Arizona Theatre Company's Blues for an Alabama Sky at The Herberger Theatre Center
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 2/7/99
(out of )Arizona Theatre Company is offering up a Harlem-based Greek Tragedy this February, and just like any Greek Tragedy, it is much-too long and much-too slow, but much-too engrossing to be ignored. Pearl Cleage's Blues for an Alabama Sky is set at the tail-end of the Harlem Renaissance, and centers on those who are stuck in the middle of the growing depression, and those that want to escape to less racist and poverty-stricken foreign locales. It deals with love, morality, shifting family allegiances, and other worthy subjects. It meanders like any great blues tune, and is similarly repetitious at times, but packs an unexpected payoff in the refrain that almost completely justifies it's nearly three-hour long journey.
Director Timothy Bond must be congratulated on his being
able to take this behemoth of a script and adding as much life
as it takes to keep an audience's attention. There are so many
directorial flourishes and interesting choices to propel the show
along and keep each turn inspirational. While some of the choices
are a bit more modern than the 1930 setting, their placement is
an acceptable entrée into a universal world of bitter disappointments
and distant, nearly unattainable dreams.
Pearl is a self-centered blues singer who has lost her gig, and
Guy is her adoring costume designer with dreams of Paris and designing
gowns for successful singer and émigré Josephine
Baker. Their friends, Delia and Sam, have dreams and demands of
their own, Delia helping to open a desperately-needed family planning
clinic in Harlem, and Sam birthing and doctoring the growing population
of the fiscally declining community. On the heels of losing her
gig and gangster/boyfriend, Angel encounters a southern-gentlemanly
Leland, who sees the ghost of his former wife in her face, and
wants to bring her back into his world, the last place that Angel
could ever survive. As times get tougher, and relationships flourish
and fail, the overall themes of love and morality come into play,
leaving a trail of misery and death in their wake, though also
giving the barest hint of better times in the future.
The entire cast is to be commended on guiding the audience through
this long and harrowing journey. They are, to a person, completely
in their roles, and utterly human. From Trish McCall's
self-serving, sultry Angel, to Timothy McCuen Piggee's
gratefully un-stereotypical, uniquely individual Guy, these are
real people in a larger-than-life battle. Though there is the
threat that any of these characters could become political placards,
there is so much grey infused into these individuals as to make
us sympathetic for those we wish to despise, and suspect of those
we admire. For example, the portrayal by Johnny Lee Davenport
of the overworked, overwhelming doctor, Sam, is shaded so well
as to leave the audience saddened, yet wary of his plight and
choices. In contrast, Adrian Bethea's Leland, a commanding
presence with immovable convictions, seems to be tragic even as
he spouts archaic beliefs and expectations. It is these portrayals,
as well as the mousy-though-idealistic Delia, as performed by
Kwana Martinez, that propel the show along even as the
script drags its feet and consistently touches every theme in
a leisurely way.
As usual, ATC has collected a great team that recreates a Harlem
tenement while implying the existence of so many other stories
in the surrounding area. William Bloodgood's set is a beautiful
mixture of realistic and implied. Dawn Chiang's moody lighting
sets the tones perfectly, though there are some obvious lighting
choices near the end highlighting characters that seemed ill-advised
for Ms. Chiang and Mr. Bond. Helen Q. Huang's costumes
were perfectly period, and established characters wonderfully.
Barry G. Funderburg's tone-setting Sound Design mixed blues
music and filmic underscoring in a very effective way.
One can't help but warn those attending this powerful production
of its length and heft, and allowing that while the director and
performers have done a wonderful job of making the three hours
a worthwhile investment, there are some moments that can't avoid
seeming preachy or repetitive. Despite these awkward moments and
drags, this is definitely an interesting production with a valid
and important viewpoint, and a few surprises along the way.
Production Details:
Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage
Arizona Theatre Company
The Herberger Theatre
Center, Phoenix
(602) 252-8497
February 4th - February 20th, 1999