By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
Tony DeSantis has done it again. The indefatigable 90-something-year-old has taken the derelict Water Tower Place multiplex cinema and converted it into an exciting stage and auditorium. With 549 seats, the facility has a unique place in Chicago theatrical venues. With mammoth spots like the Auditorium and Civic Opera House and tiny store front groups who play to 40 or 50 patrons, this site, just a half block off the Magnificent Mile, offers visitors and Chicagoans a new theatrical destination. The Drury Lane franchise has been around for years. In the same location at Water Tower Place, one of the original Drury Lane theaters opened with the building. Others in Evergreen Park, Lincolnshire and Oakbrook have been providing entertainment for suburbanites for years.
The theater has the feel of spacious luxury. Its beautiful imported crystal chandeliers lend an air of opulence to the lobby and auditorium. Comfortable seating, with ample knee room for anyone short of seven feet, makes it a comfortable spot to spend a few hours. The theatrical schedule for the coming year, together with the opening production of "The Full Monty," seem to anticipate a dinner-theater crowd of attendees. This is not heavy drama, nor an attempt at experimental theater. Instead, it is simply good, solid entertainment. Every nickel of the $4 million renovation shows.
For the initial season, packages of tickets for the remaining three productions have been offered at substantial savings over single ticket prices. Shows yet to arrive include "Morning's At Seven," Grand Hotel, the musical" and "Plaid Tidings." All four of the shows have played before on Broadway and have proven track records. DeSantis is a master of dinner theater and the selection of these shows is a testament to his unflagging ability to pick shows that fit into that genre.
"The Full Monty" has been open for a couple of weeks at this writing. It's a musical developed from the movie of the same name, though the action has been transferred from England to Buffalo, NY. The frustration of laid-off steel workers at not being able to find alternative employment when their plant is closed devolves into a scheme to emulate the Chippendales — male strippers who have made careers of titillating their female audiences. These overweight, unmusical steelworkers plan a show for the community — at $50 per head — at which time, they promise to strip on stage for their audience. Their wives sit in row one, their friends are skeptical, they are riddled with self-doubt. But the show must go on.
It's written by Terrence McNally with music and lyrics by David Yazbek. The latter has gone on to do the score of the hugely successful production of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." The cast, many of whom are veterans of other Chicago area Drury Lane productions, handle the material well. The lead character and instigator of the Chippendale scheme is Peter James Zielinski. Especially worth mentioning are the performances of Berwick Haynes as Horse, and Renee Matthews as Jeanette Burmeister.
But, this is a review of the new addition to Chicago's theater scene. Drury Lane at the Water Tower Place fills an important void in Chicago theater. Its nearest competition is Lookingglass at the Pumping Station which offers more solid dramatic presentations than those planned by DeSantis. Yet, musicals are the stuff of tourist centers. New York's theater scene is an example. The most popular shows in the Big Apple are the huge musicals preceded with a barrage of publicity. Tickets are expensive and the shows last a long time before they are brought out for a national tour. We have an opportunity of seeing touring companies at large venues in Chicago — former movie palaces in the Loop usually present one or two of them with casts that did not originate their roles. Now we have a place for some of those same shows in a house that is more like their original Broadway homes. Drury Lane is a welcome addition to Chicago's theater scene and should do well here.
In addition to the theatrical presentations, Drury Lane management has arranged to have several restaurants in the immediate area of the theater offer pre-show dinner packages. This brings DeSantis' vision full circle. Mity-Nice Café in the Water Tower Place complex is one of them, as is the Saloon in the Seneca Hotel, The Signature Room in the Hancock and other restaurants in the immediate area. Tickets to "The Full Monty" are available by phoning (312) 642-2000 or through Ticketmaster. Prices range from $36 to $48 depending on day and time of performance. Call the box office for more information and availability. Group rates are also available. |
