**** Highly Recommended **** Summer means musicals! So this summer, get yourself to the Studebaker Theatre (worth a look all on its own!) and see Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical. This jukebox musical will have you dancing in your seat – in the first five minutes! I didn’t remember Lloyd Price, but I sure do remember his songs! Great voices, great songs, great dancing. What’s not to love? 4 Big Spotlights
The set is relatively bare bones but there is a kind of recording booth at the rear of the stage, next to the band. I have just one major gripe with that – I couldn’t see the star of the show perform! To explain - a couple of times a table and chairs were place at stage front, directly in front of that booth. My seat was on the right, so when Lloyd went back there to sing (3 songs), I couldn’t see him at all. It seems to me someone forgot to check sightlines from the audience.
Otherwise, I really loved the show. The cast was fabulous! Wearing a sparkly tux jacket, Saint Aubin played Lloyd Price with panache. He WAS Lloyd Price, telling his story and singing his signature songs. He’s an incredible actor, but he’s a rock star when singing!
Young Lloyd Price (Darian Peer) worked hard, helping his mother and father, but he wanted more. He spent all his free time playing the piano, often writing his own songs. Art Rupe (Brian Grey – Josh Houghton at my performance), who owned an L.A. record label, heard his song, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, and set up a recording session. That song was a 1952 smash hit. Price went on to record several more songs with Rupe.
In 1954 Lloyd Price was drafted and sent to Korea. When he returned home, he’d been replaced by someone called Little Richard (Miles Boone). After forming his own label, KRC, with Harold Logan (Stanley Wayne Mathis), he released a series of hits including Stagger Lee and Personality. By the way, he was much more than a singer/songwriter. In addition to co-writing several hit songs and starting another record label, he and Harold Logan opened and ran a popular nightclub in New York until Logan was murdered in 1969.
With the exception of Saint Aubyn, everyone in the cast played multiple parts as well as singing and dancing. Those playing named parts include Alexandria Reese (Emma, Erma Franklin), Stanley Wayne Mathis (Harold Logan), Miles Boone (Little Richard, Olisaemeka), Donterrio (Dave, Louis Armstrong), Brian Grey (Art Rupe), Donnie Hammond (Rosetta Tharpe, Ma Nora), Karl Hamilton (Levy), Alanna Lovely (Na Naan), DeMone Seraphin (Mr. Price, Don Robey, Fats), Christopher Henry Young (Sam Cooke). Also appearing Uria Bennett, Christian Denzel Bufford, Marcus Hardy, Nissi Shalome and Whitney Wandland.
In addition to Price’s smash hits, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Stagger Lee and Personality, the song list also included Mailman Blues, Tell Me Pretty Baby, I’m Gonna Get Married, Just Because and Lady Luck. You’ll recognize a few songs written by other artists, including Ain’t It a Shame (Fats Domino) and Tutti Frutti (Little Richard).
Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical was written by B. Jeffrey Madoff with Lloyd Price, who also wrote the music and lyrics. Personality is directed by Sheldon Epps with high-energy choreography by Edgar Godineaux; musical direction by Shelton Becton.
Recommended for ages 13 and up.
Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical runs through September 3rd at the Studebaker Theatre at the historic Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Reduced rate parking is available in the Grant Park South garage with a validation available at the box office. Running time is just over 2 hours with an intermission.
Performances are Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays at 7:30 pm, Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays at 2:00 & 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $53. FYI www.personalitymusical.com.