Rockin' 'Route 66' cast clearly going places
“How many musical instruments can these guys play?”
That's undoubtedly one question that will keep running through your head at “Route 66,” a rousing and rocking musical revue featuring a jaw-droppingly talented cast. It's now in its Chicago-area debut courtesy of Aurora's Paramount Theatre at the intimate Copley Theatre.
Devised by Roger Bean and originally staged at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in 2010, “Route 66” features rock and country hits celebrating car culture and the much-rhapsodized title interstate roadway that stretched from Chicago to Los Angeles before it was officially decommissioned in 1985. And they're sung by service station attendants who play a multitude of musical instruments at a Texaco roadway stop.
Unlike Bean's other “jukebox musicals” that shoehorned song hits of yesteryear into a new story, “Route 66” forgoes any kind of plot. For some audiences, that will be a plus since Bean's hokey dialogue and silly situations (which sometimes marred his previous efforts) don't get in the way of hits by the likes of The Beach Boys, Willie Nelson and others.
Yet for others, “Route 66's” lack of any story or explanation as to why these grease monkeys are so prodigiously talented as musicians will be a nagging thought throughout the performance. Could this extended jam session all be a dream in the guys' heads to help pass the time when there are no customers? Or for all we know, these guys could be ghosts of repairmen lamenting the lost heyday of “America's Main Street,” which might explain the different song styles ranging from W.A. Fredericks' “Texaco Star Theme” from the early 1960s to Alan Rhody and Kevin Welch's “The Mother Road” from 1990.
But missing plot aside, there is no denying the amazing musical skills of the “Route 66” cast. Director/choreographer Stacey Flaster certainly hit the jackpot in assembling a super-talented cast with plenty of charisma who can sing and play most anything.
“Route 66” features rocking performances by Courtney Crouse (playing guitar), Dan Beno (tenor saxophone, ukulele and tambourine), Robert Deason (piano and alto saxophone), Adam Michaels (acoustic and electric guitars and the mandolin), Doug Pawlik (guitar, piano and baritone saxophone) and Rusty Koenig (guitar, piano, trumpet, harmonica and more). Offering strong onstage backing support are instrumentalists Tom Leddy on drums and Dan Anderson on bass and bass guitar, while Alan Bukowiecki is responsible for the sturdy music direction and energetic orchestrations.
Set designer Angela Miller has crafted a great service station set filled with 20th-century memorabilia celebrating Texaco, and costume designer Matt Guthier provides great period 1950s service station uniforms (complete with Texaco star caps). Lighting designers Jesse Klug and Greg Hofmann have plenty of fun with color-shifting LED lights to make this humble service station into a flashy concert venue.
The lack of plot occasionally makes “Route 66” feel like a cover band concert. But looking at these talented performers' credits makes it clear that they also could have convincingly delivered dialogue if given the chance. Casting directors for replacement casts or touring productions of other shows like “Million Dollar Quartet” or “Jersey Boys” would be wise to check out these guys from “Route 66.”
“Route 66”
★ ★ ★
<b>Location: </b>Paramount Theatre's Copley Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, (630) 896-6666 or <a href="http://www.paramountaurora.com" target="_blank">paramountaurora.com</a>
<b>Showtimes: </b>1:30 p.m. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; through June 10
<b>Running time: </b>About 95 minutes without intermission
<b>Tickets: </b>$29
<b>Parking: </b>Nearby pay garages and metered street parking
<b>Rating: </b>Largely for general audiences, though these grease monkeys flip through pages of Playboy early on and one sings a song advising against drug trafficking