Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...When it comes to personality and humanity, Morrow is the standout, although Grandy has the kind of honesty that nicely anchors this show, as does Schellhardt, who is charming. "Grand Night" is a nice fit for this space; buses should soon by pulling up on Southport."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Talk about racing out of the starting gate. With its stunningly sung, ingeniously staged production of “A Grand Night for Singing” — a Rodgers and Hammerstein revue that is full of familiar tunes, yet anything but predictable — The Mercury Theater, long a frequently dark rental house, has initiated an ambitious subscription series."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Framed by Jason Epperson's elegant, starlit backdrop and accompanied by a six-piece band, Marya Grandy, Robert Hunt, Leah Morrow, Stephen Schellhardt, and Heather Townsend sing 30 songs from the Rodgers & Hammerstein songbook. They sail past schmaltz to achieve grandeur and sincerity. The whole affair is made even better by being acoustically perfect."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...The song selection, as conceived by original director Walter Bobbie, draws heavily on the composing team’s romantic numbers—or numbers recast as romantic: “Maria,” the only tune here from The Sound of Music, becomes a problem to be solved by a lovelorn man rather than a Mother Abbess. The five arresting actor-singers are adept at crafting characters and relationships within the span of a song. They’re aided by Kevin Bellie’s fluid staging and choreography and a crack six-piece onstage band."
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"..."A Grand Night for Singing" does not disappoint and presents most of Rogers and Hammerstein's greatest works from the musicals I listed above and more. The five cast members of Robert Hunt, Stephen Shellhardt, Marya Grandy, Leah Morrow, and Heather Townsend, provided many magical moments during this show. This performance consisted of beautiful voices, wonderful dancing, great comedy and most importantly perfect chemistry. When watching this performance you can see the wonderful chemistry. There is something to be said about having a minimal cast that makes this show work so well. Although I would have liked to have seen a cast of six to better pair each male cast member with a female. However, the five voices blended beautifully without anyone upstaging their partner, and it was evident that the cast really enjoyed being there and performing together."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...there's no contesting the effectiveness of the chamber-orchestra arrangements by Fred Wells, the orchestrations by Michael Gibson and Jonathan Tunick, or Eugene Dizon's solid musical direction. And let's not forget what they're singing and playing. There's no way that you could offer the highlights or favorites in the R&H canon: They were too good not to turn every word and note to gold. But there's enough here to remind us that one of the best things about being alive is to hear "Some Enchanted Evening" on, well, some enchanted evening."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...It is refreshing to hear songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein presented in a romantic motif giving then a fresh meaning proving their universality. Come to the Mercury Theater to enjoy the genius of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II presented in a slick, tuneful manner. This revue is among the finest revues I’ve ever seen! Don’t miss it."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...After seeing A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING, I once again believe in love at first sight. I absolutely loved this show! It was a flashback to simpler times when Rodgers & Hammerstein made us believe that anything was possible. That love happened to country bumpkins, strangers, and even Oklahomans. And because these daft and dewey-eyed dopes keep building up Impossible Hopes, Impossible things are happening every day!"
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"... It is not often that a theater review and a Cabaret review are for the same show. On several occasions, theo Ubique, that little spot in Rogers park, has been the rare exception, but now, with the new Mercury Theater Chicago, “Season of Musicals”, another of our intimate venues has ”married” show and cabaret with a masterful production of “A Grand Night For Singing”"
Huffington Post - Highly Recommended
"...Now, an evening of R&H could leave a syrupy sentimental aftertaste. With overload, Oscar's lyrics, while brilliant in their simplicity, could easily veer into banal. However, Walter Bobbie, who originally conceived the piece, chooses a smart mix of ballads, comedy numbers and duets, and mixes them up. So, we have a jazzy remix of "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" and a guy (the earnest Schellhardt) professing his love to "Maria" -- a tune typically sung by a gaggle of frustrated nuns. However, Bobbie knows when to stick to the tried and true, and lets the evening's baritone (here, the hearty-voiced Robert Hunt) belt out the haunting "This Nearly Was Mine." And with Kevin Bellie's understated choreography, the evening spins along with spades of charm and class."
