"Regular attendess of this theater will be blown away by
the size and quality of the cast, the presence of a full band
and the produciton values. The staging managers to
surround the audience with a musical atttack on all that
Springer represents. The fabulous Jeremy Rill as Jerry's
warm-up man and Jennifer T. Grubb;s sweet-voice Baby
Jane give performances as good as I've ever seen at this
theater. "
-- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
the size and quality of the cast, the presence of a full band
and the produciton values. The staging managers to
surround the audience with a musical atttack on all that
Springer represents. The fabulous Jeremy Rill as Jerry's
warm-up man and Jennifer T. Grubb;s sweet-voice Baby
Jane give performances as good as I've ever seen at this
theater. "
-- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
"The production, with a cast of 29, is a monumental
undertaking for Bailiwick, and it is sensational in every
sense of that word. Director David Zak, in collaboration
with music director Gary Powell and choreographer
Brenda Didier (who has a special gift for making
non-dancers look terrific, and for endowing Broadway
cliches with comic freshness), has found actors with
formidable vocal gifts. And these performers not only
negotiate the exceptionally demanding score, but also
manage to look just right in Springer's grotesque human
zoo."
-- Hedy Weiss, SunTimes
undertaking for Bailiwick, and it is sensational in every
sense of that word. Director David Zak, in collaboration
with music director Gary Powell and choreographer
Brenda Didier (who has a special gift for making
non-dancers look terrific, and for endowing Broadway
cliches with comic freshness), has found actors with
formidable vocal gifts. And these performers not only
negotiate the exceptionally demanding score, but also
manage to look just right in Springer's grotesque human
zoo."
-- Hedy Weiss, SunTimes
"Shockingly funny and full of theatrical surprises. Jerry
Springer - The Opera is a tumultous, physically
demanding show, and director David Zak, musical
director Gary Powell, and choreographer Brenda Didier
have managed to tame the bear and make it sing and
dance a fine tune. "
-- Jonathan Abarbanel, TheaterMania.Com
Springer - The Opera is a tumultous, physically
demanding show, and director David Zak, musical
director Gary Powell, and choreographer Brenda Didier
have managed to tame the bear and make it sing and
dance a fine tune. "
-- Jonathan Abarbanel, TheaterMania.Com
"Jerry Springer - The Opera boats a superbly original,
elaborate and artful score by Richard Thomas and
Stewart Lee. The shows American debut infuses raw,
youthful energy with a far more gentle, life-sized take on
Jerry's fans and guests. The large cast sounds
particularly strong in the choral sequences, and overall
they serve the score very well. "
-- Steven Oxman, Variety
elaborate and artful score by Richard Thomas and
Stewart Lee. The shows American debut infuses raw,
youthful energy with a far more gentle, life-sized take on
Jerry's fans and guests. The large cast sounds
particularly strong in the choral sequences, and overall
they serve the score very well. "
-- Steven Oxman, Variety
Photos by Chris Cosentino