Theater Review: 'Blind Lemon Blues'

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NEW YORK–The musical Blind Lemon Blues offers a look at the life of blues singer Lemon Henry Jefferson, better known as "Blind Lemon," but while it offers intriguing glimpses, the entire experience feels like a few brilliant chords of a guitar riff looking for a complete song that just isn't there.

Created by Alan Govenar and Akin Babatunde with Babatunde playing the title character, Blind Lemon Blues is a reworked engagement at the York Theatre Company, where a workshop production was presented in 2007.

Things start off in 1948 at the home of bluesman Huddie Ledbetter (Cavin Yarbrough), better known as "Lead Belly," in what would be his final recording session. As he sings, Lead Belly flashes back more than 25 years to when he met Blind Lemon singing on a street corner in Texas. The two strike up a friendship and begin traveling around playing various gigs. Lemon always returns to his favorite street corner as his base of operations when there is no work elsewhere. Such is Lemon's life until a man from Paramount Records sees him and starts him on a recording career.

While Yarbrough provides the framing sequences, the story is mainly about Blind Lemon, a man who took guff from no one. A battle between Lemon and another musician for "ownership" of the street corner comes off as quite amusing, but at the same time is quite serious to the participants, both of whom depend on the location for their livelihood.

The show has a number of factors in its favor, chief among them being Babatunde, who virtually steals the show with every scene he's in. His stage presence (and size) draws and holds every eye as he literally becomes this no-nonsense musician, always ready with a quick word or sharp rebuke to those who believe they can take advantage of him. At the same time, the man certainly knows how to have good time.

Babatunde's voice also has a soulful quality, giving powerful life to Lemon's words and songs. Elsewhere, Yarbrough works well as Lead Belly, verbally filling in some of the blanks of the piece, while having good musical chops of his own. The remaining members work nicely as a sort of Greek chorus, singing along when necessary and serving as witnesses to the proceedings. They also play various blues figures of the time. In that vein, Carmen Ruby Floyd works especially well as Hattie Hudson.

The major problem is that when all is said and done, the audience ends up knowing little about Blind Lemon. While there are hints about the man, there is little exploration into his past, his likes or dislikes, or much about his relationships. It seems both Jefferson and Ledbetter were womanizers in their day and both eventually ended up with women they cared about, but just who they were and what their status was is unclear.

The show also glosses over the issue of racism. While Jefferson no doubt experienced it, the subject is used only as a plot device—said device being an extended sequence where the chorus acts out the words of racist advertisements used to publicize Lemon's music. (Signs of the actual ads hang around the performers’ necks.) However, it would have been more effective to have the signs projected on a screen, so the audience could see the words (and pictures) to go along with the actions of the actors.

Also unexplored is the question of whether Jefferson was ever cheated out of royalties or other money by the record producers, as numerous singers were at the time.

The music is quite enjoyable, the lyrics full of stories, as well as lending a feeling of time and place. Unfortunately, there are too many songs. The show program lists 67 songs (which includes several reprises and a medley of numbers). Again and again the story is sacrificed to a sort of extended musical catalogue.

Babatunde, who in addition to playing Jefferson, also does duty as the playwright (along with Govenar), director, choreographer, and musical arranger. He does adequately in the various jobs, but after a while, a feeling of sameness settles over the piece.

Russell Parkman's set is okay and Tommy Bourgeois's costumes are nice; the lighting by Steve Woods—especially combined with the show's backdrop, is excellent.

Blind Lemon Blues has some great potential, but it could use some major reworking before it moves to the next level.

Also in the cast are Inga Ballard, Timothy Parham, and Alisa Peoples Yarbrough—with musician Skip Krevens doing a superb job on guitar.

Blind Lemon Blues
York Theatre Company
54th Street (East of Lexington Avenue)
Tickets: 212-935-5820 or www.yorktheatre.org
Running Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.
Closes: Oct. 4

Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.