Last week we went north to Milwaukee and back in time to the 1970s. Milwaukee Repertory Theatre’s production of Armen Pandora’s Dino! An Evening with Dean Martin turned back time at Stackner Cabaret.

Set in a Milwaukee nightclub during a blizzard, the show starts with Tally Sessions as Martin, without most of his band and a sparse audience. This seems to let Martin have a less-structured act. Sessions intermixes Martin’s hits with a conversational biographical journey through his life.

Tally Sessions – Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Sessions brilliantly carries most of the show. He is as smooth and as charismatic as Martin. A talented veteran performer, Sessions leans more for capturing Martin’s essence than duplicating his voice exactly. Sessions straddles that line perfectly. As entertaining and informational as the stories are, Sessions really shines when crooning Martin’s classics like “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” “Everybody Loves Somebody” and “That’s Amore.” Music director PJ Ju accompanies Sessions on piano and guitar, creating the nostalgic lounge sound.

Tally Sessions and PJ Ju – Photo by Michael Brosilow

With more than 575 artists and staffers and 700 performances a year, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre is one of the largest regional theaters in the country. Stackner Cabaret is intimate, seating only 186.

Tally Sessions – Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Running through March 19, Dino! An Evening with Dean Martin is one of 12 productions for Milwaukee Repertory Theatre’s 2022–23 season. Future works are The Greatest Love for Whitney, March 24–May 28 and God of Carnage, April 18–May 14.

Tally Sessions and PJ Ju – Photo by Michael Brosilow.

— John Wroblewski, online writer