Blues in the Night

Went to see this performance about a month or so ago. It was fantastic. Some of the singers couldn’t quite keep my attention and got a bit of a snooze but overall a great show. The music selection was outstanding.

What a show!
I had a great time but it may have helped that I love the genre of music, and I am always interested in something different.
All the actors’ performances were amazing and each carried the show well. I liked how all the different pieces of music were strung together to help tell the story without a tremendous amount of spoken dialog. I also liked how they interacted with the audience at certain points throughout the show. I loved how there was a dynamic of explicit and subtle events that occur throughout the show that propelled the story along.
WARNING: While there were humorous moments in the show, there were very gut-​wrenching moments… hence the name «Blues in the Night». As the other reviewer said (Bruce R.), there were also a fair amount of adult jokes and situations that went fast so I wouldn’t recommend bringing little kids that would end up asking their parents uncomfortable questions later.
I remember seeing Paulette Ivory in Toronto for the traveling production of Aida and her voice continued to amaze me. Freda Payne had a terrific voice as well and powerful songs. Carol Woods had a very dominating stage presence and wonderful performance and I think she stole the show. I was presently surprised at how they decided to work in Maurice Hines’ dancing skills but the placement and duration of his big number seemed out-​of-​place considering the storyline.
Overall, I recommend the show to anyone interested but I am not giving a full 5 stars because I recognize it may not be for everyone.

My wife I were able to attend one of the preview shows for Blues in the Night now showing at the Post Street Theater. My cuz works for the theater but that has no bearing on my thoughts about the show.
If I had stars to give it would get 4.5 out of five!
FROM THE POST STREET THEATER
Presented by Eugene P. Stichman, Steven M. Hayes and Arline Cone, BLUES IN THE NIGHT focuses on the relationships between three delicious females and one lonely guy, their interweaving stories told through the music of Benny Goodman, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington and other blues and jazz legends of the 1920s and 30s. The Broadway production opened on June 2, 1982 at the Rialto Theatre and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical. The show then moved to London where it ran for nearly a year and was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Musical of the Year. Woods also received an Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical.
We probably should have read this before taking our eldest daughter and a friend, but I think most of the innuendo went right over their heads. Still it was quite an evening.
A few random thoughts…
* I love going to shows that have diverse audiences. There was definitely a different audience from the last show we went to the 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — the Adult Version and Blues in the Night. One crowd was not better then the other, just different.
* I tell you, if you want to be in this show, you better be able to bring it because it is all about the voices. The three female leads were pretty solid, with my personal favorite being «The Girl with a Date», Paulette Ivory. While «The Lady from the Road,» Carol Woods was clearly given the show-​stopper number with Wasted Life Blues — and she sang the heck out of that song — I felt like Ivory was holding back and could have let loose if given the chance. «The Woman of the World» played by the sophisticated Freda Payne was also very good. For a preview show, you could tell that all three women were top-​notch. A few timing things with the band, but they all could REALLY sing!
* And then there was «The Man in the Saloon» played by Maurice Hines. While he was an adequate singer and played the part well, through the first half, I just felt like he was just there to provide some male presence off of which the blues could be reflected. Then he busted out the tap with Baby Doll and really did make it all worth it.
* Overall, the show was very good and we enjoyed it immensely. If you get a chance try to check it out.