BLUES IN THE NIGHT
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
The setting is “a cheap hotel in Chicago in the late 1930s”–an image nicely evoked in Daniel Ostling’s expressionistic assemblage of stairways and platforms framed against a plain backdrop washed with moody blue, purple, and red light by Tom Fleming. Under these lights parade three actresses representing three Hollywood-style stereotypes of black females: the Girl, the Woman, and the Lady. The Lady is a suffering diva of the Billie Holiday type, right down to the white gardenia in her hair and the plentiful amount of booze she swills during the show; all that’s missing is a hypodermic needle hanging out of her arm. The Girl is a lost, waiflike creature brought by unspecified tragic events to these seedy surroundings; with her nervous, eager smile and high voice, she’s a stand-in for the young Alberta Hunter. The Woman is, as they used to say, fat and sassy, with a take-charge attitude and a thundering foghorn voice to match.
Through the 25 songs assembled by Epps for this concept revue, we are given to understand that what brought these three to this existential urban dump was–what else?–man trouble. Since this man trouble is purely generic, Epps requires only a single actor to interact with all three actresses; all four performers take turns demonstrating that, indeed, they have a right to sing the blues.
