One of the best tests for any theater ensemble is how well it can deliver despite technical problems or how well it can perform even when the cast appears to outnumber the audience. Kudos to Theater Wit for being able to work the fact that the show’s spotlight operator had apparently been arrested on the way to the theater—as the house manager informed the tiny matinee audience that was waiting well beyond curtain time—right into the material of the show itself. To be able to roll with such punches and not let it disturb comic timing or the ability to sing and dance up a storm makes you wonder what this show could do if it were attracting the audience that it deserves. Evoking the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby “Road” movies of the 1940s and weaving vintage though uncredited vaudeville songs into the fabric of a clever and tuneful original musical score that become musical numbers in the shows within the show as well as developing plot details, such as they are, “Two for the Road” is big on entertainment values and succeeds largely because of the chemistry of leads Will Clinger and James Fitzgerald, set off by Lindsey Pearlman taking on the Dorothy Lamour role. Despite preserving the unnecessary use of the “J” word for World War II Japanese and adding occasional profanity and vulgarity at odds with the form, “Two for the Road” by and large succeeds in preserving the comedy, romance and adventure of the classic “Road” films. (Dennis Polkow)
Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont, (773)327-5252. $30. Through April 22.
Related Stories
Loveless Truths: A Review of "The Whistleblower" at Theater Wit Eli is a TV writer who has become sick of writing fictional stories about fantasy heroes, and instead decides to speak only hard, personal truths designed to free himself and others from the grip of life-limiting self-deceptions. Honesty will be his superpower.
Stiff Upper Lip: A Review of "London Road" at Shattered Globe This British musical seems to pull off the impossible. The mesmerizing but highly complex score requires singers and musicians who can manage its intricate rhythms with precision and still act their songs in the guise of the mostly-lower-middle-class English city dwellers they portray.
Polarized in Paradise: A Review of “Cabin Fever” at Adamson Road Theatre Company Four couples have gathered together for a weekend retreat designed to strengthen their marriages and reset their moral and spiritual compasses, under the soothing, cliché-laden guidance of the oh-so-happily married pair that owns the rustically cozy lodge.
