Lackawanna Blues
Encyclopedia
Lackawanna Blues is an American
play
written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
in 2001. It was later adapted as a television movie
that aired in 2005. The play dramatizes the character of the author's primary caregiver when he was growing up in Lackawanna, New York
, during the 1950s and 1960s.
. It was directed by Loretta Greco, produced by George C. Wolfe
, and executive produced by Fran Reiter. Rosemarie Tichler was the artistic producer.
The play is a montage of reminiscences, memories, testimonials and roman a clef
s of "Miss Rachel," or Nanny, as the young Ruben Santiago, Jr. calls her. Largely abandoned by his parents, Ruben finds that Nanny becomes his surrogate family. Various incidents in Ruben's and Nanny's life are portrayed, with a large cast of quirky minor characters—friends, boarders, family members, visitors, relatives, and so on—providing commentary on Nanny's strength of character, intelligence, and morality.
The play included several songs, either sung by the characters in the play or as ambient music heard via a radio or through a window. Bill Sims Jr. provided the original music, as well as performing on-stage acoustic guitar for the play.
Lackawanna Blues is intended to be a one-man show. The actor narrating the play (an adult Ruben) was intended to portray more than 20 other characters, as well as the starring role of the young Ruben.
The play was very well-received. The New York Times
called it a "tour de force." Playwright Ruben Santiago-Hudson won an OBIE
special citation for Lackawanna Blues, while Bill Sims, Jr. won an OBIE for his music.
For her work in the movie, S. Epatha Merkerson
won a Best Actress Golden Globe, Screen Actor's Guild and Emmy Awards in 2006. The film was directed by George C. Wolfe, who had commissioned the stage version.
The principal cast of characters in the film included:
The blind Detroit street singer Robert Bradley from the band Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise
also appears in the film. He performs on-screen and has three songs featured on the soundtrack (including a duet with Macy Gray).
DVD HBOFILMS 2005 TV14 16:9 95 minutes ISBN 0-7831-3482-7 UPC 2635927492
Audio: English, French, Spanish; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Ruben Santiago-Hudson is an American actor and playwright, who has won national awards for his work in both areas. In November 2011 he will appear on Broadway in Lydia Diamond's play .-Early life:...
in 2001. It was later adapted as a television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
that aired in 2005. The play dramatizes the character of the author's primary caregiver when he was growing up in Lackawanna, New York
Lackawanna, New York
Lackawanna is a city in Erie County, New York, U.S., located just south of the city of Buffalo in the western part of New York state. The population was 18,141 at the 2010 census. The name derives from the Lackawanna Steel Company...
, during the 1950s and 1960s.
Play
The play debuted off Broadway April 14, 2001, at the Joseph Papp Theater in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It was directed by Loretta Greco, produced by George C. Wolfe
George C. Wolfe
George Costello Wolfe is an American playwright and director of theater and film. He won a Tony Award in 1993 for directing Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and another Tony Award in 1996 for his direction of the musical, Bring in 'da Noise/Bring in 'da Funk.-Early life and...
, and executive produced by Fran Reiter. Rosemarie Tichler was the artistic producer.
The play is a montage of reminiscences, memories, testimonials and roman a clef
Roman à clef
Roman à clef or roman à clé , French for "novel with a key", is a phrase used to describe a novel about real life, overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the nonfiction and the fiction...
s of "Miss Rachel," or Nanny, as the young Ruben Santiago, Jr. calls her. Largely abandoned by his parents, Ruben finds that Nanny becomes his surrogate family. Various incidents in Ruben's and Nanny's life are portrayed, with a large cast of quirky minor characters—friends, boarders, family members, visitors, relatives, and so on—providing commentary on Nanny's strength of character, intelligence, and morality.
The play included several songs, either sung by the characters in the play or as ambient music heard via a radio or through a window. Bill Sims Jr. provided the original music, as well as performing on-stage acoustic guitar for the play.
Lackawanna Blues is intended to be a one-man show. The actor narrating the play (an adult Ruben) was intended to portray more than 20 other characters, as well as the starring role of the young Ruben.
The play was very well-received. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called it a "tour de force." Playwright Ruben Santiago-Hudson won an OBIE
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
special citation for Lackawanna Blues, while Bill Sims, Jr. won an OBIE for his music.
Film version
This is the true story of Ruben Santiago, Jr. growing up in Lackawanna, New York. He was raised by his father and mother and the neighborhood boarding house lady known as Rachel "Nanny" Crosby. Ruben was born in 1956 to his Puerto Rican father Ruben Santiago and his African-American mother Alean Hudson. His mother was too mentally unstable to take good care of him; residing in mental hospitals, Alean disappears and reappears throughout Ruben's life. His father stayed at Nanny's boarding house, but he was frequently not around due to working long hours or out looking for work. Nanny more or less took care of Ruben Jr. as a mother figure. The television movie tells of his life growing up there and of the diverse characters that he meets during his and their stays at the boarding house.For her work in the movie, S. Epatha Merkerson
S. Epatha Merkerson
S. Epatha Merkerson is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has won a Golden Globe, Emmy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Obie Award and four NAACP Image Awards. She has also received two Tony Award nominations...
won a Best Actress Golden Globe, Screen Actor's Guild and Emmy Awards in 2006. The film was directed by George C. Wolfe, who had commissioned the stage version.
The principal cast of characters in the film included:
- Marcus Carl FranklinMarcus Carl FranklinMarcus Carl Franklin is an American actor. He is best known for portraying an incarnation of Bob Dylan who calls himself "Woody Guthrie" in the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There, written and directed by Todd Haynes...
– Ruben Santiago Jr.Ruben Santiago-HudsonRuben Santiago-Hudson is an American actor and playwright, who has won national awards for his work in both areas. In November 2011 he will appear on Broadway in Lydia Diamond's play .-Early life:...
as a boy, ages 7-12 - S. Epatha MerkersonS. Epatha MerkersonS. Epatha Merkerson is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has won a Golden Globe, Emmy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Obie Award and four NAACP Image Awards. She has also received two Tony Award nominations...
– Rachel "Nanny" Crosby - Hill HarperHill HarperFrancis Harper , known professionally as Hill Harper, is an American film, television and stage actor, and author. An alumnus of Harvard Law School, he is best known for his portrayal of Dr...
– Ruben Santiago Jr.Ruben Santiago-HudsonRuben Santiago-Hudson is an American actor and playwright, who has won national awards for his work in both areas. In November 2011 he will appear on Broadway in Lydia Diamond's play .-Early life:...
as an adult - Jimmy SmitsJimmy SmitsJimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...
– Ruben Santiago Sr., Ruben's father - Terrence HowardTerrence HowardTerrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
– Bill Crosby, Nanny's husband - Mos DefMos DefDante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
– The Bandleader - Carmen EjogoCarmen EjogoCarmen Elizabeth Ejogo is a British actress, currently based in the United States.-Early life:Born and raised in London, Ejogo is the daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Ejogo née Douglas. Her father is a Nigerian entrepreneur and her mother a Scottish tour guide. During her childhood, Ejogo...
– Alean Hudson, Ruben's mother - Louis Gossett Jr. – Ol'lem Taylor, a war veteran
- Macy GrayMacy GrayMacy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
– Pauline, a resident - Ernie HudsonErnie HudsonErnest Lee "Ernie" Hudson is an American actor known for his roles as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters film series, Sergeant Albrecht in The Crow, and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's Oz.-Early life:...
– Dick Barrymore, a cabaret owner - Delroy LindoDelroy LindoDelroy George Lindo is an English actor and theatre director. Lindo has been nominated for the Tony and Screen Actors Guild awards and has won a Satellite Award...
– Mr. Lucious, a resident - Rosie PerezRosie PerezRosa María "Rosie" Pérez is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, director and community activist.- Early life :...
– Bertha, a hairdresser - Liev SchreiberLiev SchreiberIsaac Liev Schreiber , commonly known as Liev Schreiber, is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s, having initially appeared in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywood films, including the Scream trilogy of...
– Ulysses Ford, a social worker - Julie BenzJulie BenzJulie M. Benz is an American actress, best known for her roles as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and as Rita Bennett on Dexter, for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television...
– Laura, an abused wife - Patricia WettigPatricia WettigPatricia Wettig is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her roles in the television series Thirtysomething, Prison Break and Brothers & Sisters...
– Laura's Mother - Jeffrey Wright – Small Paul
- Ruben Santiago Jr.Ruben Santiago-HudsonRuben Santiago-Hudson is an American actor and playwright, who has won national awards for his work in both areas. In November 2011 he will appear on Broadway in Lydia Diamond's play .-Early life:...
– Freddie Cobbs - Robert BradleyRobert Bradley's Blackwater SurpriseRobert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise is an American band. It formed in 1994 when former members of the band Second Self met a blind street performer by the name of Robert Bradley. Robert Bradley was born in Alabama, but gained musical experience and spirit by singing as a child at The Alabama...
– Otis McClanahan (credited as "Robert A. Bradley" in some sources http://www.amazon.ca/Lackawanna-Blues-George-C-Wolfe/dp/B0009S4IGA)
The blind Detroit street singer Robert Bradley from the band Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise
Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise
Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise is an American band. It formed in 1994 when former members of the band Second Self met a blind street performer by the name of Robert Bradley. Robert Bradley was born in Alabama, but gained musical experience and spirit by singing as a child at The Alabama...
also appears in the film. He performs on-screen and has three songs featured on the soundtrack (including a duet with Macy Gray).
DVD HBOFILMS 2005 TV14 16:9 95 minutes ISBN 0-7831-3482-7 UPC 2635927492
Audio: English, French, Spanish; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish