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Love in the Middle Ages:
A Baby Boomer’s Guide to Love and sex
A musical comedy
Book & lyrics by Scott Urban
Music by Bob Solone
Directed by Jason A. Fleece
Choreographer by Christopher Pazdernik
At Village Players Theatre
1010 W. Madison Street
Chicago, IL
Call 866-764-1010 or www.village-players.org
Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm
Sundays at 3 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 30 minutes with intermission
Through September 21, 2008
Sophomoric cliché ridden musical is insulting to Baby Boomers
My first visit in years to Village Players Theatre in Oak Park found me in their nicely renovated venue on Madison Street. This upgraded facility is audience friendly—too bad their latest show, “ Love in the Middle Ages: A Baby Boomer’s Guide to Love and Sex” was so bad. This show was a collection of hackneyed relationship clichés with an assortment of sound-alike numbing songs that were butchered by a cast that could neither sing nor act. Urban and Solone depict the Baby Boomers (of whom I am one) as a collection of immature, hedonistic losers devoid of maturity and the wisdom of age and life experience. The collection of out of shape and sexually starved Boomers plays out just the same as adolescents in search of their first sexual relationship. How demeaning and untrue.
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We meet the group of ladies as they hangout in a bar drinking their hearts out. Ha? Next we meet the boys—three male losers—a nerd, a fat guy and a compulsive divorcé. They spot the girls but they are too shy to talk to them at first—just like in the high school cafeteria. We hear the cast of non singers butcher the forgettable score until we are ready to scream! If you are going to do a musical—please cast singers. Only Scott Urban—they lyricist and lead player (as Brad) could sing at all. This collection of players depicts the Baby Boomers in a most negative light. It is as if the casting was done by walking down Madison Street asking passers-by if they want to be in a musical.
This tedious show paints a quietly desperate and amazingly naïve portrait of Baby Boomers that simply doesn’t ring true. The characters developed by Scott Urban are insulting and not a valid cross section of our generation. These folks are a collection of unlikable losers. Where are the emancipated women? The professionally successful men? The independent folks who have raised their children and now live the good life? Not here. Next, the three young folks who run the bar seem to be quietly mocking the Boomers. Ha? Yet neither of the two girls and one boy can sing. The girls sounded squeaky.
I found nothing redeeming nor entertaining in this show. No worthy moments, only degrading characters and bad singing. I believe Boomers are better than we are depicted in this horrible show. This smacks as a vanity project by Scott Urban. Skip this one.
Not Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2008
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