Guthrie's "Blues for an Alabama Sky" sheds perspective on Harlem Renaissance
MINNEAPOLIS -- A lineup of experienced Broadway actors are spending the winter in Minneapolis. They are cast in a new play at the Guthrie Theatre that is fiction, yet historic, offering an often untold perspective on Black history during the Harlem Renaissance.
"It's been amazing," Kimberly Marable said of her first visit to the Guthrie.
And Marable has seen a lot. The native New Yorker and Dartmouth grad just finished touring with the Broadway musical "Hadestown." Now, she's enjoying Minneapolis.
"Being here by the river, and it's gorgeous, but this theater is like state of the art. And being able to be on this stage with these wonderful humans, it's been a joy truly," she said. "The reputation is that this is one of the regional theatres in the country to work at, so when this audition came up, it was like, 'I've got to get this job.'"
And she did. She plays Angel, a spirited show girl and musician in Harlem in 1930. As the Renaissance turns into the Depression, she and her friends navigate life and love.
"It's been really lovely to be a complicated, joyous, angry, cool funny woman," she said.
"Blues for an Alabama Sky" was written by Pearl Cleage in 1993.
"We are seeing a lot of Black female playwrights getting their due," Marable said. "I actually saw the play in the Spring and fell in love with the show. There is so much joy and just a slice of life of Black life and just understanding that Black people are not a monolith."
She say it's extra special to share this story in this city.
"George Floyd died here, people are still dying. But I think its important to have the balance of joy and I think that this play really does that wonderfully," she said.
She says she's found joy in this Minnesota theatre and hopes others do too.
"You also get celebrate Black life and just life in general, as human beings. Its really a wonderful piece of theatre."
The play runs through March 12. Click here for more information and tickets.