Theater Review – February 23, 2025

“BLUES IN THE NIGHT” USES CLASSIC ‘30S SONGS TO TELL THREE WOMENS STORIES

“Blues in the Night”
Arizona Theatre Company, Center Stage, Tempe Center for the Arts
Tempe, AZ

By Chris Curcio
Theater Critic

In Arizona Theatre Company’s (ATC) outstanding “Blues in the Night,” the audience is transported back to an upscale 1930s Chicago hotel where contemporary songs by such composers as Bessie Smith, Benny Goodman, Vernon Duke, and Duke Ellington among the 13 composers used allow three very different Black women singers to probe their struggles and joys.

The Lady from the Road runs through her entertainment career by browsing an album full of stories about her.  It’s a sad reflection of a woman who could have achieved more and greater recognition.  Big voiced Roz White sashays out and blows the rafters off the theater bringing her glorious voice to “Four Walls (And One Dirty Window) Blues,” the first of many triumphant musical explosions.

The Woman of the World explores her past exploits primarily through the men she has loved.  Sultry April Nixon brings a husky, raspy vocal quality to several musical masterpieces starting with “Stompin’ at the Savoy.”

The youngest of the trio, The Girl with a Date, arrives exploring where her place might be among her more experienced compatriots.   With her initial tune being the immensely popular “Taking A Chance on Love,” Camryn Hamm contributes positively to the production’s musical tour de forces.

Commenting on and helping each woman remember her experiences is The Man in the Saloon played with rapturous fervor by Darryl Reuben Hall.  His standout number is Bessie Smith’s “Baby Doll” that he exclaims wildly late in the show’s second act.

“Blues in the Night” was originally conceived in 1982 by Sheldon Epps and it is a telling and fascinating journey through these three very diverse women.  Realizing how each has handled their lives and the issues each confronted is enlightening but it is the 26 fabulous songs – the best of this time period – that make it possible for each woman to artfully explain and better understand their complicated lives.

Director Ricardo Khan keeps the show gliding along with effortless ease as the stories and the richly wonderful songs spin out.  The singers are aided by William Foster McDaniel’s five-person band that provide the songs with lush orchestrations.  Colorful period costumes, the large hotel space where the songs are performed, and moody lighting aide the show’s lush visual appearance.

“Blues in the Night” is a fascinating and insightful look at Black women and their plight in the 1930s long before equality was firmly established.  It continues through March 9 at the Tempe Center for the Arts.  Tickets may be purchased by calling the Arizona Theatre Company box office at 833-ATC-SEAT or order online at www.atc.org.

Grade: A