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Catherine Curtin and Andra Mitrovich star in "Love, Janis" at Bay Street Theatre.
THE SAG HARBOR EXPRESS
ISSUE DATE: 07/27/00 July 2000
Review: Janis Joplin Shines On
by Annette Hinkle
For a brief time in the 1960s, a group of kids in California thought they could change the world - and for a minute, it looked like they almost would. In some respects, the legacy left in the wake of the counter culture movement is still evident today - fashions designed to shock, civil disobedience and the dark remnant that ultimately killed the dream both literally and figuratively - drugs.
But perhaps the most enduring legacy from the late '60s is the music. The sounds of a generation performed by singers and musicians who believed fervently, if naively, that their music could save the world. The irony being, of course, that often they ended up destroying themselves in the process.
For anyone who was too young, too scared or too established to run away from home in the late '60s and join the Haight-Ashbury scene in San Francisco, Janis Joplin was an icon reaching out to wherever we happened to be in America through vinyl, magazines and appearances on TV variety shows.
But those of us who knew her only through the Hi-fi or fuzzy black and white images could not have realized what we were missing by never having seen her in concert - until now. "Love, Janis" Bay Street Theatre's current production, is the second chance we never thought we would get.
You know you're in for a unique evening at Bay Street when the ticket takers pass out earplugs. And from the moment Cathy Richardson steps on stage as Janis Joplin, complete with feathers and bell bottoms and belts out a rendition of "Piece of my Heart" that sends shivers up your spine, you realize what you missed the first time around.
"Love, Janis" tells the Janis Joplin story in a refreshing, non sensationalistic style - through her letters home during the period from 1966 to 1970 and her music - the core of her very soul. Two women play Janis, Catherine Curtin assuming the speaking role and Cathy Richardson and Andra C. Mitrovich alternating performances as the singing Janis.
The show begins with Joplin's arrival in San Francisco in 1966, when she joined the band "Big Brother and the Holding Company" as its lead singer. In her first letter home Joplin breaks the news to her family in Texas that she has gone, and tries to reassure them that she will eventually finish college. A year earlier, Joplin lived in San Francisco for a while, but returned home after a destructive period of drug use and the letter also seeks to reassure her family that this time will be different.
Directed by Randal Myler who co-created the piece with Laura Joplin, Janis' sister, the show truly is written by Janis - her words, her music, her hopes and fears. Not exactly a play, nor is it a musical, "Love, Janis" is largely a concert rounded out with glimpses of Joplin's private moments and offstage thoughts.
The show reveals Joplin's depth in a way no other tough talking bio has done to date and Myler completes the picture by having Janis converse with off stage voices - sometimes an interviewer (John Beuscher) asking pointed questions, sometimes her mother and perhaps even God or Joplin herself.
Rather than trying to "trick" the audience by having the two Janis' trade places in the wings, Myler cleverly has them interact on stage, which works quite well. The two frequently complete the other's phrases or talk in unison, a poignant reminder of the personality split Joplin herself must have felt and the incredible loneliness that followed her home after singing for 50,000 fans. At some points while Richardson sings, the acting Janis (Curtin) goes about her private business on stage, lighting incense for example, or shooting heroin.
This interaction works most pointedly, after headlines are projected on screens above the stage telling of Joplin's death from an accidental heroin overdose. Here Richardson launches into a soulful rendition of "Little Girl Blue," gently singing to Curtin as she lovingly comforts her. It's truly a moving moment.
Richardson is stupendous as the singing Joplin. And although she bears little physical resemblance to Janis Joplin, the point of this show is not imitation, but the essence of Joplin's spirit. Richardson captures that and much more. If you have doubts, all you need do is close your eyes and listen.
It's hard to imagine anyone being able to out-sing Richardson as Joplin, but word has it that Andra C. Mitrovich is equally impressive. With 19 songs in the repertoire, the vocal role is incredibly demanding and Richardson lives up the challenge flawlessly. All the big hits are here, including "Me and Bobby McGee" and the endearing "Mercedes Benz" not to mention incredible renditions of "Summertime" and "Ball & Chain." Also included is "What Good Can Drinking Do?" a 'zither and blues' number from Joplin's open mike folky days in Texas.
While she looks the role in elaborate costumes by Robert Blackman and with her long, wild hair, as the speaking Janis, Catherine Curtin's portrayal is a bit disappointing in its lack of energy. It's difficult to reconcile the frenetic, fast talking and powerful singing Janis with the slit eyed, stoned, dippy hippie Curtin plays - and the transition between the two is sometimes jarring. Certainly, Joplin took her share of drugs, yet Curtin's interpretation doesn't quite do justice to the intelligence, depth and honesty inherent in Janis' own words nor does it adequately reflect the incredible and chaotic changes in her life over those four short, yet turbulent, years. But the words are still incredibly powerful, and more than a little prophetic, particularly when she discusses Jimi Hendrix's overdose, which occurred just weeks before her own.
The band, under musical direction by Sam Andrew, founder and lead guitarist of "Big Brother," is first rate and includes an incredible Joel Hoekstra on lead guitar, rounded out by rhythm guitarist and keyboardist John Gibbons, Paul Kendall on sax, Andrew Baker on bass, drummer Paul Chapin, and trumpets by David Elliot and Charlie Sarling. Psychedelic lighting effects by Don Darnutzer are projected against a stark, white brick wall and complete the illusion of the band's concert stages.
For anyone who regrets having never hitchhiked to San Francisco to be a part of the scene, "Love, Janis" is the next best thing to being there and is truly an amazing experience. By the end of the nearly three hour show, the entire audience was on their feet for a standing ovation unlike any witnessed in recent memory at Bay Street. The show runs through August 6. Be sure to reserve your tickets early, as this show is clearly destined to be a consistent sellout.