“Nine”
Book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston
Showing: Porchlight Music Theatre at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont, through May 18
Tickets: $34-$35
Contact: (773) 327-5353; theatrebuildingchicago.org

By Louis Weisberg

Contributing writer

For a play about a co-dependent romance addict, “Nine” is curiously devoid of feeling. That’s one of several major problems with this musical based on Federico Fellini’s autobiographical film “8½.” The central character—the creatively and emotionally blocked film director Guido Contini—is unsympathetic and boring. The dramatic structure is static and plays out largely in Contini’s mind. And the score is instantly forgettable.

Yet apparently there are riches to be mined from this material. Both the original 1982 production and the 2003 Broadway revival wowed New York critics and audiences alike, earning a total of seven Tony Awards. A lavish screen version, directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago”) and starring Javier Bardem, Sophia Loren and Penelope Cruz, is slated for release next year.

Unfortunately, Porchlight Music Theatre’s production of “Nine” deserves only about a seven. Maybe a work this thin requires a big production in order to make a splash. The Broadway original was a Fellini-esque spectacle, featuring 22 women of all shapes and sizes, each with her own pedestal, and an expansive white-tiled set. Porchlight’s intimate version has half that number of women, each with her own portable chair. The original had the benefits of a full orchestra and the choreography of Tommy Tune to give the music heft. This production has a five-piece orchestra and choreography clearly designed for nonprofessional dancers.

Still, with the help of a few strong character actresses and a pitch-perfect chorus, director L. Walter Stearns delivers some entertaining moments. As Luisa Contini, Contini’s long-suffering wife, Heather Townsend has a pure, lovely sound and manages to find something approaching sincerity in her shallowly written role. Employing a wryly campy style, belter Danielle Brothers makes the character of Contini’s producer Lillian LaFleur a standout.

As Carla, Contini’s mistress, Jennifer Grubb is a stunning vocalist with a body that was made for a bathtub. Clad in a bikini and dripping sensuality, she turns “A Call from the Vatican” into something worth an extra curtain call. Bethany Thomas as the fallen woman Sarraghina stops the show with her soulful “Be Italian.”

Vocally, the handsome Jeff Parker is more than up to the role of Contini. But his take on this difficult character is all characterization. There’s not much happening beneath his pouting and frenetic Italian hand gestures, which only serves to exacerbate the book’s fundamental weakness.