#but jimmy's feels a bit more authentic emotionally with the way he sings it like there's the longing to go home

[bardengarde]

Rip BJ Hunnicutt, you are NOT going to do well whenever Galveston gets released by Glen Campbell in 1969 or again by Jimmy Webb in 1972

[doomonfilm]

Review : The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)

From the first time that my young ears heard Strange Fruit, I was fascinated with Billie Holiday.  As my jazz education grew, I learned more about her “controversial” past, and how it influenced the music she created.  While Lady Sings the Blues was around well before The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Lady Sings the Blues seemingly had the agenda of boosting the profile of Diana Ross as a solo artist in its depiction of Billie Holiday’s life.  To my knowledge, this is the first film that explicitly focuses on how Holiday became entangled in the war on drugs as backlash for her attempts to shed a light on civil rights, which immediately made it much-watch material for me (which was only further validated by Andra Day’s Golden Globes win).

During an interview with Reginald Lord Devine (Leslie Jordan), Billie Holiday (Andra Day) is questioned about her persistence to sing Strange Fruit despite powerful objections to it.  Holiday reminisces on her fame and the freedom it should have afforded her, but due to governmental opposition from politicians like Harry J. Anslinger (Garrett Hedlund), members of her camp such as her husband Monroe (Erik LaRay Harvey) and her manager Joe Glaser (Dusan Dukic) press her to change her tune.  Anslinger, at his wit’s end in regard to stopping Holiday’s (and jazz music as a whole) influence over the masses, poses a plan to attack Holiday’s credibility via her connection to drugs.  Holday shares a chance encounter with a young soldier named Jimmy Fletcher (Trevante Rhodes), but she soon finds out that Fletcher works for the FBN, and after an arrest, Holiday is booked and sentenced to jail time, a vicious cycle that continues to haunt her professionally and personally. 

The United States vs. Billie Holiday does the majority of heavy lifting by presenting Billie Holiday as an example of fame not even being enough to equalize Black stars in the eyes of the public, and especially within the eyes of the powers that be.  The tactics presented are definitely not new, and many are still implemented to this day, but that doesn’t take away from the pain of Holiday’s forced fall from grace.  The psychological warfare that comes with being the target of the government’s ire is laid out via deception, the tarnishing of identity, and eventually, the removal of rights.  Since no side presented is absent of wrongdoing, we are shown how the fallout of these actions impacts people on all sides of the created conflicts, especially in the story of Jimmy Fletcher, who literally plays both sides throughout the course of the story.

As a Billie Holiday biopic, this one is a brutally honest presentation of her confrontational nature.  In all fairness, for someone who was simply trying to bring awareness to human rights atrocities via the platform she was given, the way she was treated as public enemy number one was unnecessary.  At times, the Lee Daniels habit of being a bit on the melodramatic side presents itself, which can be distracting, but it almost seems as if he embellishes in Holiday’s darkness in hopes that his somewhat dramatic camp can offset that.  Precious famously found him taking a similar approach of stripping away all of the glamour from key actresses while bathing them in despair, and just like Mo’Nique, Andra Day has already found herself the beneficiary of accolades for the approach, so more power to Lee Daniels for unlocking the secrets to the game.

Despite my feelings on the way that Lee Daniels directs his actors, I will happy admit that he has production chops for days.  Casting Andra Day as Billie Holiday more than covers the bases in terms of making sure the musicality is handled, as Day has already proven herself with a successful music career prior to venturing into the world of acting.  The film is rich with a golden hue that induces a sense of nostalgia in spite of the very dark places in which the story traverses.  That sense of darkness and impending doom is further driven by the score, which methodically carries us from performance to performance.  The editing and shifts between looks works well in tandem with the cinematography, presented as a camera that dances just on the outskirts of the emotionally raw epicenters it witnesses.

Anda Day manages to take her confidence derived from her musical talents and infuse it into an authentic, true to the heart approximation of Holiday’s famous accent and mannerisms without overdoing it, which makes her the center of attention in any frame she exists in.  Leslie Jordan does a powerful job of setting the tone through playful ignorance, both of the weight behind Holiday’s intentions and Reginald Lord Devine’s hurtful words.  Miss Lawrence provides powerfully raw unconditional protection as a bodyguard figure, while Da’Vine Joy Randolph plays counterpart to that physical rawness by providing unconditional truth, making the pair a powerful backing force for Day’s presence as Holiday.  As for forces of opposition (of which plenty can be found), Tevante Rhodes plays the most dynamic foil, despite a seemingly constricted performance that or may not have been consciously kept within a certain boundary of expression.  Tone Bell and Erik LaRay Harvey give the alpha male character textures, while Garrett Hedlund and Randy Davison sat in as more traditional antagonists.  Lester Young had shades of the alpha in his performance, but leaned more into the realms of emotional manipulation than brute force.  Appearances by Melvin Gregg, Kevin Hanchard, Natasha Lyonne, Dusan Dukic, Warren “Slim” Williams, Evan Ross and more fill out the cast.

While an entertaining movie, and possibly a bit of an emotional strain for those not familiar with the work of Lee Daniels, I can give The United States vs. Billie Holiday kudos for illustrating how timeless the treatment of Black artists who go against the grain can be.  For its high production value, I’d like to try and place it in a double feature with a film like Straight Out of Compton, a film with equally high production value and a nearly identical narrative (minus the drug addiction aspect) in hopes that this similarity can be clearly illustrated.

[rndyounghowze]

Triple Threat Workshop Goes Down Home with Bright Star at the Landis Theatre in Vineland, NJ

By Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

Very rarely do I see a show that's as crisp as a summer apple and as cool as clear spring water but I got it last night with Bright Star at the Landis Theatre. This musical with music, book and story by banjo legend Steve Martin and Edie Brickell was directed by John T. Stephan and Caitlin Geisser and really is a must see.

Follow a country ballad based on heartbreak and woe as you hear the story of April Lindley, a magazine editor in the 40's who is serious and makes writers shake in their boots. But then one day a new writer comes across her desk and she just can't place why he intrigues her. What follows is her journey through the past to weave a story of love, loss, betrayal, and reunion. Bring your tissues because if you haven't had a good cry in a while you're about due for an appointment with this tear jerker.

So when the lights come up you see a bare stage with actors surrounding the stage adorned with a desolate set and props. You can even see the bare walls of the stage in the back. The desolate staging is just as desolate as the play. I don't know how to say it better but it looks like a dramatic grenade went off in the beginning and everyone on there is just human shrapnel.

Now they say too many cooks spoil the soup but direction by Caitlin Geisser and John T. Stephen seem to have a synergy going with this one. They also say that a director that casts themself in a play has just been cast by an idiot director but I actually enjoyed Geisser's performance. Stephan's choreography is always on pointe but I feel like the ambitious staging got in the way of the choreography with scenes getting too crowded to make the picture "print" in my head. Dana was begging for just one moment of emptiness on stage and I agree that a the loss of about six ensemble members in emotionally gripping scenes would not have been horrible.

We're only being tougher on them because we love them and they always give a polished and professional performance. They are always so close to perfect it kills me. All in all they crafted a show together that really...what's the word...soothed me. I've seen too many shows with big orchestras, huge special effects, and the works. This was like a glass of cool water.

Okay a few notes from this show that only a Southern boy from TN can give. Please imagine me saying this in my former southern accent. Thank you for not including a live orchestra. I'm a banjo snob and would have been critiquing clawhammer technique more than the show. The cast made a valiant attempt at a southern accent and while it did "drop" me into the setting of the show I would have forgiven them for dropping it sometimes in order to sing clearly. Also I've been all over North Carolina and never met a snazzier group of people or cleaner set. It needs more dirt and soot to make it authentic. Y'all wuz purtier den the purtiest peach that ever wuz grown.

Okay there were so many good actors in this show I had to add an extra to each of my categories!

April Lindley (played by Alice Murphy) had the hardest job. She had to carry the plot in two different time periods and be effectively two different people in each time period while still letting the audience know they were the same person.

It was hard to find anything to say about Jimmy Ray Dobbs (played by Andrew Jarema) because I've seen him many times before and he always delivers a solid performance. I was desperately trying not to say something like "he's good but that's Andrew for you" but we'll there I said it. A great performance from a great actor and he does look a little bit like Rich Curcio's son so now I'll never be able to get that out of my head.

Billy Cane (played by Dakota Mullins) seemed a bit stiff at first and I didn't know if it was opening night energy or a character choice. By the time he had gotten to the Southern Journal he had loosened up a bit and I could really get into his performance.

I have one thing to say about Margo Crawford (played by Alexa St. Clair) and that is more stage time please! She was so funny and clean in her performance. I couldn't ask for more from a Broadway Starlet!

Like I said I had three supporting standouts. There were just so many to choose from.

Darryl Ames (played by Dylan Glick) made me guffaw so much! I never saw a character more happy to be the bearer of bad news and Glick delivers it in style.

Dana had to actually point out that the dry speaking buttoned up assistant to the mayor was actually one of our favorites Jason Smith. I honestly couldn't recognize him and his acting was so good I still swear it wasn't him. Kudos Jason for blending in so well...if it was really you.

Shannon Sheridan who played Momma Murphy was really a favorite of Dana's. She had such a quick and smooth delivery and I could tell that she had some serious acting chops.

And of course here are my background shoutouts.

Whenever I'm watching a play in Cumberland County I kinda just look around and see what John Rattacasa is doing. He's kind of like a lucky charm in actor form. And then there's nothing like catching him belting in the moment. He really brings the noise!

A big shout-out to my favorite twins Amanda Ellis and Julianna Giordano! Glad to see them cutting a rug in style!

I have to give a nod to music direction by Shannon Sheridan for getting our cast to deliver one rip snorter of a time. Makes me wish I had my banjo or a set of spoons handy to scrub one off with them like we were on Grandpa's back porch.

Also costume design by Sheridan was right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. I could have wished for a little dirt or fatiguing on stuff that was supposed to be dirty but that's just me being picky.

I swear that set design by Martin Geisser recreated the skeletal clapboard ruins you see all over the trainline from DC to Winston-Salem. I was a little worried when I saw the main rolling set piece wobble as it was moved. It may not look good sometimes but extra bracing for the safety of the actors can never be skimped on. Otherwise this was one of the greater sets I've seen.

There was a lot of intricate sound in this show so sound design by Stephen Seserko was really appreciated. The best sound design is the one you notice without noticing and I think he hovered really closely to that mark. Good job!

Well I'm kinda tired of saying that John Rattacasa is the best wig and makeup man in New Jersey. I'm tired of saying it but it doesn't look like he's going to stop anytime soon. So I still have to. If there's a set of Rattacasa locks on those heads they're the best in South Jersey.

All in all this little show was a delight to my old southern ears. And what I love about a Cumberland County show is that they keep everything just as down home as this play. When I get here there's always someone to hug me and Dana's neck and if they held an ice cream social out back after every show I wouldn't be surprised. When Dana and I are in Cumberland we feel like we're amongst family but that family is giving you a killer professional show that rivals Philly or the rest of Jersey. That's just the Cumberland way. This show runs twice more. Get on out there and meet your new family!