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I Am Who I Am
The Story of Teddy Pendergrass
Written, Directed and Produced by Jackie Taylor
At Black Ensemble Theater
4520 N. Beacon Street
Chicago, IL
Call 773-769-4451, tickets $45
Friday & Saturdays at 8 pm
Sundays at 3 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 30 minutes with intermission
Limited open run
Uplifting musical tribute to the courage of Teddy Pendergrass
Jackie Taylor and the folks at Black Ensemble have mounted a nice tribute to the courage and determination of the smooth, soulful R & B singer, Teddy Pendergrass. Using two players, the youthful and golden voiced Rashawn Thompson as Young Teddy and Kevin McIlvaine as the mature Teddy, I Am Who I Am tells the story of Teddy Pendergrass from his days with the mean Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes in the early 1970’s. Pendergrass’ voiced hits like “I Miss You,’ “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” “ Bad Luck,” ‘The Love I Lost” and “Wake up Everybody.” Rashawn Thompson’s smooth voice aptly channels Pendergrass’ style and his radiant sex appeal. We see that Teddy simply couldn’t resist the women.
In 1977, Pendergrass went sole and his raw style turned the music industry upside down producing five platinum albums in a row—the first for an African-American singer! Hits such as “Close The Door, “ “Turn Off The Lights, “ and “Joy” emerged during this time. In Jackie Taylor’s production, Teddy Pendergrass and Billy Jolly composed three new songs. “A Mother’s Love” is one that Rhonda Preston emotionally delivers as a stirring Gospel song to love.
We see how Teddy’s life was threatened by an auto accident in 1982 that left him near death and a quadriplegic. Pendergrass’ strong personality plus the support of his mother and associates helped the now wheelchair bound singer recover his life and his profession. One year after his accident, Pendergrass recorded “Hold Me In Your Arms” with a 19 year old Whitney Huston. Next came “Love Language” and “Truly Blessed. “ Over the next 26 years, Teddy Pendergrass has continued to perform proving that nothing is impossible. His other new tunes written for this show: “This Far By Faith” and the title tune “I Am Who I Am’ round out an evening of silky tunes about an amazing performer. Jackie Taylor with Jimmy Tillman’s band utilizing Thomas Washington’s arrangements offer another terrific musical story. This toe-tapping smooth treat adds an inspirational story as a plus.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2008
Jeff Recommended
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