Pearl Cleage’s engrossing play, set during the Great Depression and the Harlem Renaissance, took to the stage on the 21st of September. Blues for an Alabama Sky acutely depicts the challenges of race, homosexuality and contradicting views at the time, With an average 4.5 stars out of 5 rated by a variety of news articles and talk about ‘Orange is the New Black’ award-winning actress Samira Wiley as the main character, there has been a spotlight on this crowd-loving production.
As soon as I walked into the theatre, my eyes were grabbed by the entrancing set, so honest to a 1930s Harlem apartment building. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it; the minute details were ever so outstanding: the tenement building with the fire escapes, the vintage posters and vintage record players. K Bingham, a drama teacher at Townley Grammar School thought even though there was ‘a feeling of grandeur, there was also ‘a sense of squalor at the same time’. The show I went to was unfortunately absent of the renowned Samira Wiley and the complex main character ‘Angel’ was instead played by Helena Pipe. J French, another drama teacher at Townley said, ‘people were a bit disappointed that we didn’t get Samira Wiley, but having said that, Helena Pipe did an excellent job with a different angle on the character.’ K Bingham thought that she beautifully created a ‘broken woman’; ‘she fought to be something or someone and yet, she fought almost for nothing’. I found the character to be very conflicted between her tragic cyclic love life and the ones who truly loved her. When the play ended I thought- ‘Angel? What a paradoxical name.’ In my eyes she was the opposite of an Angel (I don’t want to spoil anything of course; go see for yourself!). Though the first half of the show was mainly comical, the tragedy struck in the second half, changing the lives of all the characters, and showing the raw character of Angel. Even though Angel was the star of the show many audience members seemed to prefer other characters such as Delia Patterson and Guy Jacobs. Guy (my favourite character), the charismatic best friend of Angel was exuberantly played by the hilarious Giles Terera and was very loved by the audience. He showcased the best qualities you could have in a friend along with being the optimistic and ambitious beacon of the show. I empathised with his liking to make his dreams come true and how he uplifted others during his hardest times. Delia (someone I also had quite a liking for) was played by actress Ronke Adekoluejo. Being K Bingham’s favourite character, she talked about her ‘calm and collected nature, yet she also wanted to be still and have fun with the others but forced herself to be more serious and sensible because of what she believes in.’ She thought Ronke played her in a very ‘playful and restrained’ way and performed really well. I thought Delia was a very complex character, similar to Angel, but personality-wise- the opposite of Angel.
I love how the play focuses on the lives of ordinary people from the past so naturally unlike how other famous historical plays like Hamilton and Six (other productions I would definitely recommend to watch) focus on historical figures who made great changes in the world in a melodramatic nature. I also felt like plays like Hamilton are so set on making the main character a straightforward heroic protagonist, and in a way this makes it out to be as if they are advocating for the main character and in Hamilton’s case, America. Whereas, not only is Blues for an Alabama Sky is much more intimate, it also captures the idea of an imperfect and flawed protagonist who isn’t the most favoured character, for once.
When asking about professional opinions, J French answered, ‘it was extremely well paced, there was a real range of emotions, it appealed to different parts of the audience’s feelings: it made us laugh but it also encouraged us and gave us a sense of both hope and disappointment.’ Meanwhile K Bingham, thought 4.5 stars was the right rating and so did many others however, when calculating the average via the ratings of a year 11 class with 24 students, it was brought down to 4. Many liked the characters of the play but felt the story was incomplete. Such an opinion was of Esther Soares, a student at Townley Grammar, when they stated, ‘the set and everything were gorgeous and the play kept me entertained. Unfortunately, it just did not feel like a complete play.’ They said their favourite scene had to be the ending. ‘I’m a sucker for cyclical structures in plays. Angel consistently painted herself to be a victim, unable to understand the complexity of humans. After all the trauma we witnessed her inflict on others, she still lacked self-awareness of her own villainy. I will say Angel received my pity and empathy in some parts of the plan and for her to start the cycle again by the end truly made the play thrilling and thought-provoking.’ When being asked if they would go watch the play again despite the slightly costly price, most watchers said they would, especially Victoria Azu: ‘it's different from any usual play you would go to the theatre and watch, it was something new, interesting and captivating.’ Most reviews (along with mine) of the production referred to it being a very significant production, both by celebrating black history and homosexuality through the challenges they may have faced during the Great Depression along with other current issues at the time, but balanced it just right with a lovable amount of comedy and romance. I encourage anyone who hasn’t seen it to start booking tickets right now; the last day to watch is the 5th of November!
