Lackawanna Blues is an American play written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson in 2001. It was later made into a television movie that aired in 2005. The play dramatizes the character of the author's primary caregiver when he was growing up in Lackawanna, New York, during the 1950s and 1960s.
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Play
The play debuted off Broadway April 14, 2001, at the Joseph Papp Theater in New York City.[1][2] It was directed by Loretta Greco, produced by George C. Wolfe, and executive produced by Fran Reiter. Rosemarie Tichler was the artistic producer.[1][2]
The play is a montage of reminiscences, memories, testimonials and roman a clefs of "Miss Rachel," or Nanny as the young "Ruben Santiago, Jr." calls her. Largely abandoned by his parents, Nanny becomes Ruben's surrogate family. Various incidents in Ruben's and Nanny's life are portrayed, with a very large cast of quirky minor characters—friends, boarders, family members, visitors, relatives, and so on—providing commentary on Nanny's strength of character, intelligence, and morality.[1]
The play included several songs, either sung by the characters in the play or as ambient music heard via a radio or through a window. Bill Sims Jr. provided the original music as well as on-stage acoustic guitar for the play.[1][2]
Lackawanna Blues is intended to be a one-man show. The actor narrating the play (an adult Ruben) also was intended to portray more than 20 other characters as well as the starring role of the young Ruben.[1]
The play was very well-received. The New York Times called it a "tour de force."[3] Playwright Ruben Santiago-Hudson won an OBIE special citation for Lackawanna Blues, while Bill Sims, Jr. won an OBIE for his music.[4]
Film version
This is the story of Ruben Santiago, Jr. growing up in Lackawanna, New York. He was raised by his father and mother and the neighborhood boarding house lady known as Rachel "Nanny" Crosby. He was born in 1956 to his Puerto Rican father Ruben Santiago and his African American mother Alean Hudson. His mother couldn't raise him in her type of lifestyle and disappears and reappears thorughout his life. His father stayed at Nanny's boarding house. This television movie tells of his life growing up there and of the diverse characters that he meets during his and their stays at the boarding house.
For her work in the movie, S. Epatha Merkerson won a Best Actress, Golden Globe, Screen Actor's Guild and Emmy Awards in 2006. The film was directed by George C. Wolfe, who had commissioned the stage version.[5]
The cast of characters in the film included:
- Marcus Carl Franklin - Ruben Santiago Jr.
- Hill Harper - Ruben Santiago Jr. as an adult
- Jimmy Smits - Ruben Santiago Sr.
- S. Epatha Merkerson - Rachel "Nanny" Crosby
- Terrence Howard - Bill Crosby
- Mos Def - The Bandleader
- Carmen Ejogo - Alean
- Louis Gossett Jr. - Ol'lem Taylor
- Macy Gray - Pauline
- Ernie Hudson - Dick Barrymore
- Delroy Lindo - Mr. Lucious
- Rosie Perez - Bertha
- Liev Schreiber - Ulysses Ford
- Patricia Wettig - Laura's Mother
Robert Bradley from the band Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise also appears in the film. He performs on-screen, and has three songs featured on the soundtrack (including a duet with Macy Gray).
References
- ^ a b c d e Weber, Bruce. "Thanks, Miss Rachel, Thanks for Raising Me." New York Times. April 17, 2001.
- ^ a b c "Santiago-Hudson's Got the Lackawanna Blues at the Public, April 14." Playbill. April 14, 2001.
- ^ McKinley, Jesse. "Little Things That Count." New York Times. December 28, 2001.
- ^ Simonson, Robert. "Lackawanna Blues Sings Its Last at Public Theater, May 27." Playbill. May 27, 2001.
- ^ Lee, Felicia R. (2005-02-06), "Lost and Found In Lackawanna", New York Times, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950CEFDE153AF935A35751C0A9639C8B63
External links
- Bill Sims, Jr. Web site (including a page on Lackawanna Blues)
- Lackawanna Blues at the Internet Movie Database
- Lackawanna Blues at the Internet off-Broadway Database
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