Blues for an Alabama Sky: An electric revival that brings the Harlem Renaissance into a new age
In the preface to the published version of her play, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Pearl Cleage comments, ‘I still believe that theatre has a ritual power to call forth the spirits, illuminate the darkness and speak the truth to the people.’ The National Theatre’s electric revival of her play does just that.
Set against the backdrop of Harlem during a precarious period, Blues for an Alabama Sky nestles itself between the tail end of its eponymous Renaissance and the beginning of the Great Depression. We follow four friends whose lives are permanently and tragically disrupted by the arrival of a southern stranger. The audience is immediately transported into the world of the characters with the help of a strategically naturalistic approach to the set design by Frankie Bradshaw, which serves to showcase and highlight the parallel lives of the residents of this Harlem apartment building. Assured performances from the cast creates an absorbing chemistry between the quartet that feels palpable and true. Samira Wiley (of Orange is the New Black fame) dazzles in her portrayal of Angel, a struggling out-of-work blues singer and nightclub performer and direct foil to Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo’s Delia – Angel’s neighbour whose girlish innocence is balanced by her strong ideals.
Through Delia’s character, the play explores the topics of social change and women’s rights as she attempts to set up a family planning clinic in Harlem with the help of the church. An affable Sule Rimi shines as the debaucherous yet dependable Doctor Sam and Hamilton star, Giles Terera’s standout performance as Angel’s right hand man and costume-designer, Guy, completes the group. Their harmonic dynamic is swiftly interrupted by the arrival of Leland (played by an initially endearing Osy Ikhile), a charming, conservative and somewhat clueless young man from Alabama who falls for Angel. Although she does not love him, craving security and with no other source of income, she allows herself to be courted by him – with ultimately dire consequences.
Written in 1995 and set in the 1930s, it would be easy to dismiss Blues for an Alabama Sky as nothing more than a run of the mill period drama: entertaining, but ultimately out of touch. Nevertheless, under the direction of Bush Theatre powerhouse Lynette Linton, the play has never felt more timely, deftly exploring themes of race, sexuality and abortion rights. Key figures of the time such as poet Langston Hughes and birth control advocate Margaret Sanger are mentioned but not seen, yet their presence is keenly felt – in fact, a hanging portrait of cabaret star Josephine Baker looms over them throughout, overseeing the action. The latter half of the 30s were a time of great historic transition when radical notions, progressive attitudes and creative revolution were all still in the air but economic reality was beginning to unfold. This is deftly woven into the play which is imbued with this sense of fading beauty throughout. The moody lighting and stirring, soulful use of music evokes the melancholy of the titular blues and encapsulates the bittersweet passage of the Harlem Renaissance’s dying days. Angel and Guy have both been hardened by a world that does not love them, not only because of their Blackness but because of the intersections of Angel’s womanhood and Guy’s homosexuality. The opposing reactions they each display towards their situations provide a fascinating sense of balance; the seemingly unrealistic ambitions of a dreamer like Guy are contrasted with the pragmatism of a realist like Angel. The fact that at the curtain’s call, it is the dreamers who come out on top, offers the audience a sliver of optimistic hope that transcends the historical context and knowledge that things will probably get worse for our characters before they get better.
Bearing in mind the play’s considerable running time (2h 45mins) Blues for An Alabama Sky rarely feels like it drags on, as Cleage’s text follows a sharp and fluid pace akin to Great American playwrights such as Tennessee Williams and August Wilson. Cleage can also be seen taking a leaf out of Ntozake Shange’s playbill as she too grapples with the dilemma of what it means to be a ‘colored’ woman in a modern and rapidly changing world. Ultimately Linton’s revival remains faithful to this revolutionary spirit of Cleage’s text and the stunning cast performances breathe new life into a show where Black people’s joys and sorrows are treated with a loving dignity that isn’t often afforded.
Blues for An Alabama Sky is running at the National Theatre until 5th November