Have you ever over-romanticized a memory only to relive the experience and it not be quite as fabulous as you remembered? That's not one of those stories. I've regaled for 20 years what a magnificent experience Blues for an Alabama Sky was in 1995.
Seeing it again, having not reviewed much about the 20th anniversary production, I sat on the front row in awe, enveloped in the wonderment of magnificent performances, with decades-old memories of that beloved play flooding over me all the whilst enjoying it as if I were seeing it the first time.
As a long-time Atlanta theatre-goer, I was thrilled to learn that Alliance Theatre was bringing Blues for an Alabama Sky back to Woodruff Arts Center. The crescendo of my anticipation—having waited through summer, fall, winter and the beginning of spring—met with pure delight...it was worth the wait!
Blues for an Alabama Sky is a story of hope and hopelessness, dreams, progress, conflict, and the dark side of narrow-mindedness. It's a story of how some things never seem to change, as well as tenacity leading to dreams-come-true.
Tony Award-winning Broadway and film director, and Artistic Director of Alliance Theatre when Blues for an Alabama Sky premiered 20 years ago—Kenny Leon is a super-force in the Atlanta theatre scene. He directed Blues when Phylicia Rashad was in the lead role, and what a magnificent actress she is! I'd only known her from television and Blues was the first time I saw her perform live. You never once saw any character on stage except Angel Allen. I am and shall ever be a fan of Phylicia Rasha.
To set the scene, Blues for an Alabama Sky as described by Alliance Theatre:
Having fallen in love with Phylicia Rashad as an actress when she portrayed Angel Allen 20 years ago made it challenging to go into the anniversary performance not thinking heavily about the original show. But possibility of comparison was quickly dispelled when it became obvious that Crystal Fox owns the role...she becomes Angel.
Crystal Fox (pictured above) delivers a sublime performance. And she is true to character Angel Allen—a nightclub singer dumped by her Italian gangster lover and fired from his club, the same night. Angel is hopeful for a future she ran to years before, frightened of the unraveling economics of 1930, and trying desperately to fashion a life beyond mere survival...and struggling with hopelessness.
This I learned after seeing the 20th anniversary production: Phylicia Rashad hand-picked Crystal Fox to be her understudy. "Phylicia knew [Fox] was too young for Angel," said playwright Pearl Cleage, so I found it wonderful and so befitting that Fox would play Angel...it's like it was meant to be!
Many will recognize Crystal Fox from Tyler Perry's soapy television drama The Haves and the Have Nots. May I offer my gratitude to Tyler Perry Studios and the Alliance Theatre for making it possible for Fox to "be in two places at once", for making it possible for her to grace the stage for this 20th anniversary performance.
Guy, brilliantly performed by Tyrone Mitchell Henderson (left in the above photo), garnered more laughs from the audience than any other single performer. And consumed more "French Champagne" than any other character...even more than the worldly Angel!
Tyrone revived his role as Guy, having performed the the character opposite of Rashad in a 1996 production, also at the Alliance, that was part of Atlanta's Cultural Olympiad during the Summer Olympic Games.
The flamboyant fashion designer Guy, who moved to Harlem from Savannah with friend Angel, has a dream of joining Josephine Baker in Paris, toasting what he devoutly believes to be an eventual dream-come-true with glass after glass of "French Champagne", all the while providing for Angel's well-being. He's a true friend and does everything in his power to care for Angel and celebrate his other friends.
Guy is an inspiration for perseverance of dreams, for commitment to friends and for bravery in being true to one's self...all the while being entertainingly hilarious! Tyrone is an Alliance Theatre veteran and one I hope we see more of!
Tinashe Kajese-Bolden (pictured above), who portrayed Delia, is a new discovery for me and she's absolutely magnificent. Delia is steadfast in her determination to bring about progress in Harlem, even in the face of resistance and life-threatening danger. Her character is as innocent as she is strong, and Tinashe's performance of Delia is outstanding.
Originally from Zimbabwe and a new resident of Atlanta, Tinashe is one that I hope we see a lot from. She certainly has an impressive resume and she's already making a remarkable impression on the Atlanta theatre scene. Keep your eye on her...she's a gem for our city!
I want to call Sam a jovial personality, but that's too light a descriptive to impart on a performance as deep as what Keith Randolph Smith (left in the above photo) delivered in Blues. The character Sam struggles with the conflict he lives with as a physician who has the talent and knowledge to make a difference in his community, but is faced with the heartbreaking limits of Depression-era challenges and the decline of Harlem that had held such bright promise.
Keith, who also has an incredibly impressive resume—of stage, television and film—gives perhaps the greatest range of performance...from a carefree party boy to sobering care for his friends, from vulnerable to conditions out-of-his-control to devoted and protective friend and love for one in particular, Keith's performance is a major contributor to my refueled love for Blues for an Alabama Sky.
While the other characters in Blues I'm certain I would enjoy knowing and spending time with, Leland is probably not someone I'd get to know too well. Not as innocent as we're led to believe, Leland is too straight-laced, narrow-minded and overly conservative for my taste. BUT, a great performance was given, in this case by Neal A. Ghant (left in the above photo).
That an actor can elicit such an emotional response to the degree of what Neal did says a lot...it says he's a world-class actor. Also a veteran of the Alliance Theatre stage, I hope we'll see much more from him...hopefully as a more lovable character. Congratulations, Neal, on a wonderful performance in Blues.
"When the play premiered in 1995, my wish was simply for a successful first production. I'm happy to say that in the 20 years since Blues was commissioned not a single year has passed when the play was not produced on multiple stages across the country," said Blues playwright Pearl Cleage.
My only personal regret is that it took me 20 years to see Blues again, yet seeing it again is a personal lifelong theatre-going highlight. I was concerned that the anniversary performance wouldn't live up to what I'd romanticized as one of the best-ever Atlanta plays. To the contrary, Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and playwright Pearl Cleage, together with a stellar cast, have sustained the magnificence of Blues for an Alabama Sky and ensured its place as an Atlanta theatrical icon for generations to come.
Blues for an Alabama Sky is on stage at the Alliance Theatre now through Sunday, May 10, 2015. I hope to see it again, so maybe I'll see you there!
Seeing it again, having not reviewed much about the 20th anniversary production, I sat on the front row in awe, enveloped in the wonderment of magnificent performances, with decades-old memories of that beloved play flooding over me all the whilst enjoying it as if I were seeing it the first time.
As a long-time Atlanta theatre-goer, I was thrilled to learn that Alliance Theatre was bringing Blues for an Alabama Sky back to Woodruff Arts Center. The crescendo of my anticipation—having waited through summer, fall, winter and the beginning of spring—met with pure delight...it was worth the wait!
 |
| Blues for an Alabama Sky, 20th Anniversary | Alliance Theatre |
Blues for an Alabama Sky is a story of hope and hopelessness, dreams, progress, conflict, and the dark side of narrow-mindedness. It's a story of how some things never seem to change, as well as tenacity leading to dreams-come-true.
Tony Award-winning Broadway and film director, and Artistic Director of Alliance Theatre when Blues for an Alabama Sky premiered 20 years ago—Kenny Leon is a super-force in the Atlanta theatre scene. He directed Blues when Phylicia Rashad was in the lead role, and what a magnificent actress she is! I'd only known her from television and Blues was the first time I saw her perform live. You never once saw any character on stage except Angel Allen. I am and shall ever be a fan of Phylicia Rasha.
To set the scene, Blues for an Alabama Sky as described by Alliance Theatre:
Harlem, New York, 1930. The harsh realities of the Great Depression have devastated the bright decade of the Harlem Renaissance. Disease and poverty have overshadowed the creative euphoria that fueled a surge of African-American artists, writers, and luminaries. A story with a rich cast of characters, scrambling to survive and make sense of their overlapping personalities, politics, and love. A classic by Atlanta’s own Pearl Cleage, as timely today as when it received its world premiere at the Alliance Theatre 20 years ago.
 |
| Blues for an Alabama Sky, 20th Anniversary | Alliance Theatre |
Having fallen in love with Phylicia Rashad as an actress when she portrayed Angel Allen 20 years ago made it challenging to go into the anniversary performance not thinking heavily about the original show. But possibility of comparison was quickly dispelled when it became obvious that Crystal Fox owns the role...she becomes Angel.
Crystal Fox (pictured above) delivers a sublime performance. And she is true to character Angel Allen—a nightclub singer dumped by her Italian gangster lover and fired from his club, the same night. Angel is hopeful for a future she ran to years before, frightened of the unraveling economics of 1930, and trying desperately to fashion a life beyond mere survival...and struggling with hopelessness.
This I learned after seeing the 20th anniversary production: Phylicia Rashad hand-picked Crystal Fox to be her understudy. "Phylicia knew [Fox] was too young for Angel," said playwright Pearl Cleage, so I found it wonderful and so befitting that Fox would play Angel...it's like it was meant to be!
Many will recognize Crystal Fox from Tyler Perry's soapy television drama The Haves and the Have Nots. May I offer my gratitude to Tyler Perry Studios and the Alliance Theatre for making it possible for Fox to "be in two places at once", for making it possible for her to grace the stage for this 20th anniversary performance.
 |
| Blues for an Alabama Sky, 20th Anniversary | Alliance Theatre |
Guy, brilliantly performed by Tyrone Mitchell Henderson (left in the above photo), garnered more laughs from the audience than any other single performer. And consumed more "French Champagne" than any other character...even more than the worldly Angel!
Tyrone revived his role as Guy, having performed the the character opposite of Rashad in a 1996 production, also at the Alliance, that was part of Atlanta's Cultural Olympiad during the Summer Olympic Games.
The flamboyant fashion designer Guy, who moved to Harlem from Savannah with friend Angel, has a dream of joining Josephine Baker in Paris, toasting what he devoutly believes to be an eventual dream-come-true with glass after glass of "French Champagne", all the while providing for Angel's well-being. He's a true friend and does everything in his power to care for Angel and celebrate his other friends.
Guy is an inspiration for perseverance of dreams, for commitment to friends and for bravery in being true to one's self...all the while being entertainingly hilarious! Tyrone is an Alliance Theatre veteran and one I hope we see more of!
 |
| Blues for an Alabama Sky, 20th Anniversary | Alliance Theatre |
Tinashe Kajese-Bolden (pictured above), who portrayed Delia, is a new discovery for me and she's absolutely magnificent. Delia is steadfast in her determination to bring about progress in Harlem, even in the face of resistance and life-threatening danger. Her character is as innocent as she is strong, and Tinashe's performance of Delia is outstanding.
Originally from Zimbabwe and a new resident of Atlanta, Tinashe is one that I hope we see a lot from. She certainly has an impressive resume and she's already making a remarkable impression on the Atlanta theatre scene. Keep your eye on her...she's a gem for our city!
 |
| Blues for an Alabama Sky, 20th Anniversary | Alliance Theatre |
I want to call Sam a jovial personality, but that's too light a descriptive to impart on a performance as deep as what Keith Randolph Smith (left in the above photo) delivered in Blues. The character Sam struggles with the conflict he lives with as a physician who has the talent and knowledge to make a difference in his community, but is faced with the heartbreaking limits of Depression-era challenges and the decline of Harlem that had held such bright promise.
Keith, who also has an incredibly impressive resume—of stage, television and film—gives perhaps the greatest range of performance...from a carefree party boy to sobering care for his friends, from vulnerable to conditions out-of-his-control to devoted and protective friend and love for one in particular, Keith's performance is a major contributor to my refueled love for Blues for an Alabama Sky.
 |
| Blues for an Alabama Sky, 20th Anniversary | Alliance Theatre |
While the other characters in Blues I'm certain I would enjoy knowing and spending time with, Leland is probably not someone I'd get to know too well. Not as innocent as we're led to believe, Leland is too straight-laced, narrow-minded and overly conservative for my taste. BUT, a great performance was given, in this case by Neal A. Ghant (left in the above photo).
That an actor can elicit such an emotional response to the degree of what Neal did says a lot...it says he's a world-class actor. Also a veteran of the Alliance Theatre stage, I hope we'll see much more from him...hopefully as a more lovable character. Congratulations, Neal, on a wonderful performance in Blues.
 |
| Blues for an Alabama Sky, 20th Anniversary | Alliance Theatre |
"When the play premiered in 1995, my wish was simply for a successful first production. I'm happy to say that in the 20 years since Blues was commissioned not a single year has passed when the play was not produced on multiple stages across the country," said Blues playwright Pearl Cleage.
My only personal regret is that it took me 20 years to see Blues again, yet seeing it again is a personal lifelong theatre-going highlight. I was concerned that the anniversary performance wouldn't live up to what I'd romanticized as one of the best-ever Atlanta plays. To the contrary, Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and playwright Pearl Cleage, together with a stellar cast, have sustained the magnificence of Blues for an Alabama Sky and ensured its place as an Atlanta theatrical icon for generations to come.
Blues for an Alabama Sky is on stage at the Alliance Theatre now through Sunday, May 10, 2015. I hope to see it again, so maybe I'll see you there!
No comments:
Post a Comment