‘42 Balloons’ consistently soars on Navy Pier stage

Larry Walters may not be a name you recall even if you were around when he had his 15 minutes of fame 43 years ago next month. The “42 Balloons” musical about Walters – better known as “Lawn Chair Larry” – is receiving its North American premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and it’s an extremely enjoyable night of entertainment about the unique way a man pursued his dream of being a pilot, if only for a day.

The musical is a fact-based story told mostly through ’80s-style songs. And the opening tune – given that this tale seems incredible – includes lyrics that reassure the audience: “This actually happened – you can look it up after the show!”

As we find out early on, Larry Walters (Charlie McCullagh) had an interview to be a pilot in the Air Force in 1969, but couldn’t pass the vision test, forcing him to adjust his lifelong dream of taking flight. When he thought of his rejection as bursting his “balloon” of a dream, he remembered seeing weather balloons in a military surplus store many years earlier, leading to his idea of a very different kind of aircraft. After doing the necessary calculations, he’s eager to move forward with his plan: the use of helium-filled weather balloons to take him skyward in, of all things, a lawn chair.

Enter Carol Van Deusen (Evelyn Hoskins), whom Larry approaches in a bar because of his mistaken assumption that she has space travel knowledge (she’s wearing a NASA T-shirt). Larry doesn’t tell Carol of his dream immediately, but they fall in love. In one of her early lyrics, she sings: “You’ve got me up in the air. There’s no comin’ back down.”

When he does share his idea six months later in 1972, she thinks it’s a crazy phase he’s going through and he’ll give up on the notion. He doesn’t. Ten years later, he gets Carol’s help and even the grudging support of Carol’s mother, Margaret (Lisa Howard), whose first lyrics sum up her initial feelings about Larry: “When your daughter meets a loser…” One last “ground crew” recruit is Ron Richland (Akron Watson), a friend of Larry’s from Vietnam who has his own dream of being a cameraman; Larry convinces Ron to film the launch.

When the costs to make Larry’s lawn chair flight a reality are estimated at $15,000 – roughly the equivalent of almost $50,000 in 2025, according to one article in the show’s Playbill – that fact alone could make it an impossible dream. Carol helps overcome that hurdle, but the flight of Larry’s lawn chair isn’t completely flawless, and – as we find out in Act II – the true emotional costs after the flight are far more life-changing for both Larry and Carol. With one aspect of the true story being suicide, it’s best to not bring young children to “42 Balloons.”

For everyone else, though, there’s a lot to like here:

• The endearing performances of McCullagh and Hoskins, who both appeared in the original United Kingdom production of the show – you want Larry to succeed, and you want Larry and Carol to have their happily ever after;

• The perfect balance of comic relief and compassion demonstrated by Howard;

• The spot-on performances of the entire 12-member cast under the leadership of Director/Dramaturg Ellie Coote;

• The script and mostly upbeat music by Jack Godfrey that pays tribute to dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem (one repeated lyric tells us, “If you want it, you can get it”);

• The excellent seven-member band led by Music Director Patrick B. Phillips;

• Video Designer/Content Creator Adrzej Goulding’s creative use of projections throughout the show, such as synchronized images of an animated Larry “singing” while McCullagh sings;

• Scenic Designer Milla Clarke’s multipurpose set, including a gently curved backdrop that ensemble members can ascend, and a circular, center platform that rises slowly as Larry and his chair head for the clouds.

The “42 Balloons” musical is expected to transfer to Broadway. Chicago is lucky to have it first. While the script likely will have some changes before New York City, you’ll be flying high if you check it out at Navy Pier now. Uplifting and also down to earth, “42 Balloons” consistently soars.

• Paul Lockwood is a communications consultant at Health Care Service Corporation in Chicago, as well as a local theater actor (Woodstock Opera House, McHenry County College, The Murder Mystery Co.), singer, Grace Lutheran Church (Woodstock) and Toastmasters member, columnist, former podcaster and past president of TownSquare Players. He’s lived in Woodstock for over 24 years.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT: “42 Balloons” musical

• WHERE: Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier in Chicago

• WHEN: Through June 29

• INFORMATION: chicagoshakes.com/productions/42balloons