Undine Shorey
The complicated and ultimately tragic life of Sam Cooke has come to the Westcoast Black Theatre stage in the form of a touching tribute to the late singer. Written by WBTT's Founder and Artistic Director, Nate Jacobs, the musical tells the story of one of the most revered singers in the history of popular music. By the time of his death, Cooke had 30 Top 40 U.S. hits, which includes: ”A Change Is Gonna Come,“ ”Chain Gang,“ ”Cupid“ and ”You Send Me.“
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Cecil Washington Jr. and Carmilla Harris
Photo: Don Daly Photo
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Act I opens with the reflective ”A Change Is Gonna Come;“ a song that became an anthem for the Civil Rights movement. Cooke is played by the tall, slender and very handsome Cecil E. Washington, Jr. In his second appearance with the WBTT, Washington carries quite the resemblance to Cooke and has the vocals to really emulate him.
Born the son of a minister, the story begins when a teenage Cooke is the lead singer in a gospel group named the Highway QC’s. In the mid-1950s, the bright-eyed and ambitious Cooke was eager to crossover to mainstream. That opportunity came in 1956, when he released, ”Lovable,“ a remake of the gospel song, ”Wonderful.“
As Cooke gains popularity, his personal relationships begin to take a hit. Cooke’s first wife, Barbara, grows weary of his repeated absence from being on the road.
Barbara, who is played by Ashley D. Brooks, conveys the frustrations of a lonely wife who has to raise kids on her own with authenticity. But unbeknownst to Barbara, she isn’t the only woman that holds Cooke’s attention.
The WBTT acknowledges pretty early on that Cooke has a weakness for the opposite sex. Without personally knowing much of his background, I picked up on it fairly quickly. At times, it was hard to decipher whom Cooke was with from scene to scene.
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Cecil Washington Jr. as Sam Cooke
Photo: Don Daly Photo
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The WBTT presented an impressive 10-member cast, which is atypical for most of the theater’s plays. Some of the actors play several roles, which is a little confusing at first but as the show goes on, it gets a little easier. Actor Rafael Petlock and his many accents has some of the more versatile roles during the show. The actor makes his debut with the WBTT and played anyone from a bartender to the legendary Ed Sullivan.
Actor and WBTT vet Michael Mendez also showed an advanced level of acting skills with his eclectic range of characters. We first see him as the original lead singer of the Highway QC’s, a radio D.J. and even the legendary Sammy Davis, Jr. With each character, Mendez was able to transform both his looks and mannerisms with ease.
With all the highs of Cooke’s success, also came his deepest lows. Cooke’s first wife dies in a car accident and later his 18-month-old son drowns in a pool. Both tragedies happened when Cooke was on the road. Another untimely tragedy was of course Cooke’s own death.
There is still speculation as to how he died and who ultimately killed him.
For the first time this season, the WBTT used a projector screen for the play’s backdrop. Images of Cooke and other members of the cast appear on screen, showing the audience additional scenes that were relevant to the particular topic at hand. For instance, when Cooke gets married, the projected images show wedding footage and when Cooke’s son drowns, an image of a pool is used when he is shown mourning his son’s death. The projector screen was a definite highlight of the evening.
Another highlight of the play was the show’s choreography. The dancing is as much a part of the show as the singing. Choreographer Donald Frison, brings the energy and the cast never misses a step. Actors, Jeffrey Cason, Jr. and Ashley D. Brooks’ dance number is impressive to say the least; they boogey throughout the entire stage and no space is left untouched when they are through.
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Left-right: Ashley D. Brooks, Joel Patrick Harris, Jeffrey Cason Jr.,Leon S.
Pitts II and Cecil Washington Jr.
Photo: Don Daly Photo
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The WBTT’s live band played the hits all evening and this time they weren’t hidden behind a black sheet. The band took center stage and delighted the crowd with Cooke’s biggest hits.
The play’s overall sound is consistently good and I can tell that this is a priority for the WBTT. The actors’ microphones are clear and well balanced with the exception of Cooke’s microphone during a few songs. At times, it is hard to hear him hit some of his low notes while the band is playing and this should definitely be taken into consideration for future shows.
The Sam Cooke Story plays until April 9. For tickets, visit
www.westcoastblacktheatre.org or call the box office at 941-366-1505.
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