Blues On Stage - Thunder Knocking On The Door

Thunder Knocking On The Door
@ The Guthrie Theater, February 27-March 28, 1998

Good Sister (Cheryl Alexander)
& Jaguar Dupree (Robert Barry Fleming)
Photo © Michal Daniel
All rights reserved

This blues musical, written by Keith Glover, directed by Marion McClinton and with most of the music written by Keb’ Mo’, proved to be a light and entertaining experience. I suppose one could look for deeper meanings in some of the symbolism, especially the key role the guitar played, but I just found this play to be fun. The acting by the five characters was very good with Robert Barry Fleming’s performance as Jaguar Dupree Jr. being a little over the top at times. But as my wife pointed out, that's what his character was all about and he did provide some amusing moments during the play. The music, however, was not quite what I expected. I thought there would be more raw delta blues than there was, even considering the time period this play was supposed to take placen (1966). The singing by the actors was excellent but more suited to a cabaret, not what you would expect to find in your typical blues club. It was more like actors singing blues, which is what they were. But I still found the entire production to be engaging with some good chuckles throughout and the music did add to the moods being created by the story.

Marvell Thunder (Eric Riley)
Photo © Michal Daniel
All rights reserved

The story is a take off of the "crossroads" legend where a blues performer sells his soul to the devil in exchange for some brilliant guitar skills. Keith Glover’s telling of this tale offers some interesting twists. It takes place in rural Alabama in 1966. Integration was still a struggle, poverty was common and rock had taken over the popular music scene. Marvell Thunder, played by Eric Riley, is a sympathetic devil figure/supernatural being, more impish than evil. He comes to town to win the second of two magic guitars once owned by the late father of Jaguar and Glory Dupree, played by Lovette George. Jaguar has just returned from up north where he has forsaken the blues and resorted to playing rock to make ends meet. He has also done the unthinkable. He has lost one of the twin guitars made by his father (Glory has the other one) in a "cutting contest" to you-know-who. His twin sister, Glory, is blind and still lives at home with her mother Good Sister Dupree, played by Cheryl Alexander. The fifth character is Dregster Durpee, played by Charles Weldon, who is the brother of Good Sister Dupree’s late husband and current suitor to Good Sister. Dregster also provided much of the humor found in the play.

Marvell Thunder (Eric Riley)
& Glory Dupree (Lovette George)
Photo © Michal Daniel
All rights reserved

The build-up to the final "guitar cutting contest" to be held down where the two roads cross, offered many entertaining moments with some superb singing and acting, especially by Cheryl Alexander as the mother. The climax held at the crossroads, however, was anti-climatic, and the final outcome of the play was predictable. The live music offered some pretty good guitar playing by Bill Roberts and Robert Stanton, more rock/blues oriented however. The rest of the band was made up of Anderson Edwards on bass, Thomas West on keyboards and David James Stanock on drums. We never did see the musicians as they were hidden behind an attractive transparent backdrop. So would I recommend you see this play when it comes to town again? Definitely, just keep an open mind, enjoy the performance for what it offers and don’t expect a gritty blues show.

E-mail Ray Stiles at: mnblues@aol.com

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Copyright © 1998 by Ray M. Stiles
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.