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GI’s in Europe
By Scott Oken & Ernie Deak
Original music by Scott Oken
Directed by Nick Digilio
Produced by the Factory Theater
At the Prop Thtr
3504 N. Elston Ave
Chicago, IL
Call 866-811-4111
Fridays & Saturdays at 8 PM
Sundays at 7 PM
Running time is 90 minutes with no intermission
Through July 15, 2006
Ersatz imitation of Elvis GI movie falls flat
Maybe I just don’t get their style of humor or their style of satire? I didn’t find any laughs in the Factory Theater’s comedy GI’s in Europe. It could be that director Nick Digilio’s decision to “want the whole thing to have a big, crazy, over-the-top artificial-Technicolor feel to it” just didn’t work for me. The madcap show was so full of screaming and screaming and more screaming together with actors making goofy faces, wild gestures while shouting at the top of their lungs that I quickly became annoyed which turned into irritation and then evolved into aggravation leaving me praying for the show to end.
This is a comedy with music as Scott Oken sings several songs in an obvious rip-off of Elvis’ style. Oken is terrific as a plump Elvis capturing his style nicely in the rousing opening number, “GI’s in Europe” that also contained cute, energetic dancing from the ensemble. The show goes down hill from there as the screaming starts and the way, way over-the-top antics wear thin quickly. The plot is as silly as the loudness of the performers. I’d rather hear Oken sing Elvis than suffer through all the screaming and over used antics and bits. The plot is so convoluted that it becomes unintelligible.
Oken sings what should be the title song, “I Can’t Explain It” since this show meanders around the soldiers trying to escort the General’s daughter on her visit to Kiel, Germany in 1961. The ambitious show is so full of zany characters doing predictable bits that it’ll either be a hoot or a dud depending on your taste in comedy. I think the 30-something crowd and the Elvis fanatics will laugh but sophisticated theatre folks and lovers of clever comedy will find this noisy, manic show more irritation than pleasure.
Not Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2006
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