Harlem nocturne speaks reams on racism, bigotry
By Ricardo Baca
The Metropolitan
When you get a pro-Planned Parenthood conservative together with a gay fashion designer and a libido-driven doctor, youād think you were watching some Thursday-night Fox series. But instead, itās Blues For an Alabama Sky, playwright Pearl Cleageās hymn to the Harlem Renaissance, and the Denver Center Theatre Companyās latest production.
The play truly is a hymn, too. As Israel Hicks, the showās director, points out, it is phrased like a blues song:
ćMy life is bad. Itās gonna get worse. Hereās what Iām gonna do about it.ä
The five characters, all driven by their own contrasting convictions, work through a pre-Depression 1930s Harlem summer in their own ways. The Harlem populationās main dilemma during this time was poverty, and the story is no different with these five.
Sam, the only character with job security (John Wesley), is a party-animal doctor who helps out Delia (Joy DeMichele Moore) with her dreams of opening up a Planned Parenthood-type clinic in Harlem ÷ not an idea accepted by the community.
Their friend Guy (Reg Flowers) is a costume designer who dreams of going to Paris. He is forced to take his poverty-stricken confidant Angel (Michele Shay), an out-of-work nightclub singer, under his wing and into his apartment, as she has been hit the hardest.
The four close friends debate about the times being what they are and what they can bring upon the masses. They soon meet Leland (Michael Eaddy), a good olā boy from ultraconservative Alabama. He takes a particular interest in Angel, as she does in him, and the stage is set for a dramatic, heart-wrenching story of love and prejudice.
On the surface, itās yet another story of African American survival. But taken levels deeper, shades of the eraās old-school racism, homophobia and self-discrimination are uncovered and attacked by the playwright. She points out the generationās stereotypes, puts her own spin on them and leaves everything else open for interpretation.
From her first drunken entrance, itās obvious why Shay was nominated for a Tony award. Her ability to capture her characterās persona complemented this work so well that one can only imagine what she did on Broadway with her nominated piece, August Wilsonās Seven Guitars. Her presence also was made known in the most awkward of moments. Her knack for whispering created an eerie mood whenever she chose to abuse the technique ÷ and when it came from her, it wasnāt a whisper but a command.
Flowers also captured the essence of the era. Homosexuals were accepted even less in Harlem at that time compared to current social thought, and he let the audience know that with the slightest awkward wave of his hand or uncomfortable flair of his hips.
On an ensemble level, this cast displayed something very unusual. Their builds were exemplary and created the greatest level of anticipation possible. They kept the audience on the edge of their seats, just begging to hear more classic line delivery. And some of the humor involved complete silence.
The non-verbal element in this show demonstrated the actorsā ability and the directorās understanding of the language. Wild mood swings were created by the slightest physical gesture of an actor, and that is always a special moment in any show.
But one bad directorial choice was the time consumed in scene changes and waiting for actors to enter the area. They could have easily shaved off 5-10 minutes of the show by making the entrances and exits of both cast and crew more succinct.
However, all of this wouldnāt have been possible if it werenāt for the groundwork: Cleageās material.
This script was downright funny. One-liners followed one-liners followed crazy comic dialogue. It stalled at points of serious contemplation, but then would relentlessly start back in like the early bird pecking for the desurfaced worm.
