febfuary 1. 2002 - J u s t a w t^ g
U S O tour, performing and recording with the
he story begins at the end. Hunter is
likes o f Josephine Baker, Louis Armstrong and
asleep onstage while the audience set
Duke Ellington.
tles in, then, like a grandmother
Back in New York, at age 59, Hunters life
warming up for a gixxl yam, she wakes and
takes a sharp turn when she decides to become
begins to tell her tale.
a nurse after the death of her mother. She
The singer takes us hack to 1909, when the
works for more than 20 years in that profession
spunky 12-year-old runaway lies about her age to
before a forced retimement
get her first singing job in a whorehouse called
due to age.
Dago Frank’s. From there, she learns her craft and
In 1977, at 8 2 , she
goes on to become famous in
returns to the stage and
Chicago as the “Sweetheart
plays to sold-out audi
of the South Side.”
ences at the Cookery in
Dtring this time Hunter
New York, as well as
meets her biggest fan, Lottie
recording three new LPs
Taylor, the niece of famous
and performing for Pres
African American theatrical
ident and Rosalyn
entertainer Bert Williams. The
Carter in 1978.
two become lovers for many
years, eventually moving to New
ot only is
York, where Hunter begins an
Hunter’s
extensive recording and Broadway
story
career. She also writes many stan
incredibly interest
dards, including “Diwn Hearted
You can find
ing, Hall does a
Blues,” made famous
Alberta Hunter on upward
superb
job of bring
by Bessie Smith.
of 3 0 albums, including collections,
ing her to life. Her
T h e play handles the relationship
imports and as a featured artist
descriptions, vocal
between Hunter and Taylor with
inflections and movements allow the audience
great sensitivity and reminds us o f a time when
to visualize what she describes.
lesbians weren’t considered “ch ic.” T h e singer
struggles with her own homophobia during a
Hunter is a challenge to voice, having had
two different speaking voices and three distinct
time when same-sex relationships were simply
singing voices, possibly because she recorded with
not discusssed: “It takes so much age,” she
a variety of labels under three different names to
remarks during the play’s intrcxiuction, “before
avoid breaking contracts with major studios.
we’re smart enough to live.”
Hall’s voice shifts without missing a heat, from
a
sassy
teen-ager to a toughie doorman at Dago
n the '30s, Hunter and her partner travel
Frank’s to a woman who’s been around the way a
to Europe, where the performer again
few times. The actress makes it all kxik effortless.
enjoys phenomenal success until forced
home by World War II. She then embarks on a
Alexander describes working hard in collabo
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the time.” T h e sparse stage effectively uses
platforms and dressing room barricades com
bined with lighting to transition from city
street to stable to nightclub dressing room to
New York apartment with ease.
This is A lexander’s first production with
ART, and he has nothing but praise for the
company, declaring that everyone was “so sup
portive." Previously, he worked with Stark
Raving Theatre, Northwest
C hildren’s Theatre and triangle
productions!
“I hope we’ll start trying to take
a little moment out of our lives and
think about a woman like Alberta
Hunter and the contributions of all
black artists,” Alexander con
cludes. “Here’s a very vital style of
music that’s been around for well
over a hundred years in America.
It’s a truly American forum, and it
came from voices like [hers]. I also
hope people will have a good time.
Hunter made a remarkable T hat’s why I go to the theater— to
musical theater comeback
get blown away.”
lexander, who also
in her 80s
W hat better time than Black
serves as the play’s musi
History Month to enjoy a solid production about
cal director, jokingly says he knew
a black blues legend? See you in the theater. J H
enough to stay out of Scroggins’ way. “1 started to
give her notes," he remembers, “and she kinda
M y C astle ’ s R ockin ’: T he A lberta H unter
hunkered down on the stool and said, ‘Well, this
STORY runs 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and
intro is gonna be whatever 1 play.’ I just gave her
2 p.m . Sunday through Feb. 17 at Interstate
the vitals and let her go.”
Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N . Interstate
He seems to appreciate the freshness Scrog
Ave. Tickets are $16 from 503-241 -1278.
gins’ approach gives the show, noting she doesn’t
use the score hut works from her own observa
KRONDA A dair is a book-selhn’ , coffee-pim pin’,
tions and from interacting with the cast. “She
theater-goin entrepreneur who loves to write and
and Demene really talk to each other," he says.
sometimes gets paid for it. Write her at
Kudos as well to scene designer Mark Lor-
ephany@m yexcel. co m .
ing, who Alexander says “read my mind a lot of
BRAIN J<IBM<E //
Gifts Jrom
myth and
LIN D A
ration with Hall on stage focus— where to look,
who is talking, where the (imaginary) doors
should he. “I’ve never seen someone work so
hard and so effortlessly and he able to incorpo
rate all those things," he says. “W hen I ask peo
ple if the play was confusing to them— could
they tell who was speaking— usually they haven’t
even thought about it. It’s not an issue.”
T he creative pair also helped each other
with world views. “We did a lot
of work on the script, changing
some lines and scenes around.
Demene could tell me the black
woman’s perspective, and I could
tell her the gay perspective.
Sh e’d tell me, ‘A black woman
would not say th at!’ ’’
Because of the diverse richness
of Hunter’s life, Alexander ex
plains, “There’s no way we could
cover everything.” But, he adds,
“certain things were emphasized,
like her love affair with Lottie.”
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