Portland observer., May 23, 2012, Page 19, Image 19

M ay 23, 2012
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Page 19
Arts
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Forgotten
Songs of
the Heart
connection to our ancestors, family
and those people who have come
before us.” The two women soon
find themselves walking a delicate
line between exposure and exploita­
tion. Black Pearl Sings! chronicles a
powerful story about fighting for
one’s soul in a world where anyone
can be a commodity.
A lberta “ P e a rl” Jo h nson is
played by Chavez Ravine, a new­
comer to Portland Center Stage and
a native of Chicago who has ap­
p eared
o ff-B ro ad w ay
in
Steppenwolf Theatre’s The Bluest
Eye.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Tues­
day through Sunday, with 2 p.m.
matinees on Saturdays and Sun­
days and matinees at noon on select
Thursdays.
Tickets can be purchased online
at pcs.org, by phone at 503-445-
3700 or by visiting the box office
located at 128 N.W. 11th Ave.
Black Pearl
Sings at Portland
Center Stage
Delve into Am erican history
through the forgotten folk songs of
former slaves with Portland Center
Stage’s production of Black Pearl
Sings! Now playing through June
17 in the Ellyn Bye Studio at the
Armory.
In 1935 Texas, Susannah, an aca­
demic and song collector for the
Library of Congress, visits a high-
security prison where she meets
Pearl, an African-American woman
imprisoned for murder who longs to
leave prison and find her lost daugh­
ter. Hoping to record the treasure
trove of spirituals and African folk
songs that only Pearl knows— and
make her reputation on the discov-
Chavez Ravine stars in Black Pearl Sings at Portland Center Stage.
e rie s— S usannah b arg ain s for
Pearl ’ s parole and arranges for sev­
eral public performances.
Featuring beautiful a cappella
renditions of littlfc-known American
folk songs, Director Bill Fennelly
d escribes the play as, “about
memory. Memory is power. It’s our
.^ F
H
M
a t h e r ' s
o
u
s
e
.
IN IS T R IE S
Trying to Get Back on Track
during her marriage to Brown. The
superstar drowned in February in
Beverly Hills, Calif.; her death was
complicated by heart disease and
cocaine use, according to authori­
ties.
(AP) — Bobby Brown says it
"The Matt Lauer interview was
took him a long time to come out j ust for me to clear the air about what
with a new album because he's spent everyone was feeling about my ex-
so much time trying to get his life on
track.
Now on tour with bandmates New
Edition, Brown says he’s ready to
return to his solo career with the
album "Masterpiece," due on June 5.
"It's what I've been through
throughout my life, and just trying to
heal myself through my music," the
43-year-old singer said in a recent
Bobby Brown
interview.
“Masterpiece” is Brown’s first al­ wife's death,” Brown said.
bum in 14 years. He was a
Although he was arrested for
multiplatinum star with New Edition DUI in March, Brown insists he has
and later developed his solo career. been drug-free for more than seven
But his well-documented battle with years. He said his attempt to get his
drugs and his legal woes led to his life in order is part of the reason why
musical decline. His turbulent mar­ the album took so long to make.
riage to Whitney Houston further
“When you’re working on your­
eroded his image.
self, you have to really concentrate
In a recent interview with the on working on yourself and it takes
“Today” show’s Matt Lauer, Brown a back seat to what you want to do
denied that he got his late ex-wife and what I'm gonna do,” he said.
addicted to drugs. Houston’s ca­
Brown says “Masterpiece,” which
reer was derailed by her drug use, he started working on last year, is
which came to the public's attention "the best album I've done so far.
Bobby Brown
finds healing
through music
-X
New Song Community Center
2511 NE M L K B lv d • P o rtla n d , OR 9 7 2 1 2
Corner of NE MLK Blvd and Russell Street
DOORS OPEN AT 6PM FOR EVERY SERVICE.
For directions or more inform ation, call 503-488-5481
or log on to w w w . m f h m p o r t l a n d . c o m
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