Read the news – one outrage, one calamity after another.
And yes, the arts often lean into the hard questions of the day, probing in a way that journalism can’t — with theater, in particular, able to capture emotions boiling beneath the headlines.
That’s not what director Brett Ashley Robinson was aiming for in Lantern Theater Company’s production of “Blues for an Alabama Sky” by playwright and activist Pearl Cleage, running through March 15.
It’s more about appreciation.
Appreciate the time period when the play is set. “Blues for an Alabama Sky” takes place during the Harlem Renaissance. New York, in the 1920s. “It was a time of great creativity in the Black community,” Robinson said. “It was a real moment when Black people are celebrated and their culture becomes alive and celebrated.”
Appreciate the costumes. “It’s a very beautiful and glamorous time,” she said. “The costumes are gorgeous. Everyone looks really good.”
Appreciate the actors and their characters. “I hope the audience connects to how charming all the actors and characters are,” Robinson said. “It’s a group of young people who have different dreams and who love and care for each other. They delight in each other’s company.”
Appreciate the pacing. Notice, she said, “how quick-paced and smart and charming all these people are and the speed and facility with which the performers are able to tackle this material.”
The play’s vibe, she said, is mostly sit-com, requiring actors who have “a lot of humanity and a lot of great comedic timing.”
In “Blues for an Alabama Sky,” friends live in two separate apartments in the same Harlem building – reminiscent of the hit TV series “Living Single,” Robinson explained. There they form a chosen family – another aspect to appreciate, says Robinson.
“In this story, no one is related to each other, yet they’ve all really found each other. They made a life together. They want what’s best for each other,” she said.
To be sure, it’s not all sweetness and light. Two characters lose their work and face eviction. There’s an unexpected pregnancy with consequences. Dreams are shattered yet rebuilt.
“This show has its fair share of tragedy,” Robinson said. But each tragedy is offset, at least somewhat, “by being with your friends, following your dreams and having deep ambitions. All of them want a better life for the people in their community and they are all working to achieve it.”
Ebony Pullum plays Angel, the lead character, a nightclub singer who can’t get work. Taylor J. Mitchell is Delia, who wants to open a health clinic in Harlem. Kash Goins plays Sam, a doctor, and Tariq Kanu is Leland, from Alabama, trying to adjust to life in New York.
Angel shares an apartment with Guy, a costume designer who dreams of being summoned to Paris to create dresses for iconic jazz singer Josephine Baker. To play Guy, Robinson tapped Philly drag performer Cookie Diorio. Cookie and Guy share a love for the glamorous. And, true to character, Cookie also speaks French and knows how to sew, Robinson said.
“Blues for an Alabama Sky,” Feb. 12-March 15, Lantern Theater Co., at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St., Phila. 215-829-0395.
