Singing the blues
by Lisa Gauthier Jan 15, 2003
Theater Review | Thru Feb. 2
"Everybody in Harlem"s singing the blues," says Angel in Blues for an Alabama Sky. And so they are. Set in the summer of 1930 Harlem, N.Y., this is the story of dreams vs. reality, life vs. poverty. 
Michelle Wilson and Joy C. Hooper in the IRT"s "Blues for an Alabama Sky"
Angel (Michelle Wilson) is a nightclub singer, whose Italian sugardaddy has decided to marry. When Angel explodes at him in the middle of a number, she is canned. When her best friend Guy (J. Samuel Davis), a flamboyantly gay costume maker, stands up for her, he gets canned too. Angel, with no job and no place to live, moves into Guy"s flat. Here, we meet neighbor Delia (Joy C. Hooper), a shy social worker and birth control clinic advocate; Sam (David Alan Anderson), a doctor at the local hospital who seems consistently elbow-deep in births but who is always ready to "Let the good times roll!"; and Leland (Malik B. El-Amin), a passing visitor from Alabama, whose good looks, full wallet and harsh sensibilities turn the four friends" lives upside down. The first half of the show is a rather long set-up of the characters, their personalities and their interactions with each other. We begin to learn that Angel is a head-strong realist. Though she is loathe to compromise herself, she will do what it takes to keep food in her mouth and a roof over her head. Guy is a dreamer who believes that the immaculate Josephine Baker in Paris will literally be his and Angel"s ticket out of Harlem via his fabulous costumes. Romance begins to surface for Sam and Delia, as well as Angel and Leland. Act 1 is a quaint, homey look at these people"s lives, with its bonds of friendship, humor and trials, but a plot curve seems nowhere in sight. Sit tight, because Act 2 is when things really start to happen - none of which I"m going to spoil here, but the momentum is transfixing. Per usual, the Indiana Repertory Theatre has collected a superlative cast (who, along with director Ron Himes, are from out of town, save Anderson, who is an IRT vet). The most entertaining characters are the rambunctious Sam and the flippant Guy. Delivery, timing and direction were natural enough to be unnoticeable - which is the goal, especially in a slice-of-life production. After all is said and done, you care about these characters as if you, too, were swigging bootleg booze in their living room. Blues for an Alabama Sky continues through Feb. 2; call 635-5252 for tickets and information.
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