BLUES IN THE NIGHT
It’s the sketchiest of stories, established with the barest minimum of dialogue: in 1930s Chicago, four lonely people in a seedy hotel pass a steamy night by singing the blues. As conceived by Sheldon Epps, Blues in the Night doesn’t really explain how these people got there or where they’re going. It doesn’t have to–it doesn’t even matter what their names are. The point is, these people are blue. Gloriously blue. Why ruin the singing with talk?
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And the singing is glorious, strong and nuanced, in this Northlight production directed by Jim Corti. Blues classics by the likes of Bessie Smith, Jimmy Cox, and Alberta Hunter, among others, flesh out the characters, and the versatile ensemble know how to breathe life into any stereotypes, whether they’re singing or silent. Michelle Elise Duffy’s fading sophisticate holds herself with an unsteady dignity while she remembers the good times in Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life.” Later, after a few drinks, her hair comes down and dignity be damned as she growls her way through Hunter’s lament for a “Rough and Ready Man.” Yrsula Yevette’s ingenue has all the bright-eyed spunk the role requires, and a surprisingly spicy appeal, especially in Smith’s “Reckless Blues.”
Who would’ve thought that two hours of the blues could be such a pleasure?
