"Hair," on stage has had almost as many adapters, stylists and camp-followers as hair on head. "The Me Nobody Knows" was one of them, coming to New York a couple of years later. Based on some poems and essays written by New York school children, enhanced by music from composer Gary William Friedman and lyrics from Will Holt, it had some success and some good reviews. It opened last night at the Grandel Theatre as the final production of the Black Rep's 2010 season, and will run through June 27.
Although there's no burning of draft cards or revolutionary nudity (no nudity of any type), the show involved young people looking for a brighter, freer future than their parents and grandparents experienced. They do it almost as a revue, with no plot or story line, but a lot of song and dance from a cast of young performers, mixed with a few vignettes about life in Harlem. It's often powerful and effective, sometimes slightly dull.
The production is directed by Ron Himes, with simple choreography by Heather Beal and Chuck Creath a standout as the musical director.
The usual acoustic problems left some lyrics difficult to understand, but for the most part, the performers showed considerable style and grace. Working on a simple set, representing a Harlem street, by Regina Garcia, Chauncy Thomas was a real standout as Clorox, speaking with passion about a street corner incident involving a black man, passers-by and police, and showing fine vocal skills in bitter, angry renditions of "Rejoice, Children" and "Black," the latter a gorgeous trio with Sharisa Whatley as Nell and Alexis White as Melba. White also scores in the opening song, "Dream Babies," and the two women have a standout performance of "Sounds." Whatley brightens the stage from beginning to end.
John Reed II, as Carlos, is another strong performer, usually as a prisoner hemmed in by a fence topped with razor wire, but he and Abigail Oldham have a lovely duet. On the lighter side, Peter Winfrey scores with "I Love What Girls Have" and Tyler White and Demetrius Sylvester lead the ensemble into "Flying Milk and Runaway Plates." Alessandra Silva, Anthony Tarvin Jr. and Tre'von Griffith also brightened the evening.
Lyricist Holt and his late wife, Dolly Jonah, were early Gaslight Square entertainers, long enough ago that when they first sang at the Crystal Palace, it was on Olive Street east of Grand Boulevard. They also worked with the original Second City, both here and in Chicago.
"The Me Nobody Knows," a St. Louis Black Repertory Company production at the Grandel Theatre through June 27.
–Joe