 "Photo: Courtesy of Nikki Allen")
“Blues for an Alabama Sky” by Pearl Cleage is a remarkable play that all should consider seeing. The play focuses on African-Americans in Harlem during the Great Depression. Cleage addresses several themes in this play, including homosexuality, abortion and poverty.
The main character in “Blues” is a young woman named Angel (Erica Fuller) who first appears on the set being carried while drunk by her homosexual friend Guy (Benjamin Williams) into the living room. Angel is wearing an elegant dress and has just come from singing at a night club. Angel was apparently fired from the club, and to solve her problem, she ingests aspirin and drinks.
Angel is a singer, and she dreams of the finer things in life. Her friend Guy is a fashion designer. In the beginning of the play, he mentions that he wants to go to Paris to live the life of a luxurious fashion designer. He does not let his homosexuality – which was extremely taboo at the time – limit his dreams, and he is always there to help Angel whenever she needs it.
The characters managed their posture, movements and voice modulation to perfection. Whenever a character said something philosophical, it was said in such a way that I was immediately drawn into the action.
The screenplay for “Blues” is appropriately bittersweet, capturing the humor and seriousness of a world where high-hoped dreams and a harsh reality clash and perseverance is pushed to the extreme in difficult situations. Every character had a humorous contribution through body language or dialogue.
After something sad happens – which is often – the characters in “Blues” always lighten up the moment so that the play is not compounded with dread.
One theme of “Blues” is the emergence of the word abortion as a household term. During a conversation, Angel mentions that a woman should not have to get pregnant every time she has sex. This comment was made in the backdrop of 1930s Harlem, an environment where many mothers died while giving birth due to the poor medical treatment in their poverty-stricken neighborhoods.
Also discussed was unemployment, bitterness, crime and other aspects that emerge in the face of extreme poverty like that caused by the Great Depression.
The setting and the lighting in “Blues” helped maintain the somber mood, but there were also several scenes with romantic moods. During those times, the lighting dimmed to a certain extent, leaving a light glowing toward the two main actors while they expressed their love for each other. The wardrobe was also noteworthy, accurately capturing the styles of that time period.
“Blues” is a very special play because the director of this piece, Wayne State student Darryl Davis, announced before the showing of the play to the audience that this was his last production. Davis plans to focus on obtaining his degree in movie production.
His play was a total success and the audience seemed to really enjoy themselves. During the 15-minute intermission, I could tell from the conversations that the audience was eager to see more.
“Blues for an Alabama Sky” is a good play because of its accurate portrayal of the issues that were the most important during the 1930s. It is a perfect combination of dreams and reality. “Blues for an Alabama Sky” is the play to see and it is the experience of a lifetime.
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