IT AIN'T NOTHING BUT THE BLUES Debuts At TheatreWorks 3/11

TheatreWorks, the nationally-acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, continues its 39th season with the sizzling, red-hot Broadway hit IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES, a foot-stomping, high-voltage journey in song. From African chants and Delta spirituals, to the urban electricity of a Chicago nightclub, IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES is a stirring retrospective of blues classics. Told with historical sweep and irresistible energy, The New York Times calls this Tony Award nominee "rich, evocative, rousing...more than a musical feast." Directed by co-author and original director Randal Myler, this scorching songfest features celebrated blues artists "Mississippi" Charles Bevel andChic Street Man, TheatreWorks veterans Alison Ewing, James Monroe Iglehart,Michelle E. Jordan, and C. Kelly Wright, and making his TheatreWorks debut, Tony Marcus. IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES plays March 11-April 11, 2009 (press opening: March 14) at TheatreWorks at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto. For tickets ($27-$65) and information, the public may call (650) 903-6000 or visit TheatreWorks.org

IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES traces the history of blues music through more than three dozen songs, including "The Thrill is Gone," "Let the Good Times Roll," "Good-Night Irene," and many others. Written by "Mississippi" Charles Bevel, Lita Gaithers,Randal Myler, Ron Taylor, and Dan Wheetman, the revue started as a Denver Center Theater Company touring educational show in 1994. It was extended into a full-length show, then later revived by San Diego Repertory Theatre,Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Crossroads Theater (NJ) before transferring to the New Victory Theatre in New York. Shifting to Broadway, the show opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on April 26th, 1999, then moved to the Ambassador Theatre, running a total of 284 performances. IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES earned four Tony Award nominations, in addition to four Drama Desk nominations.

"The ‘blues' does not mean black music. It means having the courage or audacity to speak to what is in your heart without consulting your head. That human attribute is colorless," says "Mississippi" Charles Bevel. An accomplished musician, recording artist, writer, actor, and visual artist, Bevel used his life experiences to co-write IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES in 1994. Making his TheatreWorks debut, Bevel says, "Music is the easiest way to express matters of the heart...the ‘blues' (the pain and the joy, whether directed inwardly or outwardly) is, and will continue to be, the most persistent form of expressing matters of the heart in black culture in America."

Also making his TheatreWorks debut in IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES is noted blues musician Chic Street Man. As a duo with "Mississippi" Charles Bevel,Street Man opened for such music acts as Taj Majal, Richie Havens, and blues greats Albert King and B.B. King. In addition to his work as a musician, he is a veteran of the Bay Area theatre scene, winning a Bay Area Theatre Critic's Circle Award for Musical Direction for the Berkeley Repertory Theatre's production of Polk County.Street Man was a contributing author, performer, and musical arranger for the original production of IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES, and in addition, he has taken part in productions with New York and Oregon Shakespeare Festivals, Crossroads Theater in New Jersey, The Royal Court in London, and Seattle Repertory Theater.

Joining the cast is veteran actress C. Kelly Wright, returning to TheatreWorks, where she was recently featured in the company's critically acclaimed production of August Wilson's Radio Golf. Also previously starring in the title role of Caroline, or Change, Wright has appeared in TheatreWorks productions A Little Princess, Smokey Joe's Cafe¸ Memphis,Oo-Bla-Dee, and Triumph of Love. Her other credits include roles with San Jose Repertory Theatre, Marin Theater Company, and West End Theater in New York, amongst other theaters, as well as various roles in film and television.

Also featured in the IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES cast is Alison Ewing, who has been seen in TheatreWorks productions Harold and Maude: An Intimate Musical, Into the Woods, and Emma. James Monroe Iglehart has appeared in several TheatreWorks productions, including Ragtime, Memphis,A Little Night of Music, Bay Boy, and Caroline, or Change. TheatreWorkshas also been the stage of some of Bay Area theatre veteran Michelle E. Jordan's fine work, where she was seen most recently in Crowns. Rounding out the cast is Tony Marcus, who will be making his TheatreWorks debut. A long-time fixture in the Bay Area acoustic music scene, Marcus has appeared with both Berkeley Repertory Theatre and San Jose Repertory Theatre.

IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES director Randal Myler received two Tony Award nominations (Best Musical/Best Book of a Musical) and a Drama Desk nomination (Best Musical Revue) for It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues. Love, Janis, Myler's musical biography of Janis Joplin, reached 700 performances at Eric Nederlander's Village Theater, where he also staged Dream A Little Dream: The Mamas And The Papas Musical with Denny Dougherty. He also directed Hank Williams: Lost Highway, which received its premiere at the Tony Award-winning Denver Center Theatre Company and then moved to Mark Taper Forum, The Old Globe, and Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. His other directorial credits include the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, B.B. King's in NYC, Geffen Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and many others. His recent projects include Touch The Names: Letters To The Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the critically acclaimed Cuban-American play Union City, New Jersey, Where Are You?, starring Rosie Perez. His latest work includes Fire On The Mountain: The Music Of The Coal Mines, which was co-authored with IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES co-writer Dan Wheetman.

Following IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES, TheatreWorks will close the season with the regional premiere of Lisa Loomer's DISTRACTED (April 1-26, 2009). With nearly 10,000 subscribers and over 100,000 patrons per year, TheatreWorks has developed a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatregoers with their first look at acclaimed musicals, comedies, and dramas, directed by award-winning local and guest directors, and performed by professional actors cast from across the country.

 

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