“Blue, Blue, “Wild women never worry, Paul Crewes Rachel Fine I got a tale to tell you I’m blue. Wild women don’t have Artistic Director Managing Director Somethin’ comes over me, no blues.” PRESENTS Baby and I’m blue about you.” -Ida Cox -Bessie Smith On “If I had saved my money “A man is a two face, When I was young A worrisome thing and doin’ well, Blues in Who’ll leave you to sing I wouldn't be here singin’ The Blues in the night.” In this cheap hotel. the Night -Harold Arlen & I got the four walls, BY CREATOR AND DIRECTOR Johnny Mercer And one dirty window blues.” SHELDON EPPS -Willard Robinson Blues In The Night uses the great blues and jazz songs of ORIGINAL VOCAL ARRANGEMENTS ORCHESTRATIONS AND ADDITIONAL TIME: The late 1930’s. the 1920’s and 30’s to explore AND MUSICAL DIRECTION BY VOCAL ARRANGEMENTS BY PLACE: A cheap hotel in Chicago. the lives of three women and a saloon singer in a cheap hotel during the course of a long, CHAPMAN ROBERTS SY JOHNSON CAST OF CHARACTERS memory-filled evening. The songs have been specifically STARRING YVETTE CASON.........................................................THE LADY FROM THE ROAD chosen to accomplish several Yvette Cason, Bryce Charles, Chester Gregory, Paulette Ivory BRYCE CHARLES..........................................................THE GIRL WITH THE DATE things, but their most important CHESTER GREGORY.....................................................THE MAN IN THE SALOON function is to celebrate a great SCENIC DESIGN COSTUME DESIGN LIGHTING DESIGN PAULETTE IVORY......................................................THE WOMAN OF THE WORLD period and style of American music and to explore the John Iacovelli Dana Rebecca Woods Jared A. Sayeg Female Standby: Amber Liekhus influences and the roots of the The Standby never substitute for players unless a specific announcement for the jazz idiom as they grew from SOUND DESIGN HAIR & WIG DESIGN ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR appearance is made at the time of the performance. blues music. It was once said, “Blues is to jazz what yeast Cricket S. Myers Danielle Richter Jeffrey Polk is to bread.” And so in this THE BAND celebration, the blues melodies CASTING BY of Bessie Smith, Jimmy Cox, Telsey + Company CONDUCTOR/PIANIST Lanny Hartley Alberta Hunter and others are Ryan Bernard Tymensky, CSA BASS Kevin O’Neal mixed and contrasted with the songs of Harold Arlen, Andy REEDS Randall Willis, Louis Van Taylor Razaf, Johnny Mercer and other PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER PERCUSSION Lance Lee legends of the jazz world to Art Brickman Tara Sitser TRUMPET Fernando Pullum paint the full spectrum of this great musical form. MUSIC DIRECTOR WARNING: THIS PRODUCTION USES A THEATRICAL HAZE EFFECT The blues is the music of Abdul Hamid Royal AND HERBAL CIGARETTES. strength. These songs give the characters a means of survival. CONCEIVED AND DIRECTED BY It is the very glory of this music that has caused the blues itself *The actors in this production appear to be an ever stronger and courtesy of Actors Equity Association. SHELDON EPPS exciting survivor in the world’s APRIL 27 - MAY 20, 2018 musical life. The Designers at this Theatre Lovelace Studio Theater are Represented by United Scenic Artists • Local USA 829 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Running Time: 2 hours and 25 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P5 About the Artists Program YVETTE CASON (The Lady (Carbonell Award, Helen Hayes Award nom). Other Portland Stage, San Jose Rep, San Diego Rep, ACT ONE ACT TWO from the Road) recently theatre credits: Fela (Broadway, National Theater Walnut Street Theatre, La Mirada Theatre, appeared in A Miracle on 34th UK and world tour;NAACP nom), Purlie (NAACP Philadelphia Theatre Company. Iacovelli designed “Blue Blues” “Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues” Jam Session (“Wild Women Don’t Street at the Pasadena nom), Ragtime, Blues in the Night (US & London), A the world premiere of Wole Soyinka’s adaptation of by Bessie Smith; used by permission of by Ida Cox; used by permission of Northern Have The Blues”) Playhouse. Her performance as Woman of No Importance (Royal Shakespeare Co.), Oedipus at Colonus for The Cultural Olympiad in Frank Music Corp. Music Company by Ida Cox; used by permission of Katie and Mahalia in Shout Baby It’s You, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and The Hot Greece and the world premiere of a full-length Northern Music Company “Four Walls (And One Dirty Sister Shout at Pasadena Mikado. TV/film credits include: “Criminal Minds,” dance based on the Warner Bros. classic film “Lover Man” Playhouse earned her an LA Ovation nomination. “The Young and the Restless,” “Numb3rs,” Casablanca at the Great Hall of the People in Window) Blues” by Jimmy Davis; Jimmy Sherman and “Blues In The Night” In addition, Yvette portrayed Lillie Ann in Barbecue “Girlfriends,” “Strong Medicine,” “Doctors,” Beijing. Film: Production Designer on Ruby in by Willard Robinson; used by permission of Roger “Ram” Ramirez; used by permission By Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer; used Paradise The Jewel Music Publishing Co., Inc. of MCA Music Publishing by permission of Warner Bros., Inc. at the Geffen Playhouse (NAACP Theatre Award). “Eastenders” and “Lords of Dogtown.” Paulette also starring Ashley Judd in her film debut. Art Other credits include: A Night With Janis Joplin, Ella opened “The Royal Variety Show” in London and Director on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids! TV Production “I’ve got A Date With A Dream” “Willow Weep For Me” “Dirty No-Gooder’s Blues” The Musical, Dreamgirls, Play On! (Ovation Award), performed at Kensington Palace at the request of Design: “Beckett Directs Beckett: Endgame” with by Mack Gordon and Henry Revel; used by by Ann Ronell; used by permission of the by Bessie Smith; used by permission of Once On This Island, Ain’t Misbehavin’, St. Louis Prince Charles. Also, Paulette wrote and starred in The San Quentin Drama Workshop, “The Old Settler” permission of SBK/Feist Catalog, Inc. Bourne Company Frank Music Corp. Woman, Into the Woods and Sisterella (NAACP the short film In Destiny’s Hands, as well as the starring Phylicia Rashad & Debbie Allen, “The Gin Theatre Award). Film: A Wrinkle In Time, Dreamgirls web series “My Life Lesson.” @PauletteIvory Game” starring Mary Tyler Moore & Dick Van Dyke, “New Orleans Hop Stop Blues” “Kitchen Man” “When A Woman Loves A Man/ and Middle of Nowhere. She has toured with “Ed” on NBC, “Babylon 5”, “Resurrection Blvd.”, by George W. Thomas; used by permission by Andy Razaf and Wesley Wilson; used by Am I Blue?“ Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, David Foster and SHELDON EPPS (Conceived By & Director) was “Lincoln Heights”. He is on the Design Faculty, of Jerry Vogel Music Co., Inc. permission of MCA Publishing by Johnny Mercer, Gordon Jenkins and Babyface. Education: Berklee College of Music. honored to be Artistic Director of the renowned Department of Theatre & Dance, UC Davis and is a Bernard Hanighen “Stompin At The Savoy” Pasadena Playhouse for twenty years (1997-2017). visiting professor at the Shanghai Drama Academy. “When Your Lover Has Gone” by Grand Clarke and Harry Akst; used by BRYCE CHARLES by Benny Goodman, And Razaf, Edgar by E.A. Swan; used by permission of (The Girl Before beginning his tenure at the Playhouse he permission of Chappell & Co.; used by with a Date) is thrilled to make served as Associate Artistic Director of the Old DANA REBECCA WOODS (Costume Designer) Sampson and Cick Webb; used by Warner Bros., Inc. permission of Warner Bros., Inc. permission of SBK Robbins Catalogue, Inc. her Wallis debut with Blues in Globe Theatre for four years. He was also a is happy to be collaborating once again with and RYTVOC, Inc. “Take It Right Back” “Rough and Ready Man” the Night. She holds her BFA in co-founder of the Off Broadway theatre, The Sheldon Epps and proud to be part of the design By H. Grey by Alberta Hunter; used by permission of Musical Theatre from AMDA Production Company. Currently he continues to team assembled for Blues in the Night. Her design “Taking A Chance On Love” Alberta Hunter Music Co. College and Conservatory. serve Pasadena Playhouse as Artistic Director work includes Blues in the Night at San Francisco’s by Vernon Duke, John LaTouche and Ted National Tour: The Book of Emeritus. Mr. Epps has directed both plays and Post Street Theater; In the Red and Brown Water at Fetter; used by permission by SBK Miller “Reckless Blues” Mormon. TV: “Encore!” (ABC), “Fuller House” musicals at many of the country’s major theatres UC Santa Barbara; Shout Sister Shout, Stop Kiss, Catalogue, Inc. by Bessie Smith; used by permission of (Netflix), “Black-ish” (ABC). including the Roundabout, Manhattan Theatre Above The Fold, Fences, and others for The Pasadena Frank Music Corp. Jitney Fences “It Makes My Love Come Down” Club, the Guthrie, Playwrights Horizons, Seattle Playhouse; and at South Coast CHESTER GREGORY (The Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, and the Goodman Repertory. Her film and television designs include by Bessie Smith; used by permission of “Wasted Life Blues” Man in the Saloon) is thrilled to Theatre and Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars in Go For Sisters for John Sayles and “Watch Over Me” Frank Music Corp. by Bessie Smith; used by permission of be making his Wallis debut in Houston. He conceived the highly acclaimed for Fox Television. Dana taught at the University of Frank Music Corp. “Lush Life” Blues In the Night. Broadway musicals Play On! and Blues In the Night, which Central Florida and is a member of USA Local 829; by Billy Strayhorn; used by permission of “Baby Doll” credits include: Motown the both received Tony Award nominations.