Madkap Productions Presents FALLING FOR MAKE BELIEVE Review – Rhymes, Wordplay and Heartache

But this make-believe glamor on the stage of Skokie Theatre doesn’t last long. Writer Mark Salzman quickly establishes that the second part of the title – “The Real Story Behind the Music of Rodgers and Hart” – is, in fact, the real story. Continuing a long history of evading Rodgers’ disciplined process till the last possible moment, Hart apparently wrote the reprise verses of Pal Joey’s most famous song on toilet paper. 

FALLING FOR MAKE BELIEVE’s Unlikely Vehicle

Falling For Make Believe, directed with simple clarity by Wayne Mell, in this writer’s opinion, keeps its focus on Hart and his torment as a closeted homosexual. Using the unlikely but effective vehicle of Fletcher Mecklen – an aspiring Broadway performer who had intermittent contact with Hart – Saltzman exposes the heartache beneath the lyricist’s seemingly effortless rhymes and wordplay. Hart, whose alcoholic binges eventually sank his collaboration with Rodgers, died at age 48 from exposure on the very streets that he celebrated in song. 

We first meet Mecklen as he listens to the radio broadcast of Rodgers’ eulogy. During flashback scenes, Mecklin observes that only because of their great professional success could luminaries like Noel Coward and Cole Porter enjoy male companionship. For ordinary gay men like himself, “you’re not even in the room.” Later, he notes that during Prohibition, speakeasys became places where men could openly hold hands. When Prohibition ended, bars were not only legal, they also regained respectability – i.e., homosexuals had to disappear. Sadly, for all of Hart’s acclaim and Mechlen’s efforts, enjoyable companionship never happened for them in any space, public or private. 

MadKap Productions’ Show Is Accessible

Like this reviewer, you might find that such details, woven into the fabric of familiar songs like Isn’t It Romantic and My Funny Valentine, make the show as revelatory and disturbing as it is accessible and polished. MadKap Productions does not stint on costumes, designed by Patti Halajian, or its live three-piece band, or the crisp sound design by Kevin J. Mell. Salzman’s script, perhaps suffers from on-the-nose overstatement at times. However, the high production values, the cast’s vocal strength and the straightforward presentation contribute to a portrait of creative genius that is well worth seeing.  

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CAST:

Sean Michael Barrett as Lorenz Hart
Sean Caron as Richard Rodgers
Donaldson Cardenas
Nate Hall
Cheryl Szucsits
Mandi Corrao

CREATIVE TEAM:

By Mark Saltzman
With music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart
Directed by Wayne Mell with Musical Direction by Aaron Kaplan
Choreography by Susan Pritzker

WHEN:

Thru October 16, 2022

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 2:00 pm

Skokie Theatre
7924 Lincoln Ave
Downtown Skokie

TICKETS:

$38+

For more information and tickets visit the Skokie Theatre website.

Photos Courtesy of MadKap Productions.

Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago.