“Rather than presenting the acclaimed record as a character-based narrative akin to a traditional opera, the roughly 90-minute program (plus an intermission) wisely focused on the music’s greatest assets. Namely, the sweeping melodies, majestic architecture, baroque accents and quirky flourishes that distinguish it from the work of the band’s peers….The decision to reimagine the Smashing Pumpkins’ guitar-driven magnum opus for the opera house has generated considerable buzz. All seven performances of the run are nearly sold out. Part of the excitement stems from the fact that “A Night of Mellon Collie” represents a creative progression to the conventions that some listeners, rightly or not, associate with the Italian art form. Importantly, the project also offers a chance for the institution to reach audiences that normally don’t step through its doors.”

• Bob Gendron, The Chicago Tribune

“For the closing number, “Tonight, Tonight,” Corgan was joined by the other four vocal soloists, and the audience erupted in cheers at the hometown nod in the lyrics: “And the embers never fade / In your city by the lake / The place where you were born.” The standing ovation that followed had the rowdy energy you’d expect from an arena crowd.”

• Jamie Ludwig, The Chicago Reader

“Spots of light dotting the walls and sometimes flashing into the audience give the event the slight feel of a rock concert. So does an eye-popping, high-tech rear projection by designer Greg Emetaz with a flowing mix of fantastical views of Chicago architectural landmarks, dirigibles and other vintage aircraft and cosmological elements…While bona fide opera, both old and new, must remain at the heart of Lyric’s mission, projects like this shake things up, bring in fresh ideas and draw audiences who might not otherwise ever come to the opera house.”

• Kyle MacMillan, The Chicago Sun Times

Chicago stages have been described as petri dishes for talent development, with the city seen as a particularly fertile launching pad for the stars of tomorrow, whether in acting, comedy, writing or dance. And they are that, thanks to an ethos that prioritizes bold experiments over safe choices, that understands failure as a necessary step toward success and, especially, champions community over competition. And this year’s class of Players disproves the idea that you have to leave Chicago to make it; this is a place for shooting stars and burning suns, and we’re privileged to bask in the warmth of both.

But in the very lovely “Music Man” now at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, the director Katie Spelman and the actress Alexandra Silber make it very clear that there is just one reason: Harold has saved Marian’s traumatized kid brother Winthrop by making him believe in himself. That’s all that matters to Marian. Game, set and match for Harold Hill.

When you see Spelman’s name in the director’s slot at a Chicago theater these days, there’s good reason to buy a ticket. She’s become a potent auteur, a believer in simplicity, honesty and unstinting truth, reminding me of the kind of work director David Cromer did that then launched a Broadway career. This is no ordinary “Music Man.” Indeed, it’s quite different from the most recent Broadway revival, a massive hit with Jackman and Sutton Foster, and from the earlier Susan Stroman revival which toured to Chicago, and from Gary Griffin’s prior Marriott staging, which starred the late Bernie Yvon, who remains the music man in many Chicago theater hearts.

“…to bring the story to life onstage, the creators turned to vaudeville, which was coming into its own at the time and place of Fievel’s adventures. They built a small set and cast 20 actors, several of whom double roles. A six-piece band backs the company on 16 songs.”