"Blues for an Alabama Sky" at Lorraine Hansberry Theatre
Lorraine Hansberry Theatre recently culminated their 31st season with a vivid production of “Blues for an Alabama Sky” by renowned American author and playwright Pearl Cleage. This acclaimed tale was developed in 1995 focusing on the lives of five Harlem residents during the Great Depression of the 30’s. During this time the neighborhood was overflowing with creativity and it became known as the Harlem Renaissance. However it was also an area where there were hard luck stories where many of its citizens were experience hard times. Although it’s the 30’s in Harlem the play is still timely since it deals with such issues as religion vs. birth control, rampant unemployment, culture wars and fierce battles over gay rights and abortion.
Playwright Cleage’s old fashioned potboiler about the demimonde of the 1930’s Harlem gets a sturdy outing under the direction of Michele Shay. The play is an entertaining and engaging melodrama with a solid performance by Shinelle Azoroh as Angel, a jobless nightclub singer down on her luck that had just been dumped by her gangster boyfriend. She moves in with her gay best friend (Tobie Windham), a costume designer with dreams of moving to Paris to design for Josephine Baker. Both have been fired from the fame Cotton Club and both have impossible dreams but the rent’s money’s running out.
Living next door is Della (Leliani Rosine Drakeford), a church going activist with a deep conviction of building a birth control clinic in the neighborhood. Also involved is the fun loving Sam (Steven Anthony Jones), the neighborhood physician who delivers babies at Harlem Hospital. He also delivers bootleggers’ babies when he’s not pulling shifts at the hospital.
A recent transplant Leland (Joshua L Green), a solemn widower from Alabama comes into the life of Angel. He looks to fill a hole in his heart since his wife has died in pregnancy. He falls instantly in love with Angel and offers to free her from the servitude of nightclubs and gangster. However the story becomes heartbreaking as dreams are turned to dust and ethical consequences come down upon them.
Guy is played with a flamboyant grace by Tobie Windham. He clearly savored his over the top performance with his dreams to move to Paris to dress Josephine Baker; he wisely never turns the character into a humiliating character.
Leliani Rosine Drakeford shines as the plain-Jane neighbor who finds as long last love in very true to life element of the drama while Steven Anthony Jones (filling in for Robert Gossett who was called away for a personal matter in Los Angeles) her new lover bring a strong, soothing presence to the stage as Sam. Joshua L. Green gives a first-rate as the sweetly charming Alabama interloper Leland who morphs into a very shocking character at the end of the two hour, fifty minute melodrama. Kiara Fitzgerald rounds out the great cast by beautifully playing Little Angel. Although not seen the drama there is a strong presence of Josephine Baker, Margaret Sanger, Adam Clayton Powell and Langston Hughes in this enthralling play.
Costumes credited to Karen Perry captures the period with precision. Angel’s sophisticatedly sexy gowns and Guy’s colorful suits with sparkling vests are great creations. Martin Flynn’s detailed duel apartment set establishes the time and place well. “Blues for an Alabama Sky” closes today at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 450 Post Street, San Francisco.