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Josephine Tonight!
A New Musical
Book & Lyrics by Sherman Yellen
Music by Wally Harper
Directed by Steve Scott
Choreographer Gordon Eric McClure
Musical Direction (and additional music) by Jon Steinhagen
At The Theatre Building Chicago
1225 W. Belmont Ave.
Chicago, IL
Call 773-327-5252, tickets $25 - $35
Fridays at 8 PM
Saturdays at 3 & 8 PM
Sundays at 3 PM
Running time 2 hrs, 10 min with intermission
Through March 26, 2006
Veteran composers create a tuneful old-fashion Broadway musical
The Theatre Building Chicago’s Stages program has nurtured many fledgling musicals over the last several decades and their latest offering contains the material about an African-American legendary entertainer. Josephine Tonight! is a showcase production well along its journey that could lead to a succes sful Broadway run.
Created by veteran composers Wally Harper and Sherman Yellen, Josephine Tonight! is a ‘throw-back musical’ with hints of, and in the style of Funny Girl and Gypsy. The late Harper was a pianist, arranger, musical director and composer who shared a 30-year collaboration with Barbara Cook. Sherman Yellen’s work includes the libretto for The Rothschilds with music by Jerry Bock and he penned the libretto for Richard Rodger’s Rex. He also collaborated with Wally Harper on This Fair World. These guys know how to craft a musical and it shows here.
Sherman Yellen’s focus is on Josephine Baker’s early years showing how Baker became the entertainer we know and love. The musical is a classic rags to riches journey from East St. Louis to the Jim Crow South to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s to Paris of the Jazz Age. The story reveals the strong bonds Freda McDonald (aka Josephine Baker) has with her mother Carrie who allows her to chase her dreams while still guiding her to remember her roots. We easily take to both mother and daughter. We meet the characters who influence Josephine making her the triple-threat entertainer who dazzled audiences for over 50 years mostly in Paris. Her early boss and adviser, Bertha, the large-sized diva of Black vaudeville is a show-stopping character nicely developed by Yellen. Her “Bertha’s Blues” was a hoot!
Josephine Tonight! is surely a work-in-progress yet it sparkles with a period-perfect, bouncy score by the late Wally Harper (with additional music and arrangement s by Jon Steinhagen).
What impressed me most was Sherman Yellen’s terrific book that contains wit and authentic Black humor with clever lyrics that smoothly move the story with aplomb. Yellen’s lyrics sit atop Harper’s exciting score with polish and continuity. We hear ragtime, sultry jazz, gospel along with chipper vaudeville melodies. The original score is vintage early 20th Century Broadway reminding me of Irving Berlin and Jule Stein’s style with strong ballads and cute burlesque and sensual jazz sounds.
The work features Carrie (a terrific Monique Whittington) almost as much as it does Josephine (the delightful Melanie McCullough). Essentially the musical unfolds as a mother-daughter story. My knowledgeable associate (Marilyn) felt that the show needs to de-emphasize Carrie somewhat by having the terrific number “Momma Knows,” now sung by Carrie, changed to a statement sung by Josephine plus the “Join Me in the Dance” duet needs to be a Josephine solo. Interesting idea. I’m not so sure.
As it plays now, Josephine Tonight! is equally Carrie’s show as much as Josephine’s. Future productions could be a staring vehicle for a large-sized older woman who can belt and a cute slim youngster possessing triple-threat talent. I’d advise to shorten act one by cutting or condensing some of the early storyline and numbers. I’d also beef-up the choreography throughout.
I do believe that Josephine Tonight! will emerge as a stage-worthy show that will appeal to Broadway patrons as a fresh rendition of the classic rags to riches backstage profile we can’t seem to get enough of. Josephine Tonight! is rich in humor with a hum-able, toe-tapping score and smart, sassy lyrics. Once refined, Josephine Tonight! could have legs.
I advise local producers to see this show before it gets away. The production is entertaining for lovers of Broadway musicals and it appeals to a large scare audience.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago Podcast
Date Reviewed February 20, 2006
Jeff Recommended
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