Many of us remember the movie starring Rex Harrison based on the stories by Hugh Lofting about a magical veterinarian who could communicate with animals (in fact, better than with humans). In these days of movies being remade into stage productions, Tony Award-winner Tommy Tune has "doctored" the movie script (with the aid of his God-son), trimmed the show down to around 90 minutes without an intermission and re-TUNE-ed the production to be "kid friendly," which is what the stories were meant to be anyway. Tune himself is amazing—not only can he dance up a storm, but he adds a great touch by singing them. These songs were originally written to be talk-sung (remember, the songs were written for the non-singer Rex Harrison). Mr. Tune is still a very tall, thin and agile dancer who moves with style and grace and adds a lot of personality to this role.
During this dazzling production with its bright set and costumes and enjoyable characters (the puppetry is thrilling), I found myself entranced by the whole cast. The talented cast of singers/ dancers/actors has as much fun as the audience. These include: Allan Mangaser and Jessica Wu who handle Jip; Joel Blum who plays a multitude of roles; Sandi DeGeorge as Polynesia; David F.M. Vaughn and Erin Webley as Toggle; Matthew Crowle as Gub-Gub; Aaron Burr as Chee-Chee (a wonderful dancer who is only 12 years-old—what a future awaits him!); the very talented Dee Hoty as Dr. Dolittle's love interest, Lady Emma Fairfax, and Scott Leindecker; Jonathan Richard Sandler as Pushmi/Pullyu; Elisa Van Duyne (who also plays the Giant Lunar Moth—a breathtaking character that the kids loved); and Steven Wenslawski handling Sophie, an enchanting seal; Joe Jackson and Mike Erickson add to the fun as well. These actors filled the stage as if they were a cast of hundreds.
I also found myself watching the children who were around me—their eyes were glued to the stage and they listened to every word spoken and sung, songs which include "Talk to The Animals," "I've Never Seen Anything Like It," "When I Look At Your Eyes," "Save The Animals" and the rollicking "Monkey-Monkey Island Dance" and many more that will have you tapping your toe to the beat. And speaking of tapping, there is some super tap-dancing in this show. After all Tommy Tune is the Producer, Director and Star, with choreography by Patti Colombo, who knows her star's talents.
This is a show that should be popular for many years to come. Although it won't have Mr. Tune in the cast, his touch will always be there for generations to come.
"Dr. Dolittle"
The Cadillac Palace Theatre
151 W. Randolph St.
Tickets: start at $25
Reservations: Broadway in Chicago Theatre box offices at 312-902-1400, or all Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.ticketmaster.com
Alan Bresloff writes theater reviews for the Chicago area.
Feeds