 ENTERTAINMENT |
Mahalia and Motown
by Frank O''Neill
Carolina Peacemaker
Originally posted 7/14/2010
In the upcoming weeks, Greensboro theatre highlights singers onstage as the Open Space Café Theatre (OSCT) opens Tom Stolz’s 1993 three-performer bio-musical “Mahalia” directed by Robin Rich-McGhie and the Barn Dinner Theatre revives Nathan Alston’s runaway hit “Love Machine, the Musical.”
As long as the faithful raise their voices in hymns of joyful praise, Mahalia Jackson (1911-72) will forever be remembered as the greatest of gospel singers.
Born in New Orleans and raised in a shack shared by 13 relatives, Jackson was influenced early on by the hot jazz wafting in the sultry Mississippi delta air, the rousing soulful choir of the Sanctified Church and the records of Bessie Smith. As a child she sang three days a week at the Mount Moriah Baptist Church, and by the age of 12 she was so renowned for her powerful voice that one of her aunts told her, “You are going to be famous in this world and walk with kings and queens.” Now Jackson is indeed remembered as a queen in her own right, the ‘Queen of Gospel.’
In 1929 ‘Father of Gospel Music’ Thomas A. Dorsey took Jackson under his wing and became her musical mentor for some 14 years. Although she always refused to sing secular music, Jackson sang to lend spiritual power to the Civil Rights Movement during the 60s and became closely associated with Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “A voice like hers comes along once a millennium.”
Stolz’s script was widely criticized for being thin and flimsy, but it is essentially all about the music and includes most of Jackson’s best known songs, such as “My God is Real (Yes, God Is Real),” “It’s a Highway To Heaven,” “How I Got Over,” and “Mahalia” features LaShon Hill, who also starred in OSCT’s “Dinah Was” and Rich-Mcghie, who also directed “Dinah,” is confident Hill will deliver the punch that the show needs for maximum impact.
“Mahalia” opens July 29 and runs through August 8. Call 292-2285 for tickets and further information.
When it premiered in May of 2006, “Love Machine, the Musical” written, directed and choreographed by Nathan Alston, shattered Barn box office records for its 43 plus year history. The ever smooth and suave MC Sweet Daddy (Wendell Powell) backed by the dynamic Barn Band, takes the audience on a stirring, soulful stroll down Motown’s memory lane with the hits of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Four Tops and Smokey Robinson, among others. Songs, include ‘Love Machine,’ ‘My Girl,’ ‘Mr. Postman,’ ‘Proud Mary,’ ‘Brick House,’ and ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,’ to name but a few.
Although this is a revival, the show, co-produced this year by the Barn and Alston’s Naroshmi Theatre Company, has evolved as Alston explains, “I try to keep it fresh, ever-changing and exciting because so many patrons have seen ‘Love Machine’ over and over. In 2006, we honored Disco. In 2008, we remembered James Brown. This year we’ve added an electrifying tribute to Michael Jackson.”
“Love Machine, the Musical” runs August 7 through October 24. Call 292-2211 for reservations.
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