DENNIS COURTNEY "Ethel Waters" reviews

THEATRE REVIEW
Dynamic performance makes ‘... the Sparrow’ fly

By Wayne Barcomb
Let’s get right to the point. Florida Studio Theatre’s production of “Ethel Waters: His Eye is on the Sparrow” is a must see!

The production, chronicling the life and music of one of America’s most memorable black female performers, is a perfect vehicle for multi-talented performer Jannie Jones. The designation of “black female performer” is not gratuitous, as Ethel Waters took great pride in her success as a black female performer at a time when the odds were heavily stacked against her.

But she persevered, and Sarasota playwright Larry Parr has movingly portrayed Waters’ indomitable spirit in overcoming more obstacles than any human being should have to endure.

Ultimately, Waters’ career would flourish for upwards of 60 years – a career that covered every facet of show business beginning with singing in seedy Philadelphia bars to performing on the black vaudeville circuit to upscale venues like Harlem’s famous Cotton Club. From there, she moved to recordings, starring on Broadway, and eventually to a movie career, where she won an Academy Award nomination in 1949 for her role in the movie “Pinky.” Waters closed out her career touring with evangelist Billy Graham.

Playwright Parr records Ethel Waters’ rags-to-riches life with a compelling script and songs from the memorable repertoire performed by Waters throughout her career. Each song recalls the joy and sorrow that reflected the performer’s life.

Parr does a remarkable job in taking us through the 77-year life of Ethel Waters. Some of his dialogue is lyrical.

“His Eye is on the Sparrow” is Parr’s third musical biography of a legendary black female performer, the others being “High Hat Hattie,’ about Hattie McDaniel; and “My Castle’s Rockin’,” which is based on the life of Alberta Hunter.

Unavoidably, the similarity in theme is obvious in “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” Having seen the others, I approached this latest with some reservations. However, not to worry, this one is far and away the best, as evidenced by the raucous standing ovation at its conclusion.

The show, to coin a phrase, brought the house down, thanks to the dynamic performance of its star and only cast member, Jannie Jones. From the moment she walks on stage, Jones is totally in charge, tugging relentlessly on our emotions, running the gamut from emotionally deprived, frightened little girl to sophisticated superstar with ease.

This is a very special performance. Jones rocks with a forceful, powerful singing voice and fills the stage with a lusty, earthy charisma. Having seen Jones perform in the past, I was not surprised by the power and beauty of her singing. What I was not prepared for was the range and quality of her acting. Dominating the stage for nearly two hours, she captivates the audience with her acting as much as her singing, effortlessly segueing from one mood to another – dramatic intensity to poignant, bittersweet humor. Jones is easily one of the most talented performers I have seen in 10 years of writing about theatre in the Sarasota area.

It’s not difficult to understand why the role of Ethel Waters is being alternately played by two performers, the other being Chaundra Cameron. The role has to be exhausting, to say the least.

I wish Cameron well. She has the kind of strong background that should serve her just fine. However, as they say in showbiz, Jannie Jones will be a tough act to follow.

Michael Sebastian’s musical accompaniment provides just the right blend of force and subtlety. Marcella Beckwith’s array of costumes always seems to create the right accompaniment to the character’s mood. The lighting and set design by Allen Mack and Nayna Ramey, respectively, are effective, and the skilled touch of director and choreographer Dennis Courtney was evident throughout the production.

This is a terrific show. See it

Variety

Posted: Sun., Oct. 16, 2005, 6:00am PT

Ethel Waters: His Eye Is on the Sparrow

(Florida Studio Theater, Sarasota, Fla.; 173 seats $34 top)

A Florida Studio Theater production of a musical in two acts by Larry Parr. Directed and choreographed by Dennis Courtney. Musical director and arranger, Michael Sebastian.

Ethel Waters - ... Jannie Jones/Chaundra Cameron

By JAY HANDELMAN

With all the drama and adversity in her life, it's a wonder that Ethel Waters has not been the subject of a biographical play, musical or film before now. While screen treatment might more specifically capture the details of a complex personality and amazing talent, Larry Parr gets the essence in his one-woman play with music, "Ethel Waters: His Eye Is on the Sparrow."
The new work completes his trilogy of one-person shows about famous black performers that began in 1991 with "Hi-Hat Hattie," about Hattie McDaniel, and continued in 1996 with "My Castle's Rockin'," about singer Alberta Hunter.

His newest show is the smoothest and most moving of the three as it relates Waters' hard-scrabble beginnings in 1896 as the daughter of a 12-year-old rape victim who became an alcoholic and was essentially incapable of raising a child. In her early years on what she calls a whore's alley in Philadelphia, Waters regularly stole food, milk and money, sleeping on heating grates to keep warm in winter.

As a child, Waters' biggest dream was to be like her grandmother and clean homes for rich white women. She had no idea that life would take her so much further, as an Oscar-nominated actress (for "Pinky"), a star of Broadway plays and musicals and a singer who became popular around the world. Though Parr doesn't mention her TV series "Beulah," Waters spent her final years singing with the Billy Graham Crusade before her death in 1977.

As in his earlier shows, Parr for the most part effectively interweaves songs from Waters' career at appropriate moments to accentuate a thought or emotional tone. After meeting her second husband, musician Eddie Mallory, she sings "Taking a Chance on Love." "Stormy Weather" follows his decision to seek a divorce because she focused on her career rather than their marriage.

The show is demanding for any performer, and Florida Studio Theater has cast Jannie Jones and Chaundra Cameron as co-equal stars who alternate in the role.

They're both dynamic performers, but with different strengths. Jones is the better singer, while Cameron more effectively captures the humor and drama in the script, giving life to even the most forced monologues.

There's a joyous quality to Jones' voice, and she brings out a passionate feeling in the more dramatic numbers, particularly "Black and Blue" and "Stormy Weather," that Cameron misses. But Cameron really puts the gospel fervor into the finale of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow."

Michael Sebastian's arrangements are alternately bouncy and poignant, interrupted on many occasions for more storytelling between verses. He also provides a proficient underscoring that gives the show a more cinematic quality.

That's also how director Dennis Courtney has staged the piece, aided by simple wooden set pieces and a lighting design that uses clear focus and projections to easily shift the scene from a run-down apartment to a Harlem nightclub, a Catholic school or a movie set. Costuming also creates images of the changes in Waters' life.

The idea of a theater producing all three shows in repertory or successive stagings is intriguing, but even alone, Waters' life is worth rediscovering.

Sets, Nayna Ramey; costumes, Marcella Beckwith; lighting, Allen L. Mack; production stage manager, Stacy A. Blackburn. Opened Oct. 7, 2005. Reviewed Oct. 7 and 8. Running time: 2 HOURS, 10 MIN. Musical numbers: "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," "Masculine Men, Feminine Women," "Frankie and Johnny," "I Don't Dig You, Jack," "Sweet Georgia Brown," "The Joint Is Jumpin'," "Little Black Boy," "Old Man Harlem," "Dinah," "Taking a Chance on Love," "Am I Blue?," "Stormy Weather," "Heat Wave," "Cabin in the Sky," "Black and Blue," "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" (reprise).