Susan Granger’s review of “Lackawanna Blues” (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre – NYC)
After its introduction at the Public Theater back in 2001, playwright/actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson has finally brought his autobiographical one-man play to Broadway, produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club.
Performing in front of a depiction of the Lackawanna house’s brick façade, Santiago-Hudson nostalgically recalls growing up in the titular upstate New York town, located near Buffalo, which – back in the 1950s – was flourishing because of its proximity to the steel industry.
In a series of loosely-connected vignettes, dynamic Santiago-Hudson deftly embodies 25 different characters, including the strong Black matriarch, Miss Rachel Crosby, known as Nanny, the protective proprietor of several boarding-houses, a savvy entrepreneur who raised young Ruben when she realized that his working single mother (a drug addict) left him alone all day.
“Nanny was like the government – if it really worked,” he notes.
Plus there are the “ramblers and drifters,” including Ol’ Po’ Carl, – a veteran of the Negro leagues, whose friend suffers from “roaches of the liver” – Numb Finger Pete, Small Paul, Sweet Tooth Sam, and Bill, Miss Rachel’s perpetually unfaithful romantic partner. Not to forget the pampered resident raccoon who shows up every morning for a home-cooked breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast.
Santiago-Hudson also plays the harmonica and sings, accompanied by Blues Hall of Fame Guitarist Junior Mack, utilizing music composed by the later Bill Sims Jr., who was Santiago-Hudson’s original collaborator on the show.
Kudos to scenic designer Michael Carnahan, costume designer Karen Perry, lighting designer Jen Schriever, and sound designer Darron L. West.
FYI: After its Off-Broadway premiere as a one-man memory play at the Public Theater in 2001, “Lackawanna Blues” was turned into a 2005 HBO made-for-TV movie, directed by George C. Wolfe and starring S. Epatha Merkerson, who won an Emmy, along with Hill Harper, Terrence Howard, and Rosie Perez; it’s still streaming on YouTube.
At the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th Street, the one-act, 90-minute “Lackawanna Blues” has been extended through Sunday, November 7, 2021.