The elevator speech that would describe Black Ensemble Theater’s Hitt Records indicates that it’s peak jukebox musical: Two brothers (Vincent Jordan and Dennis Dent, both excellent) who own a Chicago vintage record store educate their nephew (Destin Warner) and their clientele about the classic music they’re selling.
Hitt Records
Through 1/26: Fri 8 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PM, Sun 3 PM; Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark, 773-769-4451, blackensembletheater.org, $56.50–$66.50
The play, written and directed by Daryl D. Brooks, follows these three, and their customers, over the course of a typical day. There’s no antagonist, save perhaps for a few shoplifters who sneak in and out in the background at one point. There’s no real conflict for the main characters, save for Vincent, the nephew, not being able to take his lunch break.
But jukebox musicals don’t necessarily have to follow a hero’s journey, because Jordan and Dent’s storytelling gives way to well over two dozen stunning performances of some of the most remarkable songs from the second half of the 20th century.
Among the artists Hitt Records pays tribute to are Bob Marley, the Pointer Sisters, Bobby Womack, Phil Collins, Donna Summer, Sister Sledge, and Wilson Pickett, to name just a few. The afternoon audience I saw the show with ate it up, singing along and dancing in their seats; one man stood and held his arm up in solidarity with Marley’s “War.”
BET leans in on nostalgia, but their ensemble magnificently sells this song and dance. The energetic band under music director Robert Reddrick is excellent too, as is the choreography by Christopher Chase Carter. Hitt Records makes for a warm and zippy respite from the winter doldrums.
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2025-01-02 14:12:08
