BLUE

Certain plays explode onto the theatre scene and become the craze of regional theatre companies for a few years. Think ART, or How I Learned to Drive. It seems as though every regional theatre from Boston to Houston is performing that play in the same season. Such is the case this season with Blue, Charles Randolph-Wright's semi-autobiographical observation of a family of wealthy African American funeral parlor owners in South Carolina during the 70s and 90s. With a soundtrack of blues sung by an ever-present crooner that adds commentary and context to the scenes, this play looks at hopes and pretensions, growing up and growing wise, acceptance and forgiveness. It has all the right ingredients for which theatres crave: It is a soulful, expansive look at people of color; it has a cast of eight; and it features cool blues music to soothe the audience. Arizona Theatre Company, in a co-production with three other regional powerhouses (The Pasadena Playhouse, Coconut Grove Playhouse and Paper Mill Playhouse), is producing this work by highlighting a nationally recognized actress (Leslie Uggums) and a locally adored jazz and blues singer (Dennis Rowland). They have brought back excellent director Sheldon Epps (Play On! and Blues in the Night). The production is slick, the actors wonderful, the design element studied, and the music excellent, but when considering the script, I am not exactly sure what all the fuss is about.

Blue is named for Blue Williams, the blues singer whose songs are the soundtrack of the Clark family. Peggy is the matriarch of the family, a strong-willed, closely guarded woman who runs the roost with a mix of terror and artistic flourish. Reuben, the narrator, is split between his youthful version, haunted in the first act by his elder self, and the positions switch in the second act, as the older Reuben tries to find answers to family secrets. His father Samuel Jr. is an amiable sort, running a successful funeral parlor that caters to African Americans in the rural community. His older brother, Sam III, is the rebel assigned to inherit the family business, but more interested in running with women like LaTonya Dinkins, a local girl who shares a surprise connection with Peggy. Tillie Clark, Sam Jr.'s mother, dispenses wisdom and commands respect during family dinners. The play is slightly deeper than a television family drama, and the mysterious secrets that drive it are actually pretty easy to figure out early on for any astute audience member, making this script a bit too transparent for my tastes.

Despite its shortfalls, Mr. Epps and his cast and crew invest themselves fully in the show. With a few exceptions, the casting is excellent. Mr. Epps' steady pacing keeps the flow of the piece as silky as Mr. Rowland's voice, while blocking with an eye on poignant and foreshadowing stage pictures.

Ms. Uggams is a gem, keeping the audience smiling with her artistic tyranny. When the time comes to slip off the mask and reveal the pains behind, she does so regally, with heartbreaking grace. Mr. Rowland's voice is rich, though he seemed a tiny bit tired during Tucson's opening weekend. Some of his moments with the family lack required subtlety, but for the longest time, he is little more than a Greek chorus, which may explain these lapses. Jacques C. Smith is a restless elder Reuben. He connects well with all of those around him, and is emotionally expansive. Father and inheritor Willie C. Carpenter and Chris Butler are quite effective in their roles. Mr. Carpenter depends more on presence to portray the introspective patriarch, while Mr. Butler is full of in-your-face enthusiasm in the first act, tempered by rough regret two decades after. Felicia Wilson does a great job with her extended character arc in LaTonya.

The two disappointments of the production are Jovun Fox as the young Reuben. In the first act, he seemed very stiff, presenting his lines rather than delivering them. While he settled down a bit in the second act, he never achieved a natural presentation style. Also not up to the level of the others is Amentha Dymally as grandmother Tillie. Her grand pronouncements and tirades are delivered with gusto, but not as much conviction.

James Leonard Joy's set is a perfect compliment to the action, a unit affair reminiscent of a southern veranda with moveable pieces to reflect different areas within and around the palatial house. It is lushly lit by Michael Gilliam. Debra Bauer's costumes are splendid, especially the ensembles created for Ms. Uggams. François Bergeron's sound design is well planned and well operated.

This is an excellent production of a thin script. The product is A-list, even as the script itself is second shelf.