That’s How She Rolls With It… By Wes Hessel
That’s How She Rolls With It…
By Wes Hessel
Writer’s Theatre has done it again with the original revue production “Pearl’s Rollin’ With The Blues”, which lives more like a night at the House of Blues totally living up to its name, if it had been around back when. Ms. Pearl, otherwise known as the ebullient, earthy Felicia P. Fields, guides us on a tour of music of color, with shades like azure, ocean, royal, and midnight. Patrons of Chicagoland arts will likely fondly remember Ms. Fields many times over, most recently as the lovely layered landlady Mrs. Dickson in Northlight Theater’s excellent production of “Intimate Apparel”. To borrow a phrase, here Felicia literally had the audience eating out of her hand seconds after making her enchanting entrance. This leading lady has a manner of charm, charisma, and class that few can compete with, and her vocals sashay, soar, and slide through notes better than a hot knife through butter. Her coming timing is the crystal sugar on top, and we don’t mean just a little accent – more like the completely covered tops of those big muffins the great bakeries have…
But that’s not to say the band backing her up is simply a group of instrumentalists in search of a score – each one is a character in their own right, with the chops both musically and dramatically to prove it. Guitarist Chic Street Man has got a lot of street smarts in his playing and pontificating – he educates and elucidates almost as much as the title roller herself. Pianist Frank Menzies tickles those ivories like he was born to it, and I dare say, he was – his antics of action go right along with it. Horn player Ricardo Jimenez wah-wahs with the best of them, bringing life to the tones of tunes like the late great Mr. Armstrong. Drummer Harold Morrison sticks with it, delivering beats aplenty and right on time. And Julie Poncé just strings them all along, building the base with stand-up bass extraordinaire.
Add to that the inspired and insightful period costuming of Rueben Echoles, the magnificent mood lighting designed by Jared Gooding, the clear sound by Eric Backus, all wrapped up on the exquisite staging design of Jack Magaw, complete with a thrust runway surrounded by some café seating, and you have 90 minutes (or so) of some of the greatest entertainment. But you will be singing the blues if you don’t get a move on, for “Pearl’s Rollin’ With The Blues” rolls on out July 24th. So get on down to www.writerstheatre.org for tickets or more information.
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