ALBANY – Albany has another concert venue this summer. “A Night with Janis Joplin,” which plays at Capital Repertory Theatre through August 7, is more a concert than it is a theatrical production. It’s a sincere and heartfelt tribute to the rock star that in 1967, at the age of 27, died from a drug overdose and alcohol abuse.
“A Night with Janis Joplin” does not try to explore Joplin’s demons; instead it focuses on her music and encourages the audience to appreciate what was underneath the memorable music that is her legacy. Kelly McIntyre captures not only the sound and power of the singer, but she also finds the energy and vulnerability of the woman. The dialogue (actually short expositional monologues) offers the audience a lot of facts about Janis’ life. Much is public knowledge, but examples of her paintings are a revelation. Mostly, the non-musical moments stress her loneliness, her need to perform and her sense of individualism. It’s interesting – for but its neither compelling or revealing. It’s certainly not enough to make you care much about her as a person.
“An Evening with Janis Joplin” is all about Janis Joplin the performer. And if you are a Janis Joplin fan it’s a thrill. Of course, it’s a different story if you are not a fan of Janis Joplin. She was an in-your-face singer who musically was an untamed source of energy. Her voice was as harsh and as blunt as her personality. It was said by many that in performance she “took no prisoners,” and that also true of McIntyre’s performance. The performer is able not only to capture the flair of Janis Joplin, but she is able to make the woman human as well. Often during her high-energy performance I would wonder how McIntyre handles the productions two-a-day performance schedule. (Actually the answer is the role is too exhausting for two performances in a single day. Kristin Piacentile performs matinees and the August 7 show.)
The point isn’t who’s performing, rather the question is - why was I thinking about this during a performance. The real issue is - despite the high energy of the show unless you are devoted to Janis Joplin the show becomes wearing. For the non-Joplin audience member (me), too many of her songs sound similar. But for anyone this would be a great 90-minute show, but at almost 2 ½ hours it is much too long.
But the show does have diversity. Randy Johnson who wrote the show and directs it at Capital Rep tries to tell the story of Joplin’s life through her musical influences. This not only offers insight to the woman’s psyche,it permits appearances by Aretha Franklin, Bessie Smith, Etta James, Odetta, the Chantels and Nina Simone. They are performed wonderfully by Jannie Jones, Nikita Jones and Kimberly Ann Steele. Danyel Fulton has a couple of haunting songs as a character titled Blues Singer. It not only bring variety to the presentation but when Joplin sings a song just heard from one of the other singers, it offers insight to how Joplin put her own identity into all her songs.
However, the show-stopper comes just before the first act intermission when Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin do a duet to “Spirit in the Dark.” It’s a phenomenal moment. There are other memorable moments scattered throughout the show. “Cry Baby,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Ball and Chain,” “Stay With Me” and “I’m Gonna Rock My Way to Heaven”closed the show and had the theater crowd on its feet. The encore “Mercedes Benz” kept them there.
“A Night with Janis Joplin at Capital Repertory Theatre, Albany. Performances Tuesdays-Sundays through August 7.
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record
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