June 2010 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
Nothing But the Blues
Imagine a place where you could party all night long to the soul stirring sounds of the blues for a dollar cover charge and 25 cents a drink. Such a place did exist on Chicago's South Side from 1954 to 1983, and it hosted some of the true legends of the blues who called it home. The place was called Theresa's Lounge, and it has been lovingly transplanted and recreated on the North Side of Chicago at the Black Ensemble Theater. All of Producer/Director Jackie Taylor's musical revues are based on the same formula of celebrating the talents of black entertainers, although in "Nothing But the Blues" it is a place rather than an individual person that is being touted.
Calling
"Nothing But the Blues" a play would be an exaggeration to
say the least. Author Joe Plummer supplies bits of banter here
and there, mostly related to the imminent sale of the basement
lounge, adultery and the consumption of alcohol. There is an
older character seeped in the history of the blues and a youngster
for whom the blues provides an escape from a dim reality. The
motto is "You've got to live the blues to be able to sing the
blues". But none of this amounts to anything dramatically,
and the dialogue segue ways are little more than an "I hear a
song coming on" cue. We have seen and heard this formula
from Jackie Taylor many times before.
The music is the star, and Chicago being the birthplace of the blues should certainly find plenty of fans. And in case the revival fervor of the musical performance doesn't get you all hot and bothered, the lack of air conditioning in the theatre should keep the audience sweating. Ms. Taylor stated the AC system had been on its best behavior up until opening day, when it chose to conk out, leaving one gentleman seated next to me with an Asthma attack. So be warned.
My other serious gripe with "Nothing" is that the onstage band was so thunderously loud that none of the vocals could be heard or understood. When will theatres learn that the audience needs to hear the singers? Turn down the decibel on the instruments' electronic amplification so that these talented folks can actually be understood. While "Blues" is a failure as theatre, it is a smashing success as a musical party and a homage to a unique place in Chicago's musical history.
Everyone in the cast gets their chance to wail and shine in a round-robin style of musical solos, even if we have only a vague idea of what they are singing about. There is so much talent in Black Ensemble's roster that you really want to see what they could do with an actual script. The revue's theme, "If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade" could be applied to nearly all of this reputable 34-year-old company's hit shows. The music changes but the formula remains. So if you love the blues very loudly played, Theresa's Lounge is where it's at.
"Nothing But the Blues" plays through August 29, 2010 at Black Ensemble Theater, 4520 N. Beacon Street in Chicago. The show runs 2 hours 15 minutes with intermission. Performances are Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $45. Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups. Call 773-769-4451 or visit www.Ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit www.blackensembletheater.org. For more information on this show, please visit the Theatre In Chicago Nothing But the Blues page.
About Joe Stead
Joe
Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has
involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for
the past twenty-five years. He served as founder, producer and
Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland
and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida. Favorite productions
have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap,"
"The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker,"
"Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie
Brown" and "Godspell". He has also performed
leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin,"
"The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," and
most recently as Hucklebee in "The Fantasticks" for
Waukegan Community Players. Joe holds a degree in Commercial
Art from Tampa Technical Institute. As a critic, he has
reviewed everything from Broadway to community theatre and major
regional theatres throughout the United States including the Kennedy
Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey,
Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in
Sarasota, Florida.
Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America. He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers. He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene. Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays. His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).