Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s LACKAWANNA BLUES is a loving theatrical memoir and a living monument to an extraordinary woman

• By drediman
• October 31, 2021
• No Comments

This weekend, I got the chance to catch up with Lackawanna Blues, Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s theatrical memoir and living monument to Rachel Crosby (lovingly known simply as “Nanny”), the extraordinary woman who raised him. The piece dates back to 2001 and has since been adapted for the small screen in 2005. Mr. Santiago-Hudson is currently revisiting the solo show for Manhattan Theatre Club’s return to in-person performance, and, in many ways, the occasion feels like a homecoming. Set in 1950s Lackawanna, NY – where Nanny owned and operated two boardinghouses – the play not only comes to life through the eyes of Nanny and Mr. Santiago-Hudson, but also through the accounts of the boardinghouse denizens (whose lives Nanny has effectively saved).

It’s a testament to the Mr. Santiago-Hudson’s masterful sense of storytelling and loving characterizations that Lackawanna Blues utterly captivates without reverting to cloying stereotypes. It’s an impressive and joyous piece of acting (which is not surprising, given his intimate, decades-spanning association with the work) that brings vibrant, touchingly sympathetic humanity to the play’s mostly motley crew. I’m particularly impressed by how naturally and effortlessly Mr. Santiago-Hudson channels these ghosts from the past and seamlessly transitions among them. Indeed, this well-worn comfort seems to stem from a place beyond simply the text, as if from the depths of his very being.

Mr. Santiago-Hudson also directs the production with grace and a good deal of musicality. Although on paper I would probably classify Lackawanna Blues as a one-man show, Mr. Santiago-Hudson is not the only performer on the Friedman stage. He’s gorgeously accompanied by jazz guitarist Junior Mack, whom the fine actor (who has had a long and fruitful relationship with the great playwright August Wilson over the years) occasionally joins in on harmonica when the emotions conjured by the play call for it. Mr. Mack is an accomplished musician, and his expert musicianship tenderly smooths the play’s transitions and adds rich texture to the overall theatrical experience.

RECOMMENDED

LACKAWANNA BLUES
Broadway, Play
Manhattan Theatre Club at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)]
Through November 7