Thu. October 11, 2007
By John Olson
Further, the creative team has freshened up the piece with new costumes by Paraskeve Pavlos (the boyz are in black now), a slightly revamped set by David Korins, and dramatic new lighting – especially effective in the climactic number banishing the Devil – by Ben Stanton. The writing team has added a few touches specifically for the Chicago crowd, like working "My Kind of Town" into a descant, and giving Juan a reference to the "Windy Ciudad." Longtime local radio announcer Roy Leonard of WGN has taken over the offstage role of the Voice of G.O.D.
Even on a third viewing, the good-natured satire of Kevin Del Aguila's book and the songs of Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker have a way of lifting spirits. Even as we groan at the awkward marriages of private faith and public statements, of Christian charity and crass commercialism, we're caught up in the best intentions of the boyz and lifted by their sheer energy and spirit. As with the followers of any band, fans of these Altar Boyz will choose their own favorites from the cast. They'll have some terrific performers from which to pick.
Altar Boyz, running through November 25, 2007, will be performed Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 and 5 p.m. Tickets are sold through the Drury Lane Water Tower Place Box Office at 175 E. Chestnut St., by calling 312-642-2000, or online at Ticketmaster.com. A limited number of student rush tickets, priced at $25, will be available two hours prior to each performance at the Drury Lane Box Office only.
Photo: (L-R) Tyler McGee, Adam Zelasko, Devin DeSantis, Brian Crum, and Nick Verina
Photo by: Michael Brosilow
For the complete article (non-reader view with multimedia and original links),
Tap here.
Head to the local LGBTQ news, events, directory and people network at ChicagoPride.com