Review
BLUES IN THE NIGHT
Lunchbox Theatre
Starring Jackie Richardson, Natascha Girgis and Elizabeth Stepkowski Tarhan
Directed by John Cooper
Musical direction by Tim Williams
Runs until October 2
Bow Valley Square
From the moment the lights go down and the music starts playing, anyone who has come to Lunchbox Theatre’s latest production feeling low down will find their blues melting away.
Blues in the Night is, ironically, one of the most joyous shows to hit Calgary in recent months. Featuring Canadian blues and gospel singer Jackie Richardson, the musical is a fabulous showcase for her talent, not to mention that of her co-stars.
Set in the 1930s, the show tells the tale of three women living in a boarding house and reliving their memories of bad relationships and bad men.
Playing a character called The Lady, Richardson ties the story together as both the narrator and matriarch of the production. Her voice not only resonates through the small theatre, but the power of it sends chills up and down your spine. Both her tone and her tune epitomize soul and bring her character, a washed-up cabaret dancer, to life.
Sharing the stage with her is Elizabeth Stepkowski Tarhan as The Woman. The perfect match to Richardson’s soulfulness, Stepkowski Tarhan plays the aging bombshell living in a dream that the perfect man will still come to rescue her. Emptying glass after glass of wine, she captures the mood of the time with her renditions of classic blues.
Rounding out the cast is Natascha Girgis as The Girl, an innocent waif looking for love. Girgis’s voice doesn’t possess the same strength as her co-stars, but it does fit the role of a shy, desperate girl mending a broken heart.
Blues in the Night, originally produced on Broadway in the early 1980s, is a great escape, even if it only lasts as long as the time it takes to eat lunch. It’s hard to believe director John Cooper was able to bring all its elements to life in the time span of 50 minutes.
But what would this production be without the musical genius of Tim Williams? As both the show’s musical director and a character called The Man, guitarist Williams transplants the audience to a cathouse in New Orleans where music reigns supreme and the beat always goes on.
In addition to the outstanding music, which features the songs of Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Ida Cox and many more, the story is humorously told while maintaining the integrity of the script and the lives of these three women.
And, to judge from the cheers, yelps and resounding applause that greeted the performance I saw, I’m not the only one who feels Blues in the Night is a great way to spend the lunch hour. |
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