Review: BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY at MOXIE Theatre

In Moxie Theatre’s production of “Blues for an Alabama Sky,” the Harlem Renaissance is not in its glory, but when some of the sparkle has been dulled by the tarnish of when art and ambition meet a period of economic depression. Directed by Moxie Theatre’s executive artistic director Desireé Clarke Miller, this production captures both the era’s brilliance and its bruises, grounding its beauty in a lived-in authenticity and a deeply connected five-person cast.

Set in 1930s Harlem, the play gathers a small group of dreamers trying to keep hope alive as the lights dim on the promise that Harlem held for them.. Guy (Kevane La’Marr Coleman), a stylish, confident Costume Designer, dreams of escaping to Paris to work for Josephine Baker. His Best Friend Angel (Deja Fields), a nightclub singer recently fired and abandoned by her gangster boyfriend, crashes in his apartment, her glitter and grit equally hard-won. Down the hall, Delia (Janine Taylor) is a demure young woman working to open Harlem’s first birth-control clinic, a radical act of hope and bodily autonomy at this time.  Meanwhile, Doctor Sam (Xavier Daniels) continues to help the residents stay healthy, deliver babies, and take the few moments he can to be with his friends.

Then comes Leland (Carter Piggee), a polite stranger from Alabama whose gentility quickly gives way to judgment. His traditional views on everything from women, queerness, and “proper living” clash violently with Harlem’s freer, more progressive spirit. What begins as a romantic reprieve for Angel soon curdles into something darker, his moral rigidity turning dangerous.

Cleage’s writing is rich; her characters discuss sexuality, faith, poverty, and freedom with the kind of conviction that underscores the fact that every choice has a cost. Miller’s direction leans into that friction, allowing silences and side glances to speak as loudly as the speeches. The ensemble feels like a found family: flawed, funny, and heartbreakingly human.

Fields’ Angel is the center of this play’s storm; dazzling one moment and then self-destructive the next. Her performance holds onto a hope that never quite shakes off a sense of weariness or cynicism, which threatens to extinguish that spark of hope.  Coleman’s Guy radiates warmth and self-assured humor, even as his flamboyance hides the daily cost of living authentically. Together, they’re a lovely portrait of platonic chemistry; it’s the kind of friendship that’s as intimate as romance and just as complicated.

Taylor brings a quiet, steadfast grace to Delia, while Daniels’ Dr. Sam is all charm and compassion. Their gentle courtship offers a tender counterpoint to Angel and Leland’s volatility. Piggee’s Leland begins with disarming sweetness, but his transformation into a moral crusader, quoting his pastor with fiery conviction and chilling righteousness, lands with unnerving weight.

The world around them is beautifully rendered. Scenic designer Michael Woguli turns Moxie’s compact stage into two incredibly detailed, side-by-side Harlem apartments, complete with bay windows and hallways that extend the story beyond the stage. Danita Lee’s costumes are equally lovely and character-building, like Guy’s evolving wardrobe, from crisp suits to a stunning green-and-pink ensemble sent from Paris, which says as much about his journey as any line of dialogue. Lighting by Colby Freel and sound by Nataly Ceniceros wrap the production in warm, jazz-infused melancholy.

”Blues for an Alabama Sky” reminds us that progress is hard won, and, like jazz, thrives on tension between the notes, between people, between what is and what could be.

How To Get Tickets

”Blues for an Alabama Sky” is playing at Moxie Theatre through October 26th.  For ticket and showtime information, go to www.moxietheatre.com