If/Then

Maybe in an alternate universe Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt would’ve followed up their Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal with another musical that finds extraordinary power in a woman’s internal struggles. Instead they came up with this show about thirtysomething New Yorker Elizabeth, whose story unfolds in two alternate universes: In one, she’s Beth, pursuing professional glory as a city planner; in the other, she opts for love and family as Liz. What unifies these strands is their soporific banality. No matter which world she inhabits at a given moment, Elizabeth is sure to be having a hokey crisis in it, to a score that comes across as a single, dull song played over and over again. Larry Keigwin’s choreography offers nice Tharpian quirks, and, led by hugevoiced Jackie Burns as Elizabeth, the cast of this touring production is strong. But there’s not much for them to save here. —TONY ADLER Through 3/6: Wed 2 and 7:30 PM, Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 8 PM, Sun 2 and 7:30 PM, Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph, 800-775-2000, broadwayinchicago.com, $32-$95.