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Theater Tue Jul 12 2011
The All New Original Tribute to The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers, the 80s iconic film starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, is quintessentially Chicago--and for many, is one of the best action comedies ever. In Brad Henshaw's The All New Original Tribute to The Blues Brothers, homage is paid to the film that made Jake and Elwood Blues household names.
The production began with the Blues Brothers, Jake (Henshaw) and Elwood (Daniel Fletcher), descending from the ceiling to the "Peter Gunn Theme" and from there, the soul--and of course, the blues--begins.
Complemented by the fiery and energetic song and dance trio, the Bluettes, the Blues Brothers took the audience on a ride as they performed popular numbers from the movie version including "Everybody Needs Somebody," "Gimme Some Loving," and "Land of a Thousand Dances."
In addition to the solid musical numbers, the audience was treated to a special appearance by 70s icon, actor Antonio Fargas. Fargas, best known for his role as Huggy Bear on television's "Starsky & Hutch," briefly reprised his famous role to let the brothers know the police were hot on their trail. In this moment, his appearance came off somewhat contrived, but the audience didn't seem to mind, especially since he later performed the late Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher," one of the most popular numbers from the film version.
While Henshaw and Fletcher did a solid job with Belushi and Aykroyd's mannerisms and along with their amazing chemistry with the Bluettes, worked their tail[feather] off during the show, for some reason, the audience wasn't into it, and it was that way for most of the performance. Even through "Flip, Flop, and Fly," the interactive part of the show where audience participation was encouraged, the crowd was still subdued. As expected though, it wasn't until the brothers performed "Sweet Home Chicago" when the audience came alive.
All in all, with both the collaborative and solo performances, (Henshaw's bluesy solo was a standout) the show was a fitting tribute to The Blues Brothers--and if you just can't get enough of ol' Jake and Elwood, it is definitely worth a see.
The All New Original Tribute to The Blues Brothers runs through July 24 at the Auditorium of Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Pkwy; Wed. through Fri, 7:30pm; Sat., 2pm and 7:30pm and Sun. at 2pm. Tickets are $25-$55 and are available through Ticketmaster or by calling 800-982-2787.