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Blues in the Night (musical)
Encyclopedia
Blues in the Night is a musical
revue
conceived by Sheldon Epps
. It was produced by Mitchell Maxwell, Alan J. Schuster, Fred H. Krones and M Squared Entertainment, Inc., and Joshua Silver (Associate Producer).
Set in a rundown Chicago
hotel in 1938, the dialogue-free show focuses on three women's relationships with the same snake of a man, their interweaving stories told through the torch song
s and blues
of Duke Ellington
, Bessie Smith
, Johnny Mercer
, Harold Arlen
, Vernon Duke
, Gordon Jenkins
, and Alberta Hunter
, among others.
under the supervision of Norman René
at the off-Broadway
Playhouse 46, where it ran for 51 performances between March 26 and May 11, 1980. The original cast consisted of David Brunetti, Rise Collins, Suzanne M. Henry, and Gwen Shepherd
.
After thirteen previews, the Broadway
production, directed by Epps, opened on June 2, 1982 at the Rialto Theatre, where it ran for 53 performances. Jean Du Shon, Debbie Shapiro
, Leslie Uggams
, and Charles Coleman comprised the cast. The show was nominated for the Tony Award
for Best Musical.
The West End
production, staged by Steve Whately, opened on June 9, 1987 at the Donmar Warehouse
, where it ran through July 19, 1987. Maria Friedman
, Debby Bishop
, Carol Woods
, and Clarke Peters
comprised the cast. With Peter Straker replacing Peters, it transferred to the Piccadilly Theatre
, opening on September 23 and running through July 28, 1988.
The show was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Musical of the Year and Woods received a nomination for Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical
The London cast album was recorded live during the August 25-26 performances at the Donmar.
A production ran at the Minetta Lane Theatre, New York City, from September 14, 1988 through October 23, 1988 for 45 performances. The cast featured Carol Woods, Brenda Pressley, Kathleen Rowe McAllen and Lawrence Hamilton.
The revue was presented at the Post Street Theatre, San Francisco, for eight weeks in July through September 2007. Maurice Hines
played the role of "The Man in the Saloon", with Carol Woods, Freda Payne
and Paulette Ivory as the three women.
in his New York Times review of the 1982 revival, wrote: "The sad truth is that not even the plainest theatrical formulas are as easy as they look - and Blues in the Night, the new revue at the Rialto, is the not-so-living proof. The 25 blues numbers in this show...are often first-rate. The stars - Leslie Uggams, Jean Du Shon and Debbie Shapiro - are talented. The format - no dialogue, a minimum of dancing - is a model of economy. Yet Blues in the Night proves a bland evening that mainly serves to remind us just how much imagination went into its seemingly similar, far more fiery predecessors. Sheldon Epps, who "conceived" the revue and directed it, may well be responsible for what's gone wrong, but his basic notion isn't bad: Blues is set in a cheap hotel in 1938 Chicago (modestly designed by John Falabella) where the three stars occupy separate, shabby rooms. Yet the women remain anonymous throughout - they are called simply Woman No. 1 and so on in the Playbill - and, even when they sing together, they don't interact."
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
conceived by Sheldon Epps
Sheldon Epps
Sheldon Epps is an American television and theatre director.-Career:Sheldon Epps was born in Los Angeles, California. He moved to Teaneck, New Jersey when he was 11 years old, where he attended the local public schools, and was first drawn to the stage while at Teaneck High School...
. It was produced by Mitchell Maxwell, Alan J. Schuster, Fred H. Krones and M Squared Entertainment, Inc., and Joshua Silver (Associate Producer).
Set in a rundown Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
hotel in 1938, the dialogue-free show focuses on three women's relationships with the same snake of a man, their interweaving stories told through the torch song
Torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship...
s and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
of Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer.Sometimes referred to as The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s...
, Johnny Mercer
Johnny Mercer
John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
, Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
, Vernon Duke
Vernon Duke
Vernon Duke was a Russian-American composer/songwriter, who also wrote under his original name Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love" with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche, "I Can't Get Started" with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, "April in Paris" with lyrics by E. Y...
, Gordon Jenkins
Gordon Jenkins
Gordon Hill Jenkins was an American arranger, composer and pianist who was an influential figure in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s, renowned for his lush string arrangements...
, and Alberta Hunter
Alberta Hunter
Alberta Hunter was an American blues singer, songwriter, and nurse. Her career had started back in the early 1920s, and from there on, she became a successful jazz and blues recording artist, being critically acclaimed to the ranks of Ethel Waters and Bessie Smith...
, among others.
Productions
The revue originally was staged by Epps and Gregory HinesGregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
under the supervision of Norman René
Norman René
Norman René was an American theatre and film director and film producer who frequently collaborated with playwright Craig Lucas.-Biography:...
at the off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
Playhouse 46, where it ran for 51 performances between March 26 and May 11, 1980. The original cast consisted of David Brunetti, Rise Collins, Suzanne M. Henry, and Gwen Shepherd
Gwen Shepherd
Gwendolyn J. Shepherd is an African American actress. In the late 1970s and 1980s she performed in a number of musical theatre productions...
.
After thirteen previews, the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production, directed by Epps, opened on June 2, 1982 at the Rialto Theatre, where it ran for 53 performances. Jean Du Shon, Debbie Shapiro
Debbie Shapiro
Debbie Shapiro Gravitte is an American actress and singer.Shapiro was born in Los Angeles, California, and went on to make her Broadway debut in the chorus of They're Playing Our Song in 1979...
, Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her work in Hallelujah, Baby! She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.-Singing:...
, and Charles Coleman comprised the cast. The show was nominated for the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Musical.
The West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production, staged by Steve Whately, opened on June 9, 1987 at the Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
, where it ran through July 19, 1987. Maria Friedman
Maria Friedman
Maria Friedman is an English actress working in television, musical theatre, and concerts. She has won three Olivier Awards for her stage work.-Early years:...
, Debby Bishop
Debby Bishop
Debby Bishop is a British actress. She is probably best known to television viewers for her appearance in the second series of the crime drama Widows, having taken over the part of Bella O'Reilly from Eva Mottley....
, Carol Woods
Carol Woods (performer)
Carol Woods is an American performer. In February 2008 she received a standing ovation during the 50th Grammy Awards broadcast singing "Let It Be" from the soundtrack of the film Across the Universe, with Timothy T. Mitchum...
, and Clarke Peters
Clarke Peters
Clarke Peters is an American actor, singer, writer and director best known for his role as Detective Lester Freamon on the HBO drama The Wire.-Early life:...
comprised the cast. With Peter Straker replacing Peters, it transferred to the Piccadilly Theatre
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.-Early years:Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
, opening on September 23 and running through July 28, 1988.
The show was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Musical of the Year and Woods received a nomination for Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical
The London cast album was recorded live during the August 25-26 performances at the Donmar.
A production ran at the Minetta Lane Theatre, New York City, from September 14, 1988 through October 23, 1988 for 45 performances. The cast featured Carol Woods, Brenda Pressley, Kathleen Rowe McAllen and Lawrence Hamilton.
The revue was presented at the Post Street Theatre, San Francisco, for eight weeks in July through September 2007. Maurice Hines
Maurice Hines
Maurice Hines is an American actor, director, jazz singer and choreographer.Born in New York City, Hines began his career at the age of five, studying tap dance at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in Manhattan. LeTang recognized his talent and began choreographing numbers specifically for him and his...
played the role of "The Man in the Saloon", with Carol Woods, Freda Payne
Freda Payne
Freda Charcilia Payne Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944. is an American singer and actress best known for her million selling, 1970 hit single, "Band of Gold". She was also an actress in...
and Paulette Ivory as the three women.
Song list
Note: composers in parentheses- "Am I Blue?Am I Blue?"Am I Blue?" is a song written by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke in 1929, and was a big hit that year for Ethel Waters. It has become a standard and has been covered by numerous artists.-Other versions:...
" (Harry AkstHarry AkstHarry Akst was an American songwriter, who started out his career as a pianist in vaudeville accompanying singers such as Nora Bayes, Frank Fay and Al Jolson.-Life and career:Akst was born in New York, United States....
, Grant ClarkeGrant ClarkeGrant Clarke was an American songwriter.Clarke moved to New York City early in his career, where he worked as an actor and a staff writer for comedians...
) - "Baby Doll" (Bessie SmithBessie SmithBessie Smith was an American blues singer.Sometimes referred to as The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s...
) - "Blue Blue" (Bessie Smith)
- "Blues in the NightBlues in the Night"Blues in the Night" is a popular song which has become a pop standard and is generally considered to be part of the Great American Songbook. The music was written by Harold Arlen, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for a 1941 film begun with the working title Hot Nocturne, but finally released as Blues...
" (Harold ArlenHarold ArlenHarold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
, Johnny MercerJohnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
) - "Copenhagen" (Charlie DavisCharlie DavisCharles Allan Davis is a former West Indian cricketer who played in fifteen Tests from 1968 to 1973. Davis started his first-class career at the age of 17, playing for Trinidad. After a good Shell Shield season in 1968 Davis was selected for the West Indies...
) - "Dirty No-Gooder Blues" (Bessie Smith)
- "Four Walls (and One Dirty Window) Blues" (Willard Robison)
- "I Gotta Right To Sing the Blues" (Harold Arlen, Ted KoehlerTed KoehlerTed L. Koehler was an American lyricist.-Life and career:Koehler was born in Washington, D.C. He started out as a photo-engraver but was attracted to the music business, where he started out as a theater pianist for silent films. He moved on to write for vaudeville shows and Broadway, and he also...
) - "It Makes My Love Come Down" (Bessie Smith)
- "I've Got A Date With A Dream" (Mack GordonMack GordonMack Gordon was an American composer and lyricist of songs for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times, including six consecutive years between 1940 and 1945, and won the award once, for "You'll Never Know"...
, Harry RevelHarry RevelHarry Revel was an English composer of musical theatre.Revel was born in London. Before emigrating to the United States in 1929, he wrote musicals for productions in Paris, Copenhagen, Vienna and London....
) - "Kitchen Man" (Andy Razaf, Alex Bellenda)
- "Low" (Vernon DukeVernon DukeVernon Duke was a Russian-American composer/songwriter, who also wrote under his original name Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love" with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche, "I Can't Get Started" with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, "April in Paris" with lyrics by E. Y...
, Milton Drake, Ben Oakland) - "Lover Man" (Jimmy Davis, Roger Ramirez, Jimmy Sherman)
- "New Orleans Hop-Scop Blues" (Geo. W. Thomas)
- "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and OutNobody Knows You When You're Down And Out"Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" is a blues standard, written by Jimmy Cox in 1923. Its lyric, told from the point of view of a one-time millionaire during the Prohibition era, reflects on the fleeting nature of material wealth and the friendships that come and go with it.-Recording...
" (Bessie Smith) - "Reckless Blues" (Bessie Smith)
- "Rough and Ready Man" (Alberta HunterAlberta HunterAlberta Hunter was an American blues singer, songwriter, and nurse. Her career had started back in the early 1920s, and from there on, she became a successful jazz and blues recording artist, being critically acclaimed to the ranks of Ethel Waters and Bessie Smith...
) - "Take It Right Back" (H. Grey)
- "Take Me For a Buggy Ride" (Leola WilsonCoot GrantCoot Grant was an American classic female blues, country blues, and vaudeville, singer and songwriter. Her own stage craft, plus the double act with her husband and musical partner, Wesley "Kid" Wilson, was popular with African American audiences in the 1910s, 1920s and early 1930s.-Biography:One...
, Wesley WilsonWesley WilsonWesley Wilson was an American blues and jazz singer and songwriter. His own stage craft, plus the double act with his wife and musical partner, Coot Grant, was popular with African American audiences in the 1910s, 1920s and early 1930s.His stage names included Kid Wilson, Jenkins, Socks, and...
) - "These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You" (Harry Link, Jack Strachey, Holt Marvell)
- "Wasted Life Blues" (Bessie Smith)
- "When a Woman Loves a ManWhen a Woman Loves a Man"When a Woman Loves a Man" is a song composed by Bernie Hanighen and Gordon Jenkins with lyrics by Johnny Mercer in 1938.-Notable recordings:*Tony Bennett - Tony Bennett on Holiday...
" (Bernard Hanighen, Gordon JenkinsGordon JenkinsGordon Hill Jenkins was an American arranger, composer and pianist who was an influential figure in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s, renowned for his lush string arrangements...
, Johnny Mercer) - "Wild Women Don't Have the BluesWild Women Don't Have the Blues"Wild Women Don't Have the Blues", "Wild Women Don't Get the Blues", or simply "Wild Women" is an American popular song composed by singer Ida Cox in the blues style, in 1924. It has a strong feminist message. From date, it has been performed by numerous musicians, notably by its composer Ida Cox...
" (Ida CoxIda CoxIda Cox was an African American singer and vaudeville performer, best known for her blues performances and recordings...
) - "Willow Weep for MeWillow Weep for Me"Willow Weep for Me" is a popular song composed in 1932 by Ann Ronell, who also wrote the lyrics. It is mostly known as a jazz standard, but it was a Top 40 hit for the British duo Chad & Jeremy in 1964.-Notable recordings:...
" (Ann RonellAnn RonellAnn Rosenblatt, known as Ann Ronell was an American composer and lyricist best known for the jazz standard "Willow Weep for Me" .- Biography :...
)
Critical response
Frank RichFrank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
in his New York Times review of the 1982 revival, wrote: "The sad truth is that not even the plainest theatrical formulas are as easy as they look - and Blues in the Night, the new revue at the Rialto, is the not-so-living proof. The 25 blues numbers in this show...are often first-rate. The stars - Leslie Uggams, Jean Du Shon and Debbie Shapiro - are talented. The format - no dialogue, a minimum of dancing - is a model of economy. Yet Blues in the Night proves a bland evening that mainly serves to remind us just how much imagination went into its seemingly similar, far more fiery predecessors. Sheldon Epps, who "conceived" the revue and directed it, may well be responsible for what's gone wrong, but his basic notion isn't bad: Blues is set in a cheap hotel in 1938 Chicago (modestly designed by John Falabella) where the three stars occupy separate, shabby rooms. Yet the women remain anonymous throughout - they are called simply Woman No. 1 and so on in the Playbill - and, even when they sing together, they don't interact."