Get the Scoop with “The Front Page” at Northlight Theatre

There's nothing quite like the sound of a newsroom in full panic mode—telephones ringing, typewriters clacking, reporters shouting over one another and everyone chasing the story of the day.

That's the debut happening at Northlight Theatre with "The Front Page," the world-premiere adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's classic 1928 Chicago newspaper comedy.

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Set in the 1920s, "The Front Page" takes us into the frantic pressroom of the Chicago Criminal Courts Building, where reporters are hungry for the next big scoop. At the center is ace reporter Hildy Johnson, who has decided to leave journalism behind, get married and start a new life.

Hildy may be ready to trade her typewriter for domestic bliss, but editor Walter has other ideas. When death-row prisoner Earl Williams escapes just before his scheduled execution, Hildy finds herself pulled back into the newspaper game—and into a story that is simply too good to resist.

What follows is a wonderfully tangled web of reporters, politicians, police, jailbreaks and journalistic maneuvering.

The always magnificent Kate Fry brings plenty of spark to Hildy, portraying her as a woman who can hold her own in a male-dominated newsroom. She's smart, determined and capable of giving Walter a run for his money. Fry gives Hildy a terrific combination of toughness and vulnerability, making her much more than simply the object of Walter's professional (and personal) obsession.

As Walter Burns, Timothy Edward Kane (real life husband of Kate Fry) knows exactly how to play this kind of larger-than-life newspaperman. He's manipulative, relentless and completely convinced that the newsroom, and Hildy, belong to him.

Tim Kazurinsky, a familiar face to Chicago audiences, adds comic zing as Pincus. His physical antics and comedic timing are hysterical every time he's on stage, while Rae Gray brings emotional dimension to Mollie Malloy. The rest of the stellar cast includes: William Dick, John Drea, the always a pleasure to watch, Cindy Gold, John Lister, Mark David Kaplan, Peter Moore, Kelan M. Smith and Guy Van Swearingen who keeps the action moving at breakneck speed.

"The Front Page" is essentially controlled chaos. Characters interrupt one another, information changes constantly and everyone's pursuing a different agenda. Yet beneath the laughs is a fascinating look at journalism in another era.

Hatcher's adaptation also makes an important change. Following the model established by the classic film "His Girl Friday," Hildy is now a woman. That shift gives the central relationship between Hildy and Walter another dimension and makes Hildy's determination to walk away from the newsroom all the more compelling.

Chicago isn't simply a backdrop to "The Front Page." It's part of its DNA. Hecht and MacArthur were Chicago newspapermen, and their experience in the city's rough-and-tumble newspaper world helped shape the original play. Nearly a century later, that Chicago attitude still comes through loud and clear: tough, irreverent, ambitious. And sadly, corruption, lying, and bribery are still hallmarks of Chicago politics.

After decades at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Northlight has just opened its own 287-seat theater at 1012 Church Street in Evanston. The intimate, custom-designed space surrounds the thrust stage, putting audiences unusually close to the action.

Directed by Northlight Theatre's Artistic Director BJ Jones, the production design by Jeffrey Kmiec creates a busy, lived-in newspaper office that becomes the playground for this entire comic circus. Izumi Inaba's costumes capture the period well, while JR Lederle's lighting and Andre Pluess' sound design keep the pace humming.

There is also something wonderfully nostalgic about watching reporters chase a story with telephones and typewriters. In today's world of instant posts, livestreams and breaking news alerts, the machinery is outdated. But the hunger for the scoop? That hasn't changed much at all.

"The Front Page" is loud, brash and energetic. It doesn't whisper its way into the new Northlight. It bursts through the door, grabs the nearest telephone and starts shouting.

For a theater company beginning a new chapter, this is one front page worth reading. For tickets, go to northlight.org or call 847-563-8400.