This was not a reference to the heatwave that struck Europe recently, but to Blues in the Nightat the Kiln Theatre in London. 32 years after it opened on Broadway, this revival of Blues has received the highest praise from critics.
It's been nonstop raves for #BluesInTheNight at @KilnTheatre! "Always an essay in nostalgia, today its component parts resemble a history lesson ... a very vigorous and entertaining one." https://t.co/aZiW5sBeVX
Conceived by stage and television director Sheldon Epps and featuring classics by greats such as Bessie Smith and Duke Ellington, Blues in the Night takes place in 1938 in a Chicago hotel as three women - The Girl, The Lady, The Woman - take the stage to sing about The Man, who has misused and exploited their love for him. Originally directed by Epps, Blues opened on Broadway in 1982, starring Leslie Uggams, and received a Tony nomination for Best Musical.
"'I've got a right to sing the blues,' the women sing together - and it becomes a demand for the right to feel, to be sad, and to speak." - Evening Standard
In 1987, Blues had its West End premiere, starring Carol Woods and MTI author Clarke Peters (Five Guys Named Moe). This production received two Olivier Award nominations for Best New Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Woods.
Blues in the Night stars Sharon D. Clarke (who won an Olivier Award this year for Caroline, or Change) andis running until September 7. Established in 1980, Kiln is committed to creating theatre that "crosses continents and tells big stories about human connections across cultures, race and languages."
"There ain't nothin' blue about Blues in the Night - it's a red hot gig with the coolest cats." - Daily Mail
