Displaying items by tag: Charlie Long

The 1950s is easy to idealize. Men styled tailored suits, women dazzled in pleated dresses, and everything glimmered like it was in a commercial. Life’s troubles were solved with a talk from pop or a hug from mom – or that’s how it seemed. Drury Lane Theatre’s Father of the Bride transports audiences to that romanticized time, and it’s a welcome trip!

Published in 1949, Father of the Bride was adapted for the stage and screen, including two beloved movies starring Hollywood heavy-weights Elizabeth Taylor, Spencer Tracy, and, later, Steve Martin in 1991. While a wedding-gone-wrong may be a familiar story, director Michael Heitzman infused Drury Lane’s rendition with charm, laughter, and sincerity, making it feel fresh.

The play follows Stanley Banks, whose one-and-only daughter prepares for her big day, but she just wants a simple ceremony. Then again, she does want to invite all of her friends… and wants a beautiful dress… and well, by the time everything adds up, the small affair balloons into a whopping headache for dad.

Joe Dempsey’s portrayal of Banks, the set-in-his-ways father, is spot on, and his ad-libbed groans and physical comedy can’t help but make you laugh and empathize with poor, ol’ dad. He balances his old‑school bravado with the teddy-bear-interior so well, creating the heart of the story and avoiding the tired “dumb dad” troupes.

Aurora Penepacker and Jake DiMaggio Lopez in Father of the Bride. Photo by Justin Barbin.

Also making up the family is Rachel Sullivan, who plays the mother, Ellie Banks, with a gentle, confident air, and sons Ben and Tommy are portrayed by Kyle Ringley and Charlie Long, who bring charismatic Leave It to Beaver energy.

Aurora Penepacker plays Kay Banks, the soon-to-be bride with all of the charm of Elizabeth Taylor, and Jake DiMaggio Lopez is her moonstruck, in-over-his-head fiancée, Buckley Dunstan. Their chemistry is fun to watch as every emotion ping-pongs around as their nuptials draw near.

The ensemble also includes some fantastic performances. Michele Vazaquez portrays the tightly wound secretary, Miss Bellamy, who delivers a hilarious meltdown when every member of the family sabotages her efforts to finalize a guest list. Ed Kross brings quirky comedy as the caterer, Mr. Missoula, who steamrolls the Banks (and jumps like Super Mario), and Maya Hlava as Peggy Swift is an overzealous girl-next-door who plots to catch the bouquet.

The original compositions composed by Curtis Moore also deserve a shout-out. They serve as the perfect soundtrack during sequences which showed seasons changing or wedding gifts flooding in and add that extra something that makes you feel like you’re watching your favorite black-and-white sitcom.

Comedy can be tricky to tackle, but Father of the Bride makes ever beat work. It’s whimsical, playful, and a reminder that when things go awry, those you love will always be there. Father of the Bride is an invitation to a pure, wholesome evening, and it’s an invite you should not pass up.

Father of the Bride runs through May 31 at Drury Lane Theater. Click here for tickets and more information.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

It’s always risky to take a familiar story and translate it from one medium to another, in this instance from film to stage. Will the adaptation do justice to the story? Will our favorite characters be recognizable to us? Will we walk away happily satisfied with the end result?

I can honestly say for devoted fans of Disney’s Pixar film Finding Nemo, both young and old, that in the Theatre for Young Audience’s musical adaptation now on stage at the Marriot Theatre in Lincolnshire, the answer to all those questions is a resounding YES!

Under the masterful direction of Amber Mak, who also choreographed the show, the underwater world of the coral reef, home to Marlin and his son Nemo, comes to life through the ingenious use of puppetry, colorful costumes and props, along with the skillful use of lighting.

For the uninitiated, Finding Nemo relates the story of an overly cautious and very serious Clown Fish, Marlin, who has promised after a barracuda attack wiped out his entire family save one, that nothing will ever happen to his only remaining son, Nemo. Nemo, who longs for adventures of his own, swims off the coral reef and is caught and taken to far-away Sydney. What follows is Marlin’s epic journey to find his son, where he is joined by a memory-challenged Blue Tang, Dory, whose unfailing optimism and faith in Marlin, propel the two onward.

From the opening to the close, the young audience was enchanted by the cavalcade of sea creatures that paraded across the stage – seahorses, sting rays, octopuses, as well as a wide variety of fish. Our favorites are there as well – the jellies, creatively portrayed using clear umbrellas, the chill sea turtles, Bruce, the somewhat reformed “fish are not food” shark and his friends, and of course, Dory.

Because the production is geared for a younger audience with a run time of about an hour, the storyline is somewhat truncated. Instead of finding himself in an aquarium at a dentist’s office, Nemo is taken to the Syndey Aquarium, where he meets Gill and the other Tank Gang, joining their efforts to escape and return to the sea. And Marlin and his plucky companion Dory quickly move from one encounter to another.

The addition of an energetic and up-tempo musical score written by the award-winning songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez of Frozen fame, keeps the storyline moving. Nigel, the Australian brown pelican, also relays critical information to the ocean denizens and Nemo about Marlin and Dory’s adventures, as well as encourages audience participation at times. “If you think Marlin will save Nemo, clap your fins now,” he intones, to an enthusiastic response.

The team of Scenic Designer Milo Bue, Costume Designer Theresa Ham, and Lighting Designer Brian Elston work together to create the colors and beauty of the underwater world. Large panels of lights on all the walls surround the audience in an everchanging display of seascapes. Lighting is used to create the undulating movement of water, and at time, bursts of bubbles gently fall to the delight of the audience.

But it is the wonderful puppets, thanks to Puppet Designer Jesse Mooney-Bullock, that are the true stars of the show. From the giant Sea Turtle, the laid-back Crush, played by three persons, to the scary barracuda that attacks the reef, to the delightful school of fish that point Marlin and Dory in the right direction, each puppet is uniquely designed and operated.

The talented cast bring the personalities of each character through with masterful puppetry and choreography. Avelyn Lena Choi shines as Nemo, and Devin De Santis portrays “Marlin” with just the right amount of caution and bravery. As in the movie, it is Dory, played expertly by Leah Morrow, who steals the show. Her mantra of “Just keep swimming” and continued mangling of Nemo’s name (Mosquito, Cheeto, Mango, to mention a few) keep the young crowd laughing and amused.

The talented ensemble also includes Andres DeLeon, Genevieve Jane, Charlie Long, Adelina Marinello, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Maya Rowe, Lorenzo Rush Jr., and Meena Sood, who play a variety of roles throughout the show.

As an added bonus, as it does with all its children’s theatre performances, the cast of the show remain afterwards for a brief question-and-answer session with the audience. For older children in the audience, it’s a wonderful opportunity to glimpse behind the scene and see how the stage magic happens.

With the holiday season nearly upon us, Marriott’s Finding Nemo is a perfect choice for family-friendly entertainment appropriate for all ages. I enjoyed the show as much as my nine-year-old granddaughter, who walked away thoroughly satisfied, remarking, “My favorite part was that there was a happy ending.”

Disney’s Finding Nemo Theatre for Young Audiences version is running through Jan. 4, 2026, at the Marriott Theatre, located at 10 Marriott Drive in Lincolnshire. Performances take place on most Wednesdays through Sundays at 10 am with select 12:30 pm performances. Visit www.marriotttheatre.com or call 847.634.0200 for the exact schedule, as show times and dates may vary.

Even 40 years later, the AIDS crisis continues to shape American life. Long before Hollywood brought AIDS stories to the cultural mainstream, the theatre was a safe place for actors and writers to explore their fears and sense of injustice for a mass audience.

‘Falsettos’ playwright William Finn began working on what would become the now classic musical in the 1970s, as a response to the gay liberation movement. The play started as a series of one-acts concerning Marvin, the show’s protagonist as he navigates leaving his family for his male lover. Initially the first installment, ‘In Trousers’ was a critical and commercial failure. Finn considered abandoning theatre entirely, but instead collaborated with lyricist James Lapine to create ‘Falsettos’. A musical that would explore both gay liberation and the early years of the AIDS epidemic through the vantage point of Finn’s character Marvin.

Court Theatre and TimeLine Theatre team up for a joint revival of ‘Falsettos’ at the Hyde Park theater. With a 70s-themed set, audiences are transported back to 1979 where they meet Marvin, the play’s central character played by Steven Schellhardt. Not only is this a play about gay culture, but it’s also a celebration of the Jewish-American experience. The show begins with a song ‘Four Jews in a Room Bitching’ that introduces the sing-songy musical style that permeates throughout.

Marvin is leaving his wife Trina (Sarah Bockel) for his new lover Whizzer (Jack Ball). Trina is taking up with the family psychiatrist Mendel (Jackson Evans). Their son Jason (Charlie Long) is caught in the middle as his parents duke it over his approaching bar mitzvah. Marvin wants it all, his perfect nuclear family and his new lover, at whatever emotional cost that comes to his son, his lover and Trina. What’s so striking about the first act is how modern the themes are. Perhaps in a world without the specter of AIDS hanging over it, this odd family arrangement would have eventually worked itself out. Act I essentially lives in a vacuum uninfluenced by the coming epidemic. Act II catches up with the characters two years later. Things have slightly improved for Marvin and his family but another grim reality emerges. Whizzer becomes one of the AIDS epidemic’s first victims. This 11’o clock tone shift admittedly feels jarring especially against the chipper upbeat music. Though, it makes this musical feel unique as far as AIDS literature goes. It’s not the AIDS musical per se, but rather a musical about the gay experience that features AIDS. In this story, the virus is so new it doesn’t even have a name or a course of treatment.

Lyricist James Lapine crafted words for Sondheim classics like ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ and ‘Into the Woods’. His signature rhyming scheme are both a blessing and a curse for ‘Falsettos’. Sarah Bockel is undeniably this production’s strongest asset, especially during  numbers like ‘Trina’s Song’ showcase her talent as a singer and physical performer. However, the lyrics feel outdated as any sort of feminist anthem.

The play is aptly titled ‘Falsettos’ as the characters are often singing in a much more upbeat style than the content of the lyrics. Sometimes it works, and sometimes the rhyming feels like a reach. The musical style works well in big cast numbers like ‘Falsettoland/It’s About Time’, but when the play takes on a more serious tone the format feels contradictory to the plot.

Director Nick Bowling and music director Otto Vogel present a faithful, high-end revival that will delight fans of the musical. The cast rises to the occasion wonderfully, especially child actor Charlie Long as the hopelessly awkward teen caught in the middle of his parents’ drama. Putting ‘Falsettos’ into the context of today’s more accepting world, it feels like a victory lap, a reminder of how far society has come. It’s a celebration of love in all its forms. 

Through December 8 at Court Theatre. 5535 S Ellis Ave. 773-753-4472.