Date: Fri 12-Apr-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-10

Quick Words:

rev-Theatre-Blackbirds-Cabaret

Full Text:

(rev "Blackbirds of Broadway" at Downtown Cabaret, 4/12/96)

Theatre Review-

Blackbirds Are Back on Broadway

(with photo)

By Julie Stern

Blackbirds of Broadway , Downtown Cabaret Theatre, Bridgeport; through May 26.

BRIDGEPORT - Today, when Denzel Washington is a matinee idol and stars like

Bill Cosby and James Earl Jones have become inextricably linked to Jell-O

Pudding and the Yellow Pages (and the Huxtables and Darth Vadar...), it is

hard to remember that before the Civil Rights movement of the Sixties, the

American entertainment world was as segregated as the corporation boardroom or

the local country club.

Black roles in mainstream white productions were limited to stock caricature

parts like Buckwheat or Beulah the maid or Jack Benny's chauffeur, Rochester.

However, the Harlem Renaissance that began in the 1920s created an explosion

of black talent that sent knowledgeable white patrons hurrying up to Harlem to

hot spots named The Cotton Club and The Savoy Ballroom, to see the likes of

Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Fats Waller and Ma Rainey.

The success of the Harlem clubs led to a series of "Blackbird" reviews that

played on Broadway - as well as in London and Paris - from the 1920s until the

late 30s. These shows launched the careers of superstars such as Lena Horne,

Josephine Baker, Ethel Waters and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and produced song

hits like "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby," "The Darktown Strutters

Ball," "Saint Louis Blues" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street."

All of these classics are among the thirty-odd musical numbers drawn from 13

of the original "Blackbird" revues featured in Bridgeport's Downtown Cabaret

Theatre production of Blackbirds of Broadway , a "review noir."

Directed and choreographed by Marion J. Caffey from an idea he conceived

together with David Coffman, this stunning and joyful production features

seven supremely talented performers. From Curtiss l'Cook's opening "Conjure

Man Scat" to Sondra Bonito's Pearl Bailey-like rendition of "He May Be Your

Man (But He Comes To See Me Sometimes...)" to the haunting blues number "Saint

James Infirmary" (sung by James Doberman, Deidre Goodwin and Mamie Duncan

Gibbs), and the bawdy double entendres of "My Handy Man" offered by Gabrielle

Lee Cannon and Ms Bonito, the show keeps audiences on the edge of their

chairs.

As the press notes observe, Blackbirds of Broadway is "not a re-creation;

rather it is a new jazz musical presented with a fresh sense of urban style

and sophistication." This is true, but for those born too late to catch the

original "Blackbirds" productions, this presentation at the Cabaret is not

only grand entertainment in its own right, but also a chance to experience a

piece of history and discover an important part of our American cultural

heritage.

This is definitely one show worth bringing the family to, along with your

picnic supper or your cheese and wine. With a top price of $25 (for front-row

tables on Saturday nights), it is a bargain as well.

Call the Downtown Cabaret Theatre, 263 Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport, at

576-1636.