THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 20, 1995 TAG: 9504180103
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Theater review
SOURCE: MONTAGUE GAMMON III
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
The small cast of ``Blues in the Night'' more than fills the big G.W.C. Brown Theatre with some fine songs, finely sung.
Though the show is ideal for a smaller space, such as a cabaret, it maintains its sense of emotional intimacy because the performers connect so directly and intimately with their music.
Sadly, the audience last Saturday wouldn't have strained the seating at the smallest of cabarets. This is one of those little publicized shows that deserves to be seen, and remembered, by the widest audience.
Sheldon Epps has enclosed about 20 songs in a framework that sets the play in a cheap hotel where three women have rooms, and a male saloon singer performs. The show is really a recital for four vocalists; what passes for a plot line is harmlessly inconsequential.
All four performers are well-known for their work at Norfolk State and elsewhere in Hampton Roads. ``Blues in the Night'' marks something of a homecoming for Renee Williams Walke, who has been absent from local stages for several years. Maisha O. Brown is a Norfolk State senior who has recently made a name for herself in ``Dream Girls,'' ``Eubie,'' and several other Norfolk State productions.
E. Jeannelle Henderson is a veteran of other stages who has of late become a mainstay, perhaps the dominant voice, in Norfolk State musicals. Vincent I. Epps, no relation to the author of this piece, has produced highly praised work as an actor, dancer, singer and choreographer in any number of local and professional venues.
The brief narration, interspersed with the songs, that sketches the outline of the four characters falls to Williams Walke. Her performance as an older woman, a one-time professional singer fallen on lean times, combines regal self-confidence with a sense of playfulness. Though the loudest ovations come when she plays the pop song stylist, pushing her voice with emotion, her finest singing is less flamboyant. Her sound is especially pure and clear when she reaches into her remarkable lower register.
Brown is the sweet young thing, the ingenue who has just moved in ``down the hall.'' Her adolescent charm falls somewhere between the appeal of a kitten and that a lithe young panther, and her light, sweet voice is well suited to the part.
Henderson's powerful, operatic sound is quite at home, and most enjoyable, in this repertoire of blues and jazz material. Her character is written to be something of a mystery, a tragicomic character who laughs through tears as she reminisces. She has money in her past, and heartache, and maintains her fondness for the bottle.
Epps, who also choreographed the show, plays the sly, smooth womanizer, ever confident and ever charming. He has a brief tap dance solo as he sings ``I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So,'' but his considerable dancing ability takes a back seat for this show to his pleasant, sincere and effective singing.
For all the fervor and tenderness that characterize the solos, the show's high points are the ensemble numbers. ``It Makes My Love Come Down'' is truly impressive, ``Take It Right Back'' rousing, and the title tune memorable.
``Blues in the Night'' was directed by Clarence W. Murray Jr. The musical director was John A. Vann, who also plays keyboard in the accompanying band. Gary Garlic is on drums, and Robert Davis on bass. by CNB