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Altar Boyz
Book by Kevin Del Aguila
Music & Lyrics by Gary Adler & Michael Patrick Walker
Directed by Stafford Arima
Choreographed by Christopher Gattelli
Produced by Joe McGinnis & Bart Kahn
At Drury Lane Water Tower Place
175 East Chestnut
Chicago, IL
Call 312-642-2000, tickets $45 - $55
Tuesdays at 7:30 pm
Wednesday at 2 &7:30 pm
Thursdays at 7:30 pm
Fridays at 8 pm
Saturday at 2 & 8 pm
Sunday at 2 & 5 pm
Running time is 90 minutes with no intermission
Through March 30, 2008
Bouncy Christian Boyz band spoof delivers laughs and catchy melodies
Altar Boyz got off to a roaring start at the Drury Lane Water Tower Theatre as the young enthusiastic crowd cheered the sheer energy and talent of the five buff boyz. This light weight spoof is entertaining, catchy and pleasant. It is a safe little crowd pleaser long on charm, big grins and mugging. It is also short on story, plays it too safe on the satire and never really digs at Christian rock like I hoped. This is a feel-good show that has enough laughs and peppy pop songs to render the mindless mediocre there fill of plastic culture they so devour. However, I liked this production better than the tour that played Chicago last year.
As an artsy snob, I wish it could have had the bite of Urinetown but it is a commercial success and that’s what it was designed to be. It has been running Off-Broadway for a couple of years to enthusiastic audiences. So be it and at $55 top ticket, Altar Boyz is a prime time bargain. The genius of this show lies in its simplicity—it is a light spoof of those plastic, vanilla bands featuring slick dance routines and sound-alike high-pitched little voices doing mediocre, forgettable tunes that neither offend nor arouse our emotions. The ‘averageness’ of this pretty-boy group is heightened by their religious roots.
Matthew (Devin DSantis) is the stud leader, Mark (Brian Crum) is the flaming queen, Luke (Tyler McGee) is the dumb hood-want-to-be while Juan (Adam Zelasko) is token Latino and Abraham (Nick Verina) is the Jewish boy trapped in a Christian band. These guys are so polished and poises they land their dances and movements with a precession and naturalness that was amazing for the first night of a long sit down engagement. These kids are ready and deliver a fun, often funny, 90 minutes of entertainment. The genius of this show’s structure allows it to both mock fundamentalist Christian groups and appeal to their sensibilities at the same time. It can, indeed, have it both ways. Heathens (like me) and religious alike can enjoy this clever, slick show.
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Altar Boyz’s thin story revolves around the five as their “Raise the Praise” religious tour that ends tonight. They need to cleanse all the souls in the audience with their songs and their Sony DX12 machine that senses and measures how many souls the Boyz have reached and cleansed. Filled with lame ethnic jokes and sour Christian shtick, the funniest moments come from the lyrics and Mark’s clever gay gestures. This peppy parody is a faux concert complete with a bouncy on-stage band. With tunes like “Church Rulex,” “The Miracle Song” and “I Believe,” the show has religious overtones rich in light parody but unfortunately not biting enough to offend the Christian right (too bad!).
Once I got over the play-safe mode of the show, I sat back and let the sheer energy and the talent of the cast and the catchy music over the funny lyrics entertain me. The big smiles, the innocence and the preppy honesty of the show are contagious. This is pure escapism that the under 40 crowd will cherish. It even cracked a few chuckles from those of us over 60. If you’re looking for a show for your the 20-something friends and you can’t get a ticket to Jersey Boys—Altar Boyz will service just fine. Teens will like this show. This is lightweight fluff done with panache.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2007
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