These are heady times for fans of musical revues. With most theaters reopening only cautiously and small casts preferred, lovers of the form can currently enjoy “Forever Plaid” at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, “The World Goes ‘Round” at the Marriott Theatre, and (the best of the bunch) “Songs for Nobodies” at the Northlight Theatre in Skokie.
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre reemerges from pandemic darkness with another such song-cycle: Jason Robert Brown’s “Songs for a New World,” a revue that served as this immensely talented composer’s calling card in 1995. Brown would go to pen such fine scores as “Parade,” “The Last Five Years,” “13? and “The Bridges of Madison County,” but this was the work that started it all. In the decade that followed, it was exceptionally popular, with one of its most beautiful songs, “Stars and the Moon,” becoming a staple of auditions and cabarets.
You can see why artistic director Fred Anzevino picked the title. One of the main themes of the show is that our lives can be upended at any moment. “It’s about one moment,” the cast sings in the opening number, “that moment you think you know where you stand. And in that one moment, the things that you’re sure of slip from your hand.”
Sound like your life these last 18 months or so? Certainly true of me. Especially if you add a plural to moment.
The times when that resonance permeates Theo Ubique’s little theater on the boundary of Chicago and Evanston represent the best moments of Anzevino’s modest production, which features performances by a likable young cast made up of Nora Navarro, Emily Goldberg, Eustace J. Williams and Matthew Hunter.
There is a lot to inspire in this material, which ranges across time and space but centers itself on the inevitability of change, the need for communal strength and the wisdom we all accrue over time. Lots of people are re-evaluating the structure and employment of their lives at present and, if you are in that particular space, you might well find these 26-year-old songs speak to your state of mind. You might get closer to some conclusions.
I wish there were more visible interplay between the performers and musical director Jeremy Ramey and his band, but I suspect COVID precautions had something to do with James Kolditz’s set. And there were times at the performance I saw when everyone was over-pushing, rather than letting such stellar material do its quieter work. The cast needs to trust its own acting talents more.
That said, this remains an enjoyable and harmonic experience. It is so good to have Theo Ubique back.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
Review: “Songs for New World”
When: Through Oct. 24
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Where: Theo Ubique, 721 Howard St., Evanston
Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Tickets: $42-$54 at 773-939-4101 or theo-u.com
COVID protocol: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination required for audience members; children under 12 are not currently admitted. Masks required in the theater.