Raisin' the Rent
If Papa Du, manager of Mr. Kelly's, can't pay the rent by midnight, the owner will close the Chicago jazz club. So Papa Du has a "rent party" fundraiser headlining Billie Holiday (Anasa Johnson), Nina Simone (Janice Edwards), and Ruth Brown (Janet Polite). They work pro bono and often raise the roof. Calvin Manson, artistic director of Ira Aldridge Players, revised an earlier version. The new one needs tightening, especially a sag in act two (caused not by lesser efforts but by the unleashed energy that preceded it). An impressive five-piece band backs the singers. And when they are good — as when the ensemble sings "They Call It Stormy Monday" or the women sing "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do" — they're torrid.
Worth a try.
When
Ongoing until Sunday, June 5, 2011
Hours
| Sundays, 3pm |
| Fridays, 8pm |
| Saturdays, 8pm |