Windy City Skates on Stage
Shadowy figures roll out onto the stage. We see the concert backdrop slowly transform. Off to the left is a rental counter. And off to the right a snack bar, slushies and all. We’re back in 1977 at Windy City Skates on the Southside of Chicago.
The lights come up and we’re greeted by Jack (Kelvin Roston Jr.) in metallic red short shorts and a wide smile. He welcomes us to the rink and leads a bopping skating number as the chorus joins him on the rink. The cast skates around in custom platform roller skates and straight-out-of-the-70s bell bottom jeans, rainbow studded overalls, and Farrah Fawcett curls.
Here we meet 12year-old Jacqueline—Jackie (Emma Lord). The two Jacqueline’s embrace and embark on their simultaneous journeys to find themselves at these different stages in life.
Music Packed Show
Though Skates is not a sung-thru musical, it has many musical numbers all in different styles of the 70s and 80s. The opening number is just the beginning for this musically jam-packed show and the rest of the numbers did not disappoint, in this writer’s opinion. Emma Lord as Jackie, though she looks the part of a pre-teen shows us her vocal range is not. She belts right alongside DeGarmo and the two make a formidable pair.
The music and talent are stellar, but for this writer, the plot was a little too light and didn’t have a huge conflict for us to believe Jacqueline wanted to go back and get a confidence boost from her younger self.
If you’re looking for more heavy material, this show might not be a good fit for you. But if you’re looking for a feel-good musical, and especially if you are a fan of 70s and 80s disco and rock and want to enjoy a trip back in time, Skates would be a good fit for you.
