Ron Parson couldn’t resist making a tweak to Shelton Epps’ Tony-nominated Broadway musical “Blues in the Night.”
“I added some dance, and some guitar. How are you going to do blues without a guitar?” said Parson, who is directing for Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, and previously directed “Pipeline” for ASF in 2019.
“Blues in the Night,” which opens Thursday and runs through March 3, is told mostly through music, with a bit of dialogue, Parson said. They’ll be performing 26 songs from some of the best — Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Alberta Hunter, Jimmy Cox, Ida Cox and more.
“It’s a lot of work singing songs that are classics,” Parson said. “It’s been a joy to delve into some of this music.”
The musical is set somewhere between the 1930s and ‘40s, revolving around three women and one man, who Parson said is messing with their conscience.
“Which is what causes the blues,” Parson said.
The three women singers are Clare Kennedy (The Girl with a Date), Cynthia Carter (The Lady from the Road), and Devereaux (Woman of the World).