Doo Wop and R&B collide in the Alliance Theatre's compelling production of Avenue X - an a cappella musical that takes place one sizzling summer night in 1963 Brooklyn. Alliance Artistic Director Susan V. Booth is reunited with the multi-talented Darryl Jovan Williams (music director) whose vocal arrangements and performance in last year's Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL were without question one of the season's best.
Two cultures collide in this play as a group of Italian Americans and African Americans, eight aspiring singers, hold down their respective corners and vocal styles. But when two young men from opposite sides of the avenue attempt to find harmony in more than just their music, cultural differences raise their ugly heads with the potential for violence imminent.
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Featured actors include J.D. Goldblatt (Jelly's Last Jam), J.D. Webster (Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL) and Lawrence Clayton (Too Hot to Handel) as well as two local (Atlanta) actor-singers, Rebecca Blouin and Neda Spears, who are making their Alliance debut.
Williams spoke to this reporter about the cutting-edge harmonies he creates and the demands he places on the cast.
"This production is all a cappella so without an instrumental accompaniment, there is nothing that the singer can lean on or hide behind," he said.
"They are as singers unclothed with their instruments (voices) so mistakes cannot be hidden - pitches must be impeccable."
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Don't look for any special effects in this show. According to Williams it's all about the human voice and how it becomes the "instrument" in this production.
"Singers today have a lot more on which they can rely than vocalists back in the 1950s and 1960s - the technology can make even the most unprofessional sound like they've been singing for years. In the past it was about the art of singing and singers took pride in the musicality of delivering phrases and being on pitch. It was more about the art than getting the next hit song.
The actors in this show have the vocal ability and impeccable ear training that the composer's work demands and that's what makes this piece a thing of beauty and magic - not to mention the ability to grab a pitch out of the air and harmonize with singers that you've never met and make it seem like you've been singing together for years.
"Some of the best singers in the world have problems singing a cappella so having these actors prepare for walking a tight rope without a net was a daunting task. I play piano by ear so I needed some help from my assistants, Johnny Edwards and Renee Clark.
My job was not only to make sure they knew the music but to coach them so they could get the 60s style of singing."
J.D. Webster (Winston), who was last seen at the Alliance in the role of Annas along with Williams in Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL grew up in a family of singers but says that for a while he shied away from singing a cappella.
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| "It's not as easy as it might seem and you dared not sing someone else's harmony or you faced ridicule," he said. "Avenue X was written almost two decades ago but it still enlightens. The characters and their journeys offer the audience a glimpse of how change can affect us and the consequences that result from our actions.
As an actor it is a thrill to nightly share our gifts in an artistic format that can educate and/or provoke a modern day audience - it's not just cotton candy. For me, this is the first role I have done that required significant work with a dialect, so in addition to learning my lines and music, I've also worked with a dialect coach. The biggest challenge, however, is performing (harmonies especially) a cappella.
There's no orchestra, there's not even a conductor. I liken it to trapeze artists performing without a safety net. It forces you to listen, not to your own voice as
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much as the voices of your fellow singers. In essence you become each other's safety net."
Clayton is another Superstar alumnus, performing the role of Judas at Madison Square Garden and in regional productions of the show.
"One of the best things about this show is that it is not a typical musical," Clayton remarked. "It's really a play with music which means we have the task of pulling off the music without accompaniment and also telling a gritty story.
To prepare for my role (Roscoe Hines) the biggest thing I did was to listen to some of the groups from that era. They sang in a different kind of way -- the way they phrased musical lines and the kinds of riffs they sang.
Dynamics were different too. I used to sing with an a cappella group in college so I was familiar with the style.
But I still listened to some of the greats to prepare for this show - great quartets like the Soul Stirrers and the Persuasions.
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