Rock’s “I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So” radiates charisma and charm, a bright smile, and some snazzy tap footwork.
“Mighty sweet,” like “milk and honey”… Blues in the Night, under the direction of Yvette Freeman Hartley, opened to a standing ovation at the North Coast Repertory Theatre, where it runs through February 12.
Originally conceived and directed by Sheldon Epps, this musical revue, set in a 1930s Chicago hotel, features three women and a gentleman sharing their experiences about love. Told entirely through song, the Woman of the World (Karole Foreman), Lady from the Road (Anise Ritchie) and Girl with a Date (Ciarra Stroud) each lament through the blues how they have been wronged – perhaps, we think, by the Man in the Saloon (Elijah Rock).
The show is performed with a talented onstage jazz band featuring conductor/pianist Kevin Toney, bassist Roy Jenkins, percussionist Danny King, reed player Malcolm Jones, and trumpet player Thomas Alforque. The band caught my eye a few times; the pianist and percussionist in particular lay down an excellent groove and there’s rarely enough bass for me!
Popular tunes in the revue include those by Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Alberta Hunter, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Ida Cox, Duke Ellington, and Billy Strayhorn, and there are some shining moments. Among them are the titular group number “Blues in the Night,” which kicks off the second act and features lush tone and timbre alongside solid harmonies, “Rough and Ready Man” featuring Foreman with sass, feistiness, and growl to align with the wailing muted trumpet, an irreverent and raunchy “Kitchen Man” by Ritchie, and Rock’s “I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So,” in which he radiates charisma and charm, a bright smile, and some snazzy tap footwork…