By the end of the first week of “Aftermath,” the original Rolling Stones musical created by Signal Ensemble Theatre, the entire run at the Raven Theatre was sold out.
“We’ve had some solid successes with shows like ‘1776’ and ‘The Weir,'” said Ronan Marra, the creator of “Aftermath” and the co-artistic director of the itinerant Signal since its founding in 2002. “But we’ve never experienced anything like this.”
Marra says he’s “loving the moment,” and the success is well deserved. Jukebox musicals — the term refers to a show with a musical score made of pre-existing songs, usually associated with a particular artist or group — are tricky beasts. You can weave the songs into the life story of the artists in question — “Jersey Boys” is the most successful example of that kind of show. Or you can take the songs, and the emotional impact they have for an audience, and build an original narrative around them. “Mamma Mia” took that idea all the way to the bank. “Rock of Ages,” the 1980s rock musical that kicks off its tour in Chicago this fall, is another creative and entertaining example. But both kinds of shows have spawned far more failures than successes.
“Aftermath” is in the category of the biographical musical — Stones co-founder Brian Jones serves as its posthumous narrator, chronicling his relationship with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. But there are a couple of things that make this rough-and-ready show quite special. The first is that Marra was smart enough to focus on a specific moment in the Stones’ history — the era in the mid-1960s when the rockers were just kids. Marra’s young cast can play that moment. And this is very much the story of Jones. It works beautifully as an impressionistic 90 minutes.
More importantly, though, this is a jukebox musical that understands that we don’t go to such shows to see slavish imitations of the sources (there are Las Vegas tribute shows for that), nor do we want to be assaulted with rock trivia, especially when you’re talking about a band whose trajectory is as familiar as that of the Rolling Stones.
We go because we want to re-create a feeling and an essence. That’s why “Million Dollar Quartet” has been such a hit in Chicago and New York — it takes a single night, a magical moment, and spins it one more time. It is very hard to resist.
I’m not saying “Aftermath” is ready for Broadway. Not at all. But I think Marra’s book is quirkier, funnier and a good deal more interesting than many other jukebox musicals.
In Chicago, theaters often end up closing hit shows, but this one is disappearing painfully fast.
Marra said this week that he is not able to keep his cast together for more than a day past the original close, slated for June 6. You could hear the frustration in his voice, but that can sometimes be the case in the non-Equity theater world, where people have other lives to which they must tend. So the idea is to remount “Aftermath” in November, after Signal Ensemble gets done with its slated production of “The Real Inspector Hound.” There might not be much momentum left by then, but there will still be a very promising show.
Meanwhile, a few performances have been added this week within the original run (mostly for Wednesday nights), and there will be a Monday-night blowout finale June 7. You might be able to get a ticket for one of these shows. Marra also said that most nights, if you get to the theater early, you can get on a waiting list and, frequently, attach yourself to one of the 60-or-so seats. Not everyone who has reservations shows up.
Producers and literary managers have been showing up, though. Stay tuned for the “Aftermath” aftermath.
Through June 6 by Signal Ensemble on the West Stage at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St.; $20 at 773-347-1350 and signalensemble.com.
