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“F–k you I won’t do what you tell me” has been cropping up a lot lately in my social media newsfeeds. A reference to “Killing in the Name,” a song from the Rage Against the Machine debut album, circa 1992, this line has become an anthem for communities around the country as they face occupation by the military and border control—including our own here throughout Chicago. So it’s no surprise that a musical with music and lyrics by Tom Morello (formerly of Rage Against the Machine as well as Audioslave) is finding its own moment.
The Goodman Theatre could not have had a more opportune moment than this one to premiere “Revolution(s).”
In this Chicago-set story, we meet Hampton (Aaron James McKenzie), who has just returned from active military duty in occupied territory to find his home also occupied. With his military days behind him, Hampton is left to his own devices and has to find a way forward. Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s gripping story enmeshes Hampton’s return circa 2016 with that of his father, Leon (Al’Jaleel McGhee), and his mother, Emma (Jackie Burns), who were revolutionaries on the run in the 1980s. Particularly in the story of Leon and Emma, you can see Dohrn’s own familiarity with the subject of revolution, as his parents, Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers, were members of the radical left-wing group The Weather Underground in the 1960s and seventies.
It is between the story and its music that things get fuzzy. Because not all the music was written specifically for this show, it sometimes feels like it’s trying to shove itself into the story without adding anything—except a killer beat. Despite that, as soon as the first song ended, I was already thinking about when I could see this show again. The feeling in the Owen Theatre during opening night was electric from start to finish. Between the incredible musicians and multi-hyphenate performers, it’s impossible not to be blown away by the sound of this show. Every song elicited movement from this audience member without even thinking about it. I found myself amongst strangers, made friends by the imperceptible urge to move in our seats.
Much in the same way, it feels impossible not to get trapped in the layers of this show. “Revolution(s)” is about societal revolutionary actions, yes. It is about musical revolutions, yes. But what stuns about this show is its connection to cycles—the turning of time—revolutions in a more literal sense, as a circle moves ever onward. This show is a demonstration of history repeating itself, in a time when we are collectively horrified by its repetition. Just like the fact that “Killing in the Name,” a song inspired by the police brutality against Rodney King and the subsequent Los Angeles Riots of 1992, is so painfully relevant again, and again, and again.
“Revolution(s)” isn’t the perfect musical. In fact, it doesn’t feel like musical theater at all. It feels like a concert set to a story in the best way. It is collective rage, anguish and love, screaming into the void for someone—anyone—to listen. I believe it is a spark, a flicker in the darkness as we reckon with the moral ineptitude and failings of our own government. This show demands we do something in the face of injustice. And I, for one, couldn’t have wished for a better soundtrack for the revolution.
“Revolution(s)” runs through November 16 at the Goodman Theatre, 170 North Dearborn. Tickets are $34-$104, available at goodmantheatre.org or by calling at (312)443-3800.
