“Always Something There”

“Always Something There” , written by Sandy Rustin, is, as my wife put it, a teeny-bopper show, filled with music of the late 80’s and before, with a young and vibrant cast telling us the story of a second chance in life. Sharpley directed by James Vasquez who uses the in-the-round stage at Marriott to full advantage allowing the audience to feel that they have broken the fourth wall, despite there being no fourth  wall.The story revolves around Samantha Craig ( played to perfection by Heidi Kettenring, as an adult and also by Christina Priestner as a teen). Priestner is making her Marriott debut and based on what I saw, we will be seeing a great deal more of this talented young lady. Anyone who has been around Chicago theater knows who Kettenring is and as always she is powerful! The rest of the cast is composed of some amazing individuals who make up a strong ensemble, several playing a multitude of roles. Often, the ensemble members are just that and are hardly noticed as they play non-essential roles. This original show has some featured roles that are important and show that even a small role can be of great importance. Leah Morrow has appeared in many a local theater and has always been a standout, yet unrecognized. In this play, she is the hotel clerk, Samantha’s mom, one of the teachers at her high school and also fills in with ensemble work. She is a Chicago Theater “treasure”.

Samantha has many high school “besties” and in tonight’s performance, one of these roles, Camelia Shacklebaum  was handled by Emma Ogea ( the understudy, I believe) and wow! What a powerhouse! She has a great comic touch, a beautiful voice ,with a great range, and a marvelous stage presence. The other close buddies, Scarlett (  Tryanna Gentry) and  Ella (Anna Louise Bramlett) are also terrific and the guys are pretty good too. I was very impressed by  Ian Coursey as Cooper Roy and the comic touch of Matthew Hommel as Winston Lee. The rest of the ensemble is composed of :  Ty Shay ( who plays her boyfirend Johnny), Logan Becker, Jeremiah James ( one of the adults in the show, playing many roles),  Genevieve Corkery ( a dynamite Debbie Waller),  Gabriel Subervi, Caleb Mathura, Tiyanna Gentry, Alejandro Medina, Christina Benninghoff Uribe, Tony Mercado, Jason Richards and Savannah Sinclair.

The music will be familiar to those who lived through this period. Songs like “Talk To Me”, “The Loco-Motion”, “There’s Always Something To Remind Me”, “Shattered Dreams, and Battle of the Bands” as well as many more. The orchestra under the direction of Celia Villacres never blasts us with music and the choreography by Tyler Hanes is dynamic. Remember, it is not easy to do big numbers on a small, in-the-round theater, but they pull it off.

On the tech side, the lighting (Jesse King), sound (Michael Daly), costumes ( Amanda Vander Byl) and scenic design ( Collette Pollard) are all right on. Sally Zack ( props) didn’t have as many props as usual, but as always, they were perfectly done. The wigs and makeup by Miguel A. Armstrong were also  right on. While I am sure there will be audiences who are not as satisfield with this production as with the many others that have appeared on the Marriott stage, I can tell you that seeing something new and fresh is nice. It is sort of a “back To The Future” moment that gives you an escape for two hours ( including an intermission). I am betting on the way home, you will be thinking back to your high school days and perhaps imagine today if you had indeed zigged instead of zagged!

“Always Something There” will continue thru August 10th with performances as follows: