But first, off to Jay's frame shop, Iloilo, to pick up the notorious Reggie on a Red Stair. Iloilo is an independently owned frame shop, and Jay will do a wonderful job for a very reasonable price. The Proud Peacock is a tough crowd, but even she was impressed with Jay's handiwork. The unveiling was a charmed moment; Reggie's likeness looked magnificent in the sparkling gold frame. Jay revealed the piece with much fervor and a flamboyant flourish of the wrists (setting himself up for defeat should the proud peacock find his work less than satisfactory). A dramatic hush fell over the room as we awaited the Proud Peacock's response. After a cock of the head and signature shift of her weight from one foot to the other (accompanied with a critical squint of the eye and defiant crossing of arms), she finally proclaimed, "Wonderful. I love it." The room erupted with applause, Jay bowed excessively, and the Proud Peacock promptly paid him. Below, she is all smiles in her sweet silk couture. Don't hate the playa, hate the game!
"Let's eat. I'm starving." she predictably announced as we left the shop. She cocked an eyebrow and cast her gaze up and down Clark. As the self-professed heiress next in line to Alpana's throne, it must be noted that the Proud Peacock is, indeed, an olfactory beast. Licking her finger and holding it aloft like a weather vane, the Peacock tested the wind. Detecting a breeze from the lake she sniffed the air and announced, "Reza's. Let's go there." Although I agreed, my mind kept reverting to the recent--and somewhat disturbing--Reza's commercials I've seen in which the Reza's guy insanely shouts, "WANNA BUY A BRUNCH!" at his indecisive friends. As he screams, he confrontationally spreads his arms in true, What? Sure my dick's exposed but I didn't piss in your pansy garden! Wanna make something of it? Okay then. Buy a brunch! fashion. Basically, I congratulate the marketing genius behind these magnificent commercials; they will surely catapult the Reza's guy to Empire Carpet guy cult status. As we took our seats in Reza's, the Proud Peacock reported that she had not seen the commercials. She skillfully studied the menu and said to herself, I think I'd like a glass of wine...
To dethrone Alpana Singh, the youngest wine sommelier in the history of eternity, one must possess a palate as colorful as Van Gogh's, and the skills of a wizened sage-sommelier. Every gland on Alpana's tongue purportedly has a brain of it's own, and can detect flavors that would make Caligula blush. Squaring her shoulders, the Proud Peacock decided to practice her magic on the Reza's wine by the glass list. She became both perplexed and suspicious as she examined the list, "Look at that," she announced finally, "Hey. Would you just. Look. Look at that." and, directing me to the wine by the glass page, I noticed that Reza's had generically labeled their wines: Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, and so forth. We exchanged a knowing glance and I discretely said, "Um, yes. I'll take a delicious carafe of formaldehyde, and for the Peacock here, a scrumptious carafe of finger nail polish remover." Indeed, this trick of ambiguous labeling appeared to be a recipe for disaster, or at least a headache as harsh as being hit in the face with a sockfull of billiard balls. I finally concluded, "Okay. I'll make the waitress translate. I'm sure it's just uhhh...Semantics." The fatal flaw in that move was that Alpana would have instantly known to indulge in a tasty Bass Ale. The waitress assured us that the wine was not Franzia in a box, but may have been Boone's Farm. Despite this minor setback, everything else was fine. After a pleasant dining experience, we charted our course to the Black Ensemble Theater to see Nina Simone: The High Priestess Speaks. As you can see, the Peacock was a bit saucy after her anticlimactically deflating bout with the tragic Reza's winelist. Below she vows vengeance on the next wine by the glass list she encounters...
Onto the highlight of the day! Having seen the critically acclaimed Doo Wop Shoo Bop, and other productions, the Peacock has long been a fan of the Black Ensemble Theater. Although I have my hand on the pulse of all things exciting in Chicago, I--embarrassingly enough--had never been to the Black Ensemble Theater. Now I'm a fan and friend of the Theater. I went because I love Nina Simone's music and incomparable voice. At first, I was hesitant. I said to the Peacock, "You know. Not just anyone can do Nina Simone. A bad interpretation would be truly sacrilegious. I don't know if I can handle it." She would hear none of it, and enthusiastically ordered tickets online. With a firm, "Dude. Get a clue. This Theater is awesome. After the show the entire cast stands out in the hallway, and they shake every single persons hand as they leave," I was hooked. The show was sold out. Consequently, the run has been extended to May 14. Go get tickets online now! OR order them through the Theater at 773.769.4451 and avoid a ridiculous handling fee from TicketMaster.
The first act of the show was a wonderful spectacle in purple, and the second half--when Simone finds purpose in the Civil Rights movement--was a wonderful spectacle in white. It must have been a challenge to select a handful of songs to represent a segment of Nina Simone's prolific career, but I was--overall--pleased with the musical choices. My initial reservation--Not just anyone can do Nina Simone-- was promptly quelched when I heard Yahdina U'Deen's (Nina Simone) voice. She was amazing; I really think mimicking Simone's voice must be a massive challenge, but U'Deen hit the low tenor notes and captured the power of Simone's passionate vocals, especially during the protest pieces ("Mississippi Goddam" and "Four Women"). Imagine carrying a show in the shadow of Nina Simone; Yahdina U'Deen, seen below, absolutely channeled Nina Simone for some of the vocal numbers. But she wasn't the only highlight.
Dawn Mitchell (Nina's Mother) showed serious potential. I predict big things in store for this vocalist / performer! She rawked the house with her rendition of "I'll Fly Away." But the house is always rawking at the Black Ensemble Theater; the audience is a huge part of the performance. The crowd and performers feed off of one another. For instance, when Nina married fiance Andy Stround (Allen D. Edge) after an episode in which he physically assaulted and raped her, the crowd hissed and "Mmm-Mmmed" loudly at her decision. It was better than screaming, "Great Scott!" and throwing a roll of toilet paper at a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
My favorite musical numbers were "Chauffeur" in which U'Deen stood at the piano to perform; at this point I noticed that she had some sweet moves. The Peacock agreed. Next came "Work Song," a selection from her performance at the Apollo in which three Harlem women infamously tossed coins at Simone's feet for being such a prima donna. "Work Song" was awesome. I think it may have been one of my favorite numbers. The Peacock enjoyed that number as well, but she was especially partial to "I Put a Spell on You" and "Four Women" (both featured in the second Act). The dancing scene in "Four Women" was my favorite dancing scene. Not all of the dancing sequences were as outstanding as this one, so I think this was the dancing highlight.
Below, key cast members (among them Yahdina U'Deen and Allen D. Edge) bid the audience a fond farewell as the crowd files out of the theater.
After seeing this great show, I'm excited to see the upcoming Dionne Warwick production, and even more excited to rawk the house at the Billie Holiday production!
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