Review: ‘Always Something There…’ is no match for the outlandish zeitgeist of the 1980s

The 1980s was a fascinating, florid era. Madonna dropped her first EP. Boy George blurred the lines of gender. The “Rocky” franchise turned “Eye of the Tiger” into the anthem of sports teams across the world. Shoulder pads. Swatches. Neon. Devo. The dawn of MTV.

But the decade’s groundbreaking music largely gets short shrift in “Always Something There…,” a world-premiere musical running through Aug. 10 at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.

Directed by James Vásquez with a book by Sandy Rustin, the production features roughly 20 iconic tunes from the ’80s. Many of them sound like a tribute band to a tribute band. In all, Vásquez’s staging offers a cosplay version of the decade via characters shallower than Milli Vanilli’s vocal range.

‘Always Something There’











‘Always Something There…’

When: Aug. 10
Where: Marriott Lincolnshire, 10 Marriott Dr., Lincolnshire
Tickets: $70+
Info: tickets.marriotttheatre.com
Run time: Two hours, including one 15-minute intermission

The plot feels like a flimsy mashup of ideas from teen movies of the era: Adult Samantha Craig (Heidi Kettenring) is a miserable 40-something woman stuck in a bad marriage and a dead-end job. Thanks to a magic muffin (yes, a magic muffin) she goes back to 1989 and morphs into Teen Samantha (Christina Priestner).

Back in high school, Teen Samantha revisits the early decisions that shaped her dismal adulthood. Her friends are a clutch of “Breakfast Club”-esque stereotypes: There’s the bullying jock Johnny Stevens (Ty Shay); nice guy Cooper Roy (Ian Coursey); brainiac nerd Winston Lee (Matthew Hommel); and Teen Samantha’s bestie, Camelia Shacklebaum (Emma Ogea opening night, going on for Marina Jansen), a feminist who pretends to be a dumb blonde.

A scene from the stage production "Always Something There"

The cast of “Always Something There…,” a jukebox musical that features roughly 20 iconic tunes from the 1980s.

Amy Nelson

The story peaks when Teen Samantha and friends engage in a high school battle of the garage bands and ends with a happily-ever-after that’s more cop-out than earned.

Plot isn’t necessarily all that important in jukebox musicals. But if both plot and characters are mediocre, that jukebox better be top tier. Such is not consistently the case here. Sonically, “Always Something There…” starts with promise, the instantly recognizable opening riff of “Eye of the Tiger” setting the mood. But Michael Daly’s sound design renders the vocals largely unintelligible, drowned out by Celia Villacres’ seven-person pocket orchestra. This is a problem throughout the show.

Vásquez’s direction has the cast camping it up like garish cartoons, although glimmers of authenticity occasionally surface. When Adult Samantha gets wrecked on hotel mini-bar booze, Kettenring is relatable and hilarious. Kettenring’s voice is liquid gold, turning “Only in My Dreams” and “Always Something There to Remind Me” into bittersweet, lilting laments. As Teen Samantha, Priestner has a luminous presence with a belt for days. “Love is a Battlefield” is worthy of its original songstress, Pat Benatar.

(Left to right) Ian Coursey, Christina Priestner and Genevieve Corkery in "Always Something There."

(Left to right) Ian Coursey, Christina Priestner and Genevieve Corkery in “Always Something There.”

Amy Nelson

Tyler Hanes’ perplexing choreography is defined by angular, robotic chaos. It’s an aesthetic that — with the exception of some enviable moonwalking — has little to do with the 1980s.

If you’re looking for no more than a facile dose of nostalgia, “Always Something There…” is adequate. Clean up the sound design, get a better book and rethink the choreography, and it could be something more.

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