbehavin’ Little Shop of Horrors City of Angels And the World Goes ‘Round Smokey Joe’s Cafe Ragtime Parade Honorable Mention (2 shows)
2000 and later: Producers Last Five Years Hairspray Light in the Piazza Caroline, or Change Spamalot The Color Purple Adding Machine Young Frankenstein Next to Normal Fun Home Northanger Abbey Haymarket Honorable Mention (4 shows)
Shows Premiering before 1970
Porgy and Bess by Gershwin: The visually arresting and emotion-packed production of Porgy and Bess at Court Theatre in 2011 was an intimate re-envisioning of the Gershwin classic, led by director Charles Newell. The intimacy was intensified by music director Doug Peck’s orchestral reduction (for a sextet), more reminiscent of a jazz club than an opera hall, and the perfect accompaniment for a cast packed with performers equally adept at singing and acting. Accordingly, Bethany Thomas‘ rendition of “My Man’s Gone Now” was exquisite musically and fervently heart-rending. The same can be said of Alexis J. Rogers and Todd M. Kryger on “Bess, You Is My Woman Now.” We’ve seen other productions of Porgy and Bess on a grander scale, but none with the emotional impact of this one.
Oklahoma! by Rodgers and Hammerstein: The production of Oklahoma! that we saw by American Theater Company in 2007 was an intimate re-envisioning, with director Damon Kiely focusing on authentic storytelling and musical director Malcom Ruhl re-orchestrating the score for a four-piece bluegrass band. The set, by Jacqueline and Richard Penrod, was equally ingenious. As the show began, the stage contained only a large covered wagon. But during the course of Matt Brumlow’s great rendition of Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ the wagon opened up and was transformed into Laurey and Aunt Eller’s farmhouse (accompanied by oohs and ahs from the audience). Everything about this production created a vivid visual and aural picture that beautifully supported the storytelling. Interesting note: The understudy for Curly, played by Matt Brumlow, was Greg Matthew Anderson; for Laurey, played by Katie Jeep, was Jess Godwin; and for Aunt Eller, played by Suzanne Petri, was Danni Smith.
Another intimate Oklahoma! with great music/acting/staging was produced by the Little Theatre on the Square in 2019, and is described on our surprises page.
We also loved the more conventional staging at Paramount in 2015, which featured subtly acted and vocally resplendent lead performances by Colte Julian (as Curly) and Allison Sill (as Laurey).
Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser has been one of our favorite classic musicals since 1994, the year we first saw the stage play (at the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign, home of the annual EbertFest). The musical’s characters (based on Damon Runyon’s short stories) are significantly more multi-faceted than you find in most classic musicals, and even the supporting characters have great numbers (“Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” “Fugue for Tinhorns,” and the title song). The show demands creativity in staging, with everything from city streets to a Salvation Army post to a Havana nightclub, with the climactic scene taking place in a sewer!
We’ve seen Guys and Dolls in cavernous spaces (the Oriental Theatre, with Maurice Hines as Nathan Detroit, and a student production in the University of Illinois basketball arena in Champaign), and more intimate venues (Court Theatre and the Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan, IL). It can work seemingly anywhere, as long as the acting, staging, and music are up to the task. Our most memorable productions have been the 1997 University of Illinois student show (yes, the one in the basketball arena, with the fabulous Dan Tatar and Stephanie Gast as Nathan and Adelaide); Marriott’s 2011 production (with Jessie Mueller as Adelaide, sister Abby as Sarah Brown, and father Roger as Arvide—wow!); at the Shaw Festival in 2013 (we vividly remember Thom Allison as Nicely-Nicely bringing the house down with “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”); and Northwestern’s 2019 student production (included in our list of favorite college shows). The Northwestern production was the first we’d experienced with significant updating of the show, described in director Nick Bowling’s program notes:
I wasn’t sure how to approach a show that seems strongly out of step with the world we live in, celebrating “the binary” notion that men all want to be freewheeling gamblers and women are all either ditzy dames or stoic Frigidaires. So I asked if Northwestern was willing to go on a bit of a ride… exploring the gray areas of gender roles and sexuality in the show. Thankfully they said yes!
And thankfully, this production is now among our favorites! The selective gender switching of certain roles was done in service of the storytelling, not merely to call attention to itself. Most notably, Sky Masterson was played by Clare McLaughlin, in a brilliant performance (nuanced yet seemingly effortless) that captured the essence of the character as well as any actor in the many traditional productions we’d seen.
Another interesting item from Director Nick Bowling’s notes: In his sophomore year of high school, he played Nathan Detroit, with his brother playing Sky and his sister a Hot Box Dancer (reminiscent of the Muellers at Marriott?).
Wonderful Town by Bernstein, Comden, and Green: We had been looking forward to Goodman Theatre’s 2016 production of Wonderful Town for months—and even more so after catching the sneak preview (in the Walgreen’s on the corner of State and Randolph, of all places!) with leads Bri Sudia and Lauren Molina singing selections from the production. When we finally saw the show, it exceeded our sky-high expectations. See our list of definitive productions if you’re interested in why this production of Wonderful Town is the only musical we included in the “definitive” list.
How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying by Frank Loesser: We’ve seen this show in many different guises, from small stages to St. Louis Muny (which seats 11,000). But our favorite was at Drury Lane Oakbrook in 2000, with Gary Griffin directing a dream cast that included Guy Adkins (J. Pierrepont Finch), Heidi Kettering (Rosemary), Rod Thomas (Bud Frump), Joel Hatch (Biggley), Alene Robertson (Smitty), and Roger Mueller (Wally Womper).
She Loves Me by Bock and Harnick: Our introduction to this charming musical was watching the TV movie on PBS in our postage-stamp-sized room in the Barbizon-Plaza Hotel on Central Park South in 1979 (our first trip to New York City). We fell in love with the musical, and have seen several captivating productions, such as the 2004 Theatre at the Center version. But our most memorable was the intimate 2010 production at Writers Theatre, with Jessie Mueller as Amalia, part of a remarkable cast. At the time, we didn’t know that Jessie would be making her debut on Broadway the following year, in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever with Harry Connick. (And, as they say, the rest is history.) In 2016, we saw a delightful college production of She Loves Me at Loyola University, with a phenomenal Amalia, played by Molly Hernandez. The 2017 production at Marriott Theatre featured an inspired pairing as Amalia and Georg (Elizabeth Telford and Alex Goodrich), our all-time favorite Sipos (James Earl Jones II), and an ensemble full of Chicago musical theatre leads. In 2022, we were enthralled by Blank Theatre’s She Loves Me, with exquisite singing (exemplified by Brandy Miller’s Mueller-esque Amalia and Rachel Guth’s lovable Ilona), musical direction (Aaron Kaplan), and direction (Danny Kapinos). Although a decidedly low-budget and low-square-footage production, Kapinos’s astute directorial choices focused on elements that were vital to the storytelling and capturing the soaring score, which began with assembling a remarkably talented cast. And speaking of the cast, you can read more about the amazing night we saw the show, with three understudies—described on our Favorite Understudies page.
HONORABLE MENTION shows and productions:
Happy End by Weill and Brecht: Shaw Festival in 2003; Brown Couch Theatre Company in 2006 (cast included Andrea Prestinario and Heather Townsend)
Trouble in Tahiti by Leonard Bernstein: Next Theatre in 2008 (cast included James Rank and Brandon Dahlquist; director Jason Loewith’s musical Adding Machine, with composer Josh Schmidt, had premiered at Next the previous year); Shaw Festival in 2012
Fiorello! by Bock and Harnick: TimeLine Theatre Company in 2006 and 2008 (PJ Powers and Rebecca Finnegan led a dynamite cast; Nick Bowling directed)
Shows Premiering 1970-1999
The Wiz by Charlie Smalls, et al: We first saw The Wiz in 1995 in a University of Illinois non-Theatre-Department student production staged in a corner of the basketball arena. In contrast to the 15,000+ seats in that venue, the 2017 production by Kokandy Productions was an intimate affair in a 98-seat space at Theater Wit. Directed by Lili-Anne Brown, this was one of the most joyful and captivating theatre experiences in our memory. Considering our first viewing of The Wiz, we found it amusing that one reviewer said that “The talent in this production is so super-sized it could easily hold court in Soldier Field.” So true, but we’re glad that we got to experience this definitive production up close and personal.
Ain’t Misbehavin’ by Fats Waller: Ain’t Misbehavin’ was the first show we saw on Broadway (in 1979), and we’ve seen other fabulous performances, including the incomparable E. Faye Butler at Arena Stage in 2003 and Goodman Theatre in 2008, as well as the 2014 Milwaukee Rep production featuring the spectacular Bethany Thomas (one of our favorite performers, and the reason we drove to Milwaukee for the show). Another memorable production was by Zoo Company in Champaign, Illinois, in 2003, featuring a stellar performance by Jon Michael Hill (while a freshman at the University of Illinois). But our special favorite is the production by Porchlight Music Theatre in 2014 (and remounted in 2015). The music and dancing were superb, but Porchlight’s Ain’t Misbehavin’ had an added dimension, simultaneously capturing both the exuberance and the underlying pain of life in 1930s Harlem. In addition to Jeff Awards for director Brenda Didier and the overall production, an Artistic Specialization Jeff went to pianist/conductor Austin Cook, whose on-stage presence and musicianship took the show to another level.
Little Shop of Horrors by Mencken and Ashman: Normally we wouldn’t expect much from a musical based on a low-budget comedy/farce/horror flick—especially one using a recycled set from an earlier movie entitled A Bucket of Blood! But we have a soft spot for Little Shop of Horrors, thanks to seeing some great productions that were extremely entertaining and surprisingly touching.
At the top of the list is the production by Mercury Theater in 2019, directed by L. Walter Stearns with music direction by Eugene Dizon, and featuring not only great singing but also phenomenal acting from the entire cast. When Audrey (Dana Tretta) sang “Somewhere That’s Green,” she wasn’t at all the cartoonish character you might expect based on the source material, but a real human being expressing deeply felt hurt as well as aspirations. Christopher Kale Jones was equally adept in portraying Seymour as someone you really cared about and wished you could have over for dinner. Another thing that made this production especially compelling was the fabulous choreography by Christopher Carter and the organic staging that made ensemble members seem more engaged in the story telling than we’d seen in other productions. And to top off the evening, at the end of the curtain call we were surprised and delighted when Little Shop’s composer, Alan Mencken, came on stage! He was in Chicago for a solo show at the Auditorium Theatre, and was very gracious to the audience and generous in applauding the performers. (We’d had one prior experience similar to this, when Eric Idle appeared on stage at the end of the performance of Spamalot that we saw at Drury Lane in 2011.)
Other memorable Little Shop productions include: Parkland College in 2000 (among other clever touches from director Dallas Street, when we first saw the singers Chiffon, Chrystal, and Ronette, each appeared to be wearing a classic 1960’s shift dress; but when they moved apart, it became clear that they were wearing a single dress—a great visual gag at the start of the show!); Awkward Pause 2013 at the Den Theatre, with probably the best skid row ambiance we’ve ever seen and a fantastic cast, including Charlotte Mae Ellison as Audrey, directed by Jennifer Betancourt); and American Blues Theatre in 2016 (directed by Jonathan Berry with a phenomenal band led by music director Austin Cook, plus Dara Cameron and Michael Mahler as Audrey and Seymour, and Ian Paul Custer as an appropriately menacing Orin).
City of Angels by Coleman and Zippel: Producing this musical is not for the faint of heart. It requires quickly changeable sets and clear storytelling that distinguishes unambiguously between the world of a mystery writer working on the screenplay of his book, and the milieu of
the film itself. The audience has to be on its toes too, to catch the deliciously clever lyrics written by David Zippel and the wisecracking film noir dialog courtesy of Larry Gelbart. When Drury Lane Oakbrook produced the show in 1993, producer Tony DeSantis closed the show early due to confused attendees and poor sales, and substituted a revival of the more audience-accessible Phantom of the Opera to finish out the run. We were lucky enough to see that 1993 production of City of Angels 
at Drury Lane before it closed, and except for the annoyingly noisy set changes, loved the show. The superlative cast included Larry Yando, Brian Mani, Nancy Voigts, Kathy Taylor, and Jonathan Weir. Director Gary Griffin and music director Tom Sivak both received Jeff Award nominations for the production, and we still remember it fondly as not only a great show, but also our first theatre outing to Chicagoland (a year earlier than our first venture to Chicago proper, where we saw A Little Night Music at the Goodman Theatre when it was still on the campus of the Art Institute).
Twenty-two years after what one critic referred to as the “1993 Drury Lane disaster,” we saw a concert staging of City of Angels as part of the Porchlight Revisits series, directed by Christopher Pazdernik with music direction by Aaron Benham. The task of differentiating between the writer’s world and the film’s world is infinitely more difficult in a staged reading than in a full production (where sets and costumes provide context and clues for the audience), but the cast and crew pulled off a clearly told, beautifully sung delight. We loved the production and the cast so much that we wondered how the upcoming full production at Marriott Theatre could top it.
Five months later, in late 2015, we found that Marriott Theatre’s City of Angels was equally captivating. The cast, directed by Nick Bowling, was a who’s who of Chicago musical theatre greats, with standout performances not only in the lead roles but throughout (for example, Meghan Murphy as Donna/Oolie, and Gabriel Ruiz as Munoz). Also, special kudos go to Marriott for tackling this show’s challenging staging in their “in the round” theatre—successfully!
And the World Goes ‘Round by Kander and Ebb: At the time we saw this Kander and Ebb revue in 2000 at Drury Lane Evergreen Park, we were fairly new to Chicago theatre and hadn’t previously seen any of the cast members: Roberta Duchak, Heidi Kettenring, Rachel Rockwell, Curt Dale Clark, and Aaron Thielen. Obviously, all had major careers ahead of them! But it’s fun to remember when we saw them on roller skates (performing “The Rink”) and hitting every song out of the park in this exuberant revue. Interesting note: Director Marc Robin won a Jeff Award for this show, and the cast received a nomination for best ensemble. When the Jeff nominations were originally announced, Chicago Tribune critic Richard Christiansen wrote an interesting article, including others who were “unpardonably omitted from the list” of nominees.
Smokey Joe’s Cafe by Leiber and Stoller: Jukebox musicals often yield a pleasant evening at the theatre, but rarely a memorable experience with much depth. We’ve seen two instances, however, where a creative director and design team came up with a way to give the songs a believable shared context that heightened their significance and impact. One was the Brenda Didier-directed Ain’t Misbehavin’ by Porchlight Music Theatre in 2014 (set in a 1940’s rent party); the other was Smokey Joe’s Cafe at Drury Lane Oakbrook in 2016, directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. She and set designer Kevin Depinet recreated a slice of Chicago’s Maxwell Street Market, where for about a 100 years people have met to buy, sell, socialize, and make music. And nine phenomenally talented cast members executed the concept perfectly. In his Chicago Tribune review, Chris Jones noted that Donica Lynn’s rendition of “Fools Fall in Love” was worth the trip, and indeed it was. But in this production, every number was worth the trip, and every performer unforgettable.
Another noteworthy Smokey Joe’s Cafe was the 2012 Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre staging, directed and choreographed by Brenda Didier. As is often the case at Theo Ubique, it featured a cast of talented young performers soon to become prominent on Chicago’s stages, such as Sydney Charles, Justin Adair, and Jaymes Osborne.
Ragtime by Ahrens and Flaherty: E. L. Doctorow’s bestselling novel embodies passions so deep that mere words would not suffice; it had to become a musical. The original Broadway production in 1998 had an $11M budget, with fireworks and a Model T driven on stage. Despite 13 Tony nominations and 834 performances, it did not turn a profit. A Broadway revival in 2009 closed after only 65 performances, but subsequently received seven Tony nominations. All the regional productions we have seen have been excellent, with five positively soul-stirring.
Ragtime at Drury Lane Oakbrook in 2010 was directed and choreographed by Rachel Rockwell, with music direction by Roberta Duchak. Coalhouse Walker, Jr. was played by Quentin Earl Darrington, who had played the same role in the 2009 Broadway revival; at the performance we attended, Coalhouse was sublimely sung and acted by his understudy, James Earl Jones II (more details in our list of favorite understudy performances). Sarah was played by Valisia LeKae, also from Broadway, who would go on to play Diana Ross in Motown the Musical. Cory Goodrich and Mark David Kaplan as Mother and Tateh were the heart and soul of the show.
At the Shaw Festival in 2012, director Jackie Maxwell’s Ragtime was memorable for its electrifying musical numbers (music direction by Paul Sportelli). Particularly unforgettable were Thom Allison as Coalhouse singing “Make Them Hear You,” and Coalhouse and Sarah (played by Alana Hibbert) on “Wheels of a Dream.”
Ragtime at Milwaukee Rep in 2013 was directed by Mark Clements and music directed by Dan Kazemi, with a multi-talented cast from Milwaukee, Chicago, and New York. Carmen Cusack (who had played Dot in Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s Sunday in the Park with George the previous year) played Mother. Father was played by David Hess, who in 2015 had two impressive performances at Marriott Theatre (as Georges in La Cage aux Folles and John Hickam in October Sky). Bethany Thomas was also part of the amazing cast in this production that captured both the individual tragedies and the broader implications of the powerful material.
In contrast to the grand-scale productions we had seen previously, Griffin Theatre Company’s 2017 Ragtime took place in the more intimate Den Theatre’s Heath Main Stage, and featured new orchestrations by Matt Deitchman for two pianos and a wind instrument. Music direction (by Jermaine Hill and Ellen Morris), choreography (by William Carlos Angulo), costume design (by Rachel Sypniewski), and scenic design (by William Boles) were all exquisite—and properly scaled for this chamber-sized production. But what made Griffin’s Ragtime so special for us was the intimacy of director Scott Weinstein’s staging, where the actors and audience were frequently sharing the same space and all part of the unfolding story. More than once during the show, we felt as if we were sitting in the midst of a glorious choir, as the performers sang while encircling the stage, standing among the audience members. The staging made the inspired performances of Denzel Tsopnang and Katherine Thomas (as Coalhouse and Sarah), Laura McClain (as Mother), Jason Richards (as Tateh), and the rest of the 20-member cast seem even more intense and heartrending. Interesting note: Another indication of the excellence of this production was the who’s who of Chicago musical theatre talent in the audience the night we saw the show, including Donica Lynn and Bri Sudia, among others.
Four years after Griffin’s exquisite chamber-sized take on Ragtime, we saw the unforgettable grand-scale staging by Music Theater Works in late 2021—only our second in-person theatrical performance following a 601-day COVID hiatus. Stage directed by Stacey Flaster and music directed by Roger L. Bingaman, the production was a sublime combination of storytelling and music, with 36 actors and 18 musicians acting in harmony, in every sense of the word. The performers—led by Curtis Bannister (as Coalhouse), Lydia Burke (Sarah), Kelly Britt (Mother), and Dan Gold (Tateh)—brought even deeper meaning to a show that we had known and loved for years. In fact, this was the first time we’d ever seen a musical production where we thought every single scene was as good as or better than any we’d experienced previously. What a moving and consequential return to live theatre!
Parade by Jason Robert Brown: Our introduction to this story of the 1913 trial of a Jewish factory manager in Atlanta who was falsely accused of a horrific crime (and subsequently kidnapped and lynched) was the 2010 Dolphin Show at Northwestern—one of our favorite Northwestern shows. Then in 2014, we attended a tenth-anniversary staged reading of Parade by Bailiwick, which reunited performers from their original landmark production of a decade earlier (some actors traveled hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to participate in the one-night-only performance). A few months later, we saw a fully staged production by BoHo Theatre (directed by Linda Fortunato with musical direction by Matt Deitchman). Each of these three productions told the story with devastating veracity and impact, with heartbreakingly effective music.
In 2017, we were overwhelmed by director Gary Griffin’s production of Parade at Writers Theatre, in which the exquisite cast, music direction (by Michael Mahler), and staging (scenic design by Scott Davis) combined to capture the very personal story of Leo Frank alongside the inhumanity of those who viewed him impersonally—as a convenient stereotype rather than an individual. We were struck once again by the distressing continuing relevance of this story of racism and intolerance. Interesting note: We, like many others who saw Parade, were bowled over by Jonathan Butler-Duplessis’s Jeff-Award-winning portrayal of Jim Conley; however, we were undoubtedly unique in also having seen his theatrical debut. It was at the Station Theatre in Urbana, Illinois, when six-year-old Jonathan played Banquo’s son in Macbeth. Banquo was played by college-student James Vincent Meredith.
HONORABLE MENTION shows and productions:
42nd Street by Warren and Dubin: Theatre at the Center in 2012 (with Larry Adams, Paula Scrofano, and Dale Benson)
Violet by Tesori and Crawley: Griffin Theatre in 2017 (with Nicole Laurenzi as Violet and Stephen Allen as Flick, plus a perfectly cast ensemble and direction by Scott Weinstein); Northwestern University in 2023, with inventive staging and superb acting and singing, directed by Mikael Burke
Shows Premiering 2000 and Later
The Producers by Mel Brooks: We’ve seen over a dozen different productions of this brilliantly hilarious show, and all have been well done—an amazing feat considering the challenges inherent in casting and staging this show. The seating capacity of the venues where we’ve seen The Producers has ranged from 147 seats (NightBlue Theatre at Stage 773 in 2015) to 4,500 (Fox Theatre in St. Louis in 2002). The 2001 pre-Broadway run in Chicago with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick was in the 2,344-seat Cadillac Palace, but from the third balcony where we sat it seemed like more. Director L. Walter Stearns’ intimate Mercury Theatre production in 2016 was made especially memorable by the sparkling lead performances of Matt Crowle, Bill Larkin, and Allison Sill, supported by an aptly manic and fully committed ensemble, with music direction by Eugene Dizon, and choreography by Brigitte Ditmars.
Seven years later (2023), we experienced the unprecedented treat of seeing The Producers again directed by L. Walter Stearns and music directed by Eugene Dizon—this time produced by Music Theater Works at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in the Center Theatre (for the record, 867 seats minus 32 removed to accommodate the orchestra pit). Walter directed the fully committed ~30-person cast with the frenetic energy and unbridled merriment requisite for a Mel Brooks show, and Eugene’s conducting of the 17-piece orchestra was nothing short of sublime. Adding to the excitement, The Producers was Music Theater Works’ 150th show. Thomas M. Shea, playing Max Bialystock, was also in the company’s first show, H.M.S. Pinafore, in 1981!
Interesting note: Two performances of The Producers (at NightBlue and at Mercury Theatre) made our list of favorite understudy performances.
The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown: Our first visit to Northlight Theatre was in 2003 (for Blues in the Night), unfortunately not in time to catch the 2001 premiere of The Last Five Years there. A low-budget, high-talent production by La Costa Theatre in 2006 was our introduction to the show, as well as our first Jason Robert Brown musical, and we loved it. The music is varied in style and requires accomplished acting in addition to musical chops. The story of a couple’s relationship is told with an interesting twist: he relates his version in chronological order, while she reveals hers in reverse chronological order; the two meet only in the middle, at the time of their wedding. The two-person piece presents significant challenges to the performers and to the band, so imagine the degree of difficulty when in 2013 Kokandy Productions tackled the material with Allison Hendrix and Jim DeSelm acting, singing, and accompanying each other on piano. John D. Glover directed, and Kim Lawson and Lilianna Wosko added violin and cello. One “problematic” element of this musical has always been that one of the two main characters is off-stage essentially half the time, so they and the audience have to repeatedly re-engage. In the Kokandy production, both actors were onstage continuously, always in character and always expressing feelings, whether singing or at the piano. We found that it significantly heightened the emotional impact.
In 2018, we reveled in another production of The Last Five Years with another interesting twist: a concert staging of the show, presented by pianist Jaime S. Cohen “in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Music in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying,” as explained in the playbill. And although this was the sixth production of this show we’d seen, it was the first to use the gorgeous original orchestrations for piano, violin, two cellos, guitar, and bass. Jaime’s fellow students Colleen Bruton and Aaron J. Godwin acted and sang the score to perfection.
Interesting note: In 2001, PLAYBILL published an interesting article about Northlight’s world premiere run of The Last Five Years.
Hairspray by Shaiman and Wittman: Between 2009 and 2018, we saw six productions of Hairspray, and all were terrific. First up was the Marriott Theatre production in 2009, distinguished by the phenomenal cast. Marc Robin directed and choreographed.
Our next Hairspray was in 2011 at the Station Theatre in Urbana, Illinois, just two months after their amazing production of The Light in the Piazza (described below). What set this production apart was the direction by Dallas Street, whose creativity and attention to detail (along with good casting decisions) meant that every joke landed, every sight gag was perfect, and every ounce of humor and message in the script hit home. It’s little wonder that every performance sold out.
The calling card of Hairspray at Drury Lane Oakbrook in 2012 was the dancing, complemented by powerful singing. Tammy Mader directed and choreographed the production, with a stellar cast that seemed to be having the time of their lives.
A similarly effective, high-energy production was at the Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan, Illinois, in 2015, directed by Kevin Long with a strong cast that included Gilbert Domally as Seaweed. The following year, he played the same role in the large-scale Paramount Theatre production in 2016, with another dynamite cast and striking direction and choreography by Amber Mak.
In 2018, we traveled to Milwaukee to see Skylight Music Theatre’s production of Hairspray, directed by Lili-Anne Brown and featuring a dynamite performance by Terynn Erby-Walker as Little Inez, along with some of our favorite musical theatre artists from Chicago: Ann Delaney (as an unbeatable Penny Pingleton), Gilbert Domally (whose Seaweed somehow gets even better with each production), Tommy Novak (as Edna Turnblad, portrayed with remarkable depth), Maisie Rose (an inspiring Tracy Turnblad), and Bethany Thomas (as Motormouth Maybelle). Bethany’s rendition of “I Know Where I’ve Been” was a performance for the ages, and set the stage for making this the most moving and meaningful Hairspray we’d ever seen.
The Light in the Piazza by Guettel and Lucas: Although we’ve seen this glorious show in several large houses (including the pre-Broadway production at the Goodman), our favorite production was Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s 2012 staging. They did an ingenious job of shoe-horning an Italian piazza into their tiny performance space in the No Exit Cafe, but even more remarkable was the singing (accompanied by first-rate acting). This was the first time we had seen Kelli Harrington (playing Margaret Johnson) and Justin Adair (playing Fabrizio Naccarelli), both of whom won Jeff Awards for their performances. They’re now among our favorite musical performers, along with Jeff-nominated Rachel Klippel, who played Clara. Elizabeth Lanza, another of our favorites, was part of the stellar supporting cast.
Another production of The Light in the Piazza that was especially memorable was at the Station Theatre in Urbana, Illinois, in 2011. They turned a small budget set into a creative triumph, thanks to scenic designer Rachel Witt-Callahan’s ingenuity in using dozens of painted umbrellas to recreate the ambiance of a piazza. Her call for volunteers went out over Facebook just a few weeks before the show: “We’ve got an umbrella project happening. We are replacing the fabric portion of the umbrellas with muslin and painting Italian works of art on them. If you have any interest in helping to sew umbrella covers or paint on them let me know ASAP. I’ve already got a small stash of umbrellas and could get them to you at your convenience.” It worked to perfection! Interesting note: The lead role of Margaret Johnson was beautifully played by Dawn Harris, who subsequently directed an outstanding University of Illinois student production of the show in 2017 (which made our list of favorite college productions).
Caroline, or Change by Tesori and Kushner: Tony Kushner, who wrote the book and lyrics to this sung-through musical inspired in part by his own experiences as a young boy, said “It’s the piece I’ve written that I’m proudest of.” To say the least, that’s a strong statement coming from the author of Angels in America—but Firebrand Theatre’s 2018 production (in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company) brought home all the depth, universality, and beauty of Kushner’s lyrics and Jeanine Tesori’s sumptuous and varied music, substantiating Kushner’s claim. Every element of this production was meticulous and high-impact, and the glorious sum of the parts is etched in our memory, including Rashada Dawan’s powerful and heartbreaking portrayal of Caroline, the amazing ensemble cast, and the cleverness and creativity of the scenic design (Lauren Nichols) and costumes (Kotryna Hilko), all under the masterful direction of Lili-Anne Brown with music direction by Andra Velis Simon.
The talent and resourcefulness of Firebrand’s cast and musicians was tested at a particularly memorable performance shortly after opening night, described by music director Simon on Facebook: “The sound system imploded but NO WORRIES our cast sang unmic’d and our band made all the needed adjustments on the fly and it was awesome. I love this team.” As luck would have it, New York Times theatre critic Jesse Green was in attendance at that performance, and included this account in his astute article “How Chicago Is Changing Theater, One Storefront at a Time:”
This “Caroline Unplugged” — as Harmony France, Firebrand’s artistic director, called it in a preshow announcement — came across with full force, in part because of the scale that at first seemed an impediment. Even without amplification, when Ms. Dawan sang you backed up in your seat. And so I found Caroline’s monumental dourness, no less than the clueless attempts of the Gellman family to get around it, as heartbreaking as ever.
A decade before Firebrand’s production, we had seen another stirring Caroline, or Change at Court Theatre in 2008, highlighted by E. Faye Butler’s superb singing and acting in the title role.
Spamalot by Idle and du Prez: Considering how hard it is to get the tone and energy level right in a zany, episodic comedy such as Spamalot, it’s surprising that we’ve seen so many good productions of this show. It’s even more amazing that Mercury Theater’s 2019 Spamalot excelled so consistently, with literally every scene played to perfection. It was a collective effort from a cast and crew who clearly delighted in working together and sharing their joy with the audience. Director L. Walter Stearns, music director Eugene Dizon, leads Meghan Murphy and Jonah D. Winston, and the full ensemble were in top form, as was the creative team (which included scenic designer Angie Weber Miller and props designer Matthew Zalinski), who pulled off the show’s staging challenges with flair. The gorgeous costumes were created by Tim Hatley, who won a Tony Award for designing the costumes for the 2005 Broadway production of Spamalot!
Hatley was also the costume designer for the following year’s West End production, and those very costumes were used in another of our favorite Spamalots, at Drury Lane Oakbrook in 2011, directed by William Osetek. The stellar performance was made even more memorable by what happened at the end of the show. The curtain call was long and enthusiastic, but when the applause finally died down, the actors didn’t leave the stage. Instead, David Kortemeier (King Arthur) stepped forward and said that there was a special guest with us that day, at which point Eric Idle emerged from the audience and came on stage. He was funny and gracious, and took a well deserved bow.
Other productions of Spamalot that we’ve particularly enjoyed were by NightBlue Performing Arts Company in 2013 (directed by David E. Walters) and by Theatre at the Center in 2015 (directed by David Perkovich).
The Color Purple by Russell, Willis, and Bray: In an era when major musicals typically begin life on Broadway as attractions for tourists (57% of the audience in the 2005-2006 season, when The Color Purple had its debut), it’s a miracle that The Color Purple’s story of unthinkable inhumanity and cruelty made it to the stage. On the other hand, music may be the only medium that could capture both the raw emotions of the first act and the indomitable human spirit and love between family and friends that take us on an incredible journey in the second act. The brilliance of director Lili-Anne Brown, the cast, and crew in Drury Lane’s 2019 production was that, after fully engaging with the cruelty, they still made the joy not only credible but, in retrospect, inevitable. Starting with the emotionally rich opening scene in a rural Georgia church, it was eminently clear that this story, music, and movement were in the best possible hands. From Jermaine Hill’s music direction to Breon Arzell’s choreography to Arnel Sancianco’s scenic design (lit by Cat Wilson), every design element meshed perfectly as the foundation for the dream cast to bring this powerful story to unforgettable life.
Adding Machine: A Musical by Schmidt and Loewith: This musical version of Elmer Rice’s 1923 expressionist masterpiece is devilishly difficult. Multi-Jeff Award winner and phenomenal singer Kelli Harrington played Mrs. Zero in The Hypocrites 2016 production, and her playbill bio included this reference to the show’s challenges: “Odds are she will sing the music right at least once, and it will undoubtedly be tonight’s performance.” Indeed, Adding Machine demands a consummate confluence of fierce acting, virtuoso singing, and expressive movement to depict the monotony and dehumanizing effect of being a cog in a corporate wheel only to be tossed aside by the encroachment of automation. Unfortunately, we missed its 2007 premiere directed by David Cromer at Next Theatre, but we were thrilled to catch The Hypocrites stunning production in 2016, featuring a superbly talented and committed ensemble led by galvanic performances by Patrick Du Laney and Harrington as Mr. and Mrs. Zero, with direction by Geoff Button, musical direction by Matt Deitchman, and choreography by Katie Spelman. The striking, machine-like scenic design by Lauren Nigiri made brilliant use of the Den Theatre’s Heath Main Stage. Interesting note: The original creative team of Schmidt, Loewith, and Cromer reunited to attend a performance of The Hypocrites new production.
Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks: This musical version of the extremely funny hit movie by Mel Brooks had a decent run on Broadway, but wasn’t viewed as completely successful. Director William Osetek’s inspired choices for the lead roles at Drury Lane Oakbrook in 2014 were just what the piece needed. Devin DeSantis (Dr. Frederick Frankenstein), Allison Sill (Inga), Jeff Dumas (Igor), Paula Scrofano (Frau Blücher), Johanna McKenzie Miller (Elizabeth Benning), and Travis Taylor (The Monster) knew just how far to push the madcap comedy, and executed Tammy Mader’s choreography and Roberta Duchak’s music direction perfectly. Anchoring the production was Kevin Depinet’s set design, which aptly captured the spirit of classic horror movies.
In 2023, we were treated to another first-rate production of this too-rarely produced Mel Brooks gem. Mercury Theater brought together a team of actors that clearly “got” the material and reveled in working together, led by director L. Walter Stearns, with music direction by Eugene Dizon, and choreography by Brenda Didier—a dream combination! Set designer Bob Knuth did a herculean job of turning the compact Mercury Theater stage into a credible representation of a Transylvanian community/castle/laboratory. We, and clearly every other audience member, had a perfectly delightful time there!
Next to Normal by Kitt and Yorkey: Prior to 2019, we had seen five productions of Next to Normal, in settings large and small, and ranging from community theatre (the excellent Station Theatre in Urbana) to Broadway in Chicago. All were deeply affecting and thought-provoking; notably Drury Lane in 2013 (Susie McMonagle, Rod Thomas, and Colte Julian under William Osetek’s Jeff Award-winning direction); MadKap Productions in 2015 (an incredibly moving and intimate production with Whitney Morse and Brian Zealand leading a uniformly outstanding cast); BoHo Theatre in 2016 (Colette Todd, Donterrio Johnson, Gilbert Domally, Ciera Dawn, Bradley Atkinson, and Peter Robel in an impeccably sung and acted production, with direction by Linda Fortunato and music direction by Ellen K. Morris).
In 2019, we looked forward to what we knew would be another outstanding production of Next to Normal, at Writers Theatre under the direction of David Cromer with music direction by Andra Velis Simon and some of our favorite actors (led by Keely Vasquez as Diana). But we hadn’t anticipated that the emotional ferocity of this piece could reach even more deeply than we had previously experienced, transformed from “mere” musical to a fully realized drama with integrated songs—and consequently no let-up in story-telling or impact on us in the audience. In a marked departure from typical staging of musicals, songs were sung either introspectively or to another actor in engaged conversation, never explicitly (or even implicitly) to the audience. This production was also the most intimate we had experienced in the Nichols Theatre at Writers, unflinchingly enveloping the audience both physically and emotionally.
Fun Home by Tesori and Kron: We were very excited when we learned that Fun Home would be produced by Victory Gardens in 2017, directed by Gary Griffin and music-directed by Doug Peck. We were eager to see this musical based on Alison Bechdel’s memoir-in-the-form-of-a-comic-book, and intrigued by both the musical and story-telling possibilities. Although we expected a fantastic cast, we hadn’t anticipated the extra magic resulting from bringing together top talent from both storefront and large theatres. For example, Hannah Starr (playing Medium Alison) had previously blown us away as the Emcee in Cabaret by No Stakes Theatre Project (performed at the Berger Park Coach House) just a few months prior to Fun Home. We had also seen Danielle Davis in brilliant performances in Definition Theatre Company’s An Octoroon and Griffin Theatre’s Ragtime immediately before she took on the role of Medium Alison’s love interest Joan in Fun Home. Joining these newer talents with familiar veterans like McKinley Carter, Rob Lindley, and Danni Smith yielded an ideal ensemble that explored the emotional depths of this exquisite piece. Interesting note: We saw the show a second time so that we could catch Ann Sheridan Smith (McKinley Carter’s understudy) as Alison’s mother in another sublime performance.
A few weeks after seeing Fun Home at Victory Gardens, we saw another fine production at the Station Theatre in Urbana that featured veteran performers and current students.
Our next opportunity to see Fun Home was in 2022, when it was part of the inaugural year of Paramount Theatre’s BOLD Series (at Copley Theatre). It was the most intensely and unrelentingly moving Fun Home we had ever experienced, thanks in part to two key staging decisions by co-directors Jim Corti and Landree Fleming. First, Alison—played by the brilliant Emilie Madoff—is an observer as scenes from her younger life play out on stage, but in this production she was physically closer and visibly riveted as she watched her life unfold in a very real sense. And as audience members, we were fully emotionally engaged, seeing the depth of her family’s impact on Alison. Second, the timing and fluidity of movement between scenes was remarkable in both design and execution, and left no room for a break in our own emotional engagement. And then there’s the cast, singing and acting exquisitely to capture the humor, life lessons, and pathos in every single scene, anchored by an unforgettable performance by Stephen Schellhardt—understated but still conveying a myriad of bottomless emotions as Alison’s father.
Northanger Abbey with book by Robert Kauzlaric based on the Jane Austen novel, and music and lyrics by George Howe: The challenges of bringing this new musical to the stage must have been formidable: adapting the classic novel; determining where and how music might enhance the story-telling; writing a gorgeous score with never-trite lyrics; staging grand houses, carriage rides, and more in Lifeline’s intimate low-tech space; and finding the cast and director to bring the whole affair to life. Lifeline’s Northanger Abbey in 2016, directed by Elise Kauzlaric, excelled on all fronts while fully capturing the charm and satire of Austen’s novel. We hope this musical will have many more productions in the future, although it’s hard to imagine it could ever be more delightful than it was with Lifeline’s cast and artistic team.
Haymarket by Higgin-Houser and Kornfeld: We saw Underscore Theatre Company’s early version of this musical in 2016 (then called Haymarket: The Anarchist’s Songbook), and were sufficiently impressed to include it on our Chicago History Through Theatre page. When Underscore announced a new production in 2018 (in the Den Theatre’s Heath Main Stage), we expected to see a re-staged and slightly more polished version of the 2016 offering. Instead, we saw a refocused narrative that put Lucy Parsons decidedly front and center and left no doubt that the 1886 Haymarket events bear a striking resemblance to today’s headlines. Director Nick Thornton brilliantly choreographed the movements of the large cast, who not only had to hit their marks as actors/singers but also serve as the musicians (seamlessly integrated into the action onstage). Thornton also orchestrated some of the most creative staging we’d ever seen, depicting everything from riots to courtroom proceedings to hangings (in fact, this production is one of our all-time favorite uses of the infinitely reconfigurable Heath Main Stage). The fully committed and multi-talented cast, led by Bridget Adams-King as Lucy Parsons, made the historical characters come to life with remarkable relevance and depth. Interesting note: Authors Alex Higgin-Houser and David Kornfeld received a Jeff Awards nomination for their 2016 version of Haymarket: The Anarchist’s Songbook. Kudos to them for continuing to work on the piece and turn it into an even more timely and affecting play. Also kudos to Robert Ollis for the outstanding music direction on both the 2016 and 2018 productions.
HONORABLE MENTION shows and productions:
Urinetown: The Musical by Hollman and Kotis: Produced by Blue Dog Productions at the Mercury Theater in 2006; and an even more intimate production by BoHo Theatre in 2017 that used every inch of the tiny Box Theatre at Stage 773 to perfection
At Wit’s End by Michael Duff and Cheryl Coons: Northlight Theatre in 2003 (In a fascinating two-part interview with newmusicaltheatre.com, lyricist and book writer Coons talked about creating musicals and doing so in Chicago rather than New York)
Mary Poppins by Sherman and Sherman: Paramount Theatre in 2014 (with Emily Rohm as Mary and Matt Crowle as Bert, directed by Rachel Rockwell, and a big finish with Mary flying all the way from the stage to the rear balcony in the huge 1,885-seat theatre)
Improbable Frequency by Riordan and Bell Helicopter: Strawdog Theatre Company in 2013 (our favorite: wordplay, good-time music, quantum mechanics, and Strawdog’s talented actors, singers, and musicians)
