When I first became aware that this “Blues Brothers Revue” was appearing at Pfeiffer Hall, the first thing I thought was, “I’d go watch ants walk at Pfeiffer Hall.”
With an intimate setting of just over 1,000 seats, and acoustics that rival just about any venue its size, Pfeiffer Hall is an ideal place to see any concert or theatrical performance.
My next thought was Jake and Elwood Blues were John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. How convincing can anyone else be in these culturally iconic roles? The answer to that question came soon after the lights went down.
Produced by Dan Aykroyd, Judith Belushi and original “Blues Brothers” musical director Paul Shaffer, this is a show that maintains every ounce of the original band’s integrity.
The show opens with a mini movie that lights up a screen that acts as a backdrop to the wide, musician-filled stage. In this short clip, we see the classic Jake and Elwood interaction. Wayne Catania and Kieron Lafferty play Jake and Elwood, respectively. Catania is excellent as the more emotional and outspoken Jake, and Lafferty is astounding as the straight-faced and rigid Elwood. As the film shows them arriving at the gig (late, of course), Catania and Lafferty stroll out amidst the sounds of their band. It is a band that is doing music made famous by some of the best musicians to ever record. Guys like sax player Tom Scott, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, and guitarists Steve Cropper and Matt “Guitar” Murphy were all among the best in their field.
This band did a very nice job of recreating that original Blues Brothers Band sound. The tight rhythm section and bluesy guitar pickings were complimented very well by keyboards and a lively trumpet and sax brass section. The centerpiece to this array of musicality was a beautiful young singer that added a splash of choral color to most of the set. Ebony Taylor, the niece of Chicago blues legend Koko Taylor, was truly dynamic. Singing backup on most songs, and doing lead vocals on her Aunt Koko’s “Wang Dang Doodle” and Aretha Franklin’s “Think,” you got the feeling that she could do a 90 minute set all by herself.
Even the most diehard Blues Brothers fan couldn’t have asked too much more out of the setlist for the evening. Staples like “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” and “Soul Man” are expected, but the addition of songs like “Messin‘ With The Kid,” “Going Back To Miami” and Randy Newman’s slow blues number “Guilty” made this a set for even the hardcore fan. And yes, we got the theme song to “Rawhide” (sans the chicken wire).
As for the performances of Catania and Lafferty in their roles of Jake and Elwood, it was almost like the real thing. The suits, the dancing in unison, and all of the camaraderie that made the original couple so special was all here. Catania’s Jake had great energy and strong vocals, and Lafferty seemed to be channeling a place where “tree” is a number. He had Elwood’s South Chicago accent down perfectly, and played a mean blues harp like he was born on the streets of the city.
The bottom line here: Have no fear, the fun is here. The absence of Belushi and Aykroyd didn’t overwhelm the fun feeling of this show. The absence of the classic band members didn’t prevent this band from presenting a raucous, fun-filled evening of great songs. If you want to smile and clap your hands for nearly two hours, I can’t think of a better way to do it than with “The Official Blues Brothers Revue.”
