Chicago's corrupt gangster and political history are always good for a laugh -- or a new marketing concept. The latest project to milk the good old days of bootlegging and gang warfare is Chicago's Gangstertown, a revue based on the idea that fun-loving audiences want an eating & entertainment package that takes the Roaring Twenties very lightly. (Gangstertown opens on the site of another concept piece, Dry Gulch Dinner Theater, which ran since 1980 but closed this summer. Apparently the Al Capone era is better box office than the Wild West.) The premise is a benefit for the re-election of Chicago mayor William Hale Thompson, who actually ran City Hall from 1915-1923 and 1927-1931. Even by Windy City standards, Big Bill Thompson was flamboyantly dishonest, but this is no muckraking expose'. Here, Big Bill serves as genial master of ceremonies for an evening of songs, dance, comedy and Italian food. Bill's assisted by a 4-piece jazz combo and an ensemble of singers and dancers who double as wait staffers.
As the mayor, Neil Bremmer is quick with wisecracks and repartee; he's so sharp on his feet, the producers should let him josh with the audience more (his drafting an amateur dancer from the crowd is a hoot) and allow less time to limp skits and undistinguished vocal numbers. The dancers are uncredited, but they're talented, colorful and sexily dressed -- enough to send customers home in a giggly, good mood.
