Blues in the Night (musical)
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Blues in the Night is a musical revue conceived by Sheldon Epps.
Set in a rundown Chicago hotel in 1938, the dialogue-free show focuses on three women's relationships with the same snake of a man, their interweaving stories told through the torch songs and blues of Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Gordon Jenkins, and Alberta Hunter, among others.
After thirteen previews, the Broadway production, directed by Epps, opened on June 2, 1982 at the Rialto Theatre, where it ran for 53 performances. Jean Du Shon, Debbie Shapiro, Leslie Uggams, and Charles Coleman comprised the cast. The show was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical.
The West End production, directed by Steve Whately, opened on June 9, 1987 at the Donmar Warehouse, where it ran for six weeks. Maria Friedman, Debby Bishop, Carol Woods, and Clarke Peters comprised the cast. With Peter Straker replacing Peters, it transferred to the Piccadilly Theatre, opening on September 23 and running for ten months [1].
The show was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Musical of the Year and Woods received a nod for Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical [2].
The London cast album was recorded live during the August 25-26 performances at the Donmar.
[edit] Song list
- Am I Blue?
- Blues Blues
- Blues In the Night
- Copenhagen
- Dirty No-Gooder Blues
- Four Walls (and One Dirty Window) Blues
- I Gotta Right To Sing the Blues
- It Makes My Love Come Down
- I've Got A Date With A Dream
- Kitchen Man
- Lover Man
- New Orleans Hop-Scop Blues
- Nobody Knows When You're Down and Out
- Reckless Blues
- Rough and Ready Man
- Take It Right Back
- Take Me For a Buggy Ride
- These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You
- Wasted Life Blues
- When a Woman Loves a Man
- Wild Women Don't Have The Blues
- Willow Weep For Me
