Better late than never, ‘Blues for an Alabama Sky' gets a poignant production at R.I.'s Trinity Rep
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Best friends Angel Allen (Cloteal L. Horne), a struggling nightclub singer with a temper, and Guy Jacobs (Taavon Gamble), a promising costume designer and self-described 'notorious homosexual,' dream of a glamorous future but they can barely eke out a living in the local jazz clubs. Their across-the-hall neighbor Delia Patterson (Meagan Dilworth), a timid but driven woman, and a local doctor Sam Thomas (Dereks Thomas), who's is a bit of a rapscallion, are trying to bring a much-needed family planning clinic to the neighborhood, but are getting significant pushback. When an intense young man fresh from Alabama, named Leland Cunningham (Quinn West), catches Angel's eye and is brought into the fold of this tight-knit group, well, we know from the get-go that this will not end well for anyone. He is the very personification of all the dangers that are lurking around the corner.
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One of the many things that is so intriguing about this Trinity Rep production is that there are no perceivable corners in Michael McGarty's scenic design. There are no walls to define the two meticulously decorated and well-appointed brownstone apartments, just a black backdrop and clever lighting design by Erica Lauren Maholmes. Deco lamps and hanging art, including a portrait of famous performer Josephine Baker in her prime, are suspended in air. There are no doors to separate the apartments, just black frames topped with stained glass. And the large streetlamps that surround the building can be seen clearly through all the open space.
This setting has two distinctive effects on this production. For one, the characters are always exposed and, as such, seem particularly vulnerable. This is something that the veteran cast picks up on in their portrayals. Horne lets us see the small cracks in Angel's cold survivor's demeanor. Gamble deftly reveals the fatal flaws in Guy's blind determination. Delia's gumption gives way to layers of insecurity in Dilworth's hands. And Thomas bares the tenderness behind Sam's practiced, party-guy persona. Even West's Leland has his soft spots.
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McGarty's scenic design also adds a blatant theatricality to this production. When coupled with Amber Voner's striking period costumes and wig design, and the slow jazz and passing streetcars heard during scene transitions, courtesy of Larry D. Fowler Jr.'s sound design, it complements the undercurrent of melodrama in Cleage's brilliant script. Under Davis's direction, everything is slightly heightened, immediately engaging, and always interesting.
It took a while to arrive, but this production of 'Blues for an Alabama Sky' was worth waiting for.
BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY
Play by Pearl Cleage. Directed by Jackie Davis. At Trinity Rep's Dowling Theater, 201 Washington St., Providence. Through June 29. Tickets are $24-$90. 401-351-4242,
Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who formerly wrote for the Austin Chronicle. Connect with him
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