THE BASICS: A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN, by Randy Johnson, directed by Megan Callhan, music direction by Karen Saxon, starring Samantha Hoy (alt. Casey Moyer) with “Joplinaires” Dasia Cervi, Danielle Green, Anika Pace, and Ember Tate-Steele. 9/11 – 10/3 Thu- Sat 7:30, also Sat 2:30. Presented by D’Youville Kavinoky Theatre, 320 Porter Ave. Buffalo (716) 829-7668 | kavinokytheatre@dyc.edu
RUNTIME: 2 hours including one intermission
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN is a concert-like experience, presented as a memory play narrated by Janis Joplin celebrating the women who inspired her including Bessie Smith, Odetta, Etta James, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, and The Chantels sung by a cast of four: Dasia Cervi, Danielle Green, Anika Pace, and Ember Tate-Steele. Of course it features Joplin’s iconic hits including “Piece of My Heart”, “Me and Bobby McGee”, “Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)” and more.
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, THE PRODUCTION: As Grace Slick (of The Jefferson Airplane) and Timothy Leary (of LSD fame) and others are said to have said: “If you remember the 60s, you weren’t really there” meaning that the 1960s were so intense, socially, politically, musically, and chemically that anyone who lived through the era wouldn’t have a neat, sober, orderly memory of it. That’s certainly the case with me, and I would add that there are at least two halves of “the 60s.” There was the early half, the time of white shirt and tie wearing political activists (civil rights marchers, SDS, the Mattachine Society). And the latter half of the 60s which is what most people mean when they say “the 60s,” the time of tie-dyed shirts and bell bottoms, of Woodstock and Grateful Dead tours, of Hippies, Be-ins, and psychedelic drugs.
My memory is that 1967 was the breakthrough year of widespread drug use which I call the “Sgt. Pepper Summer” when psychedelia went mainstream. That June, Janis Joplin exploded onto the national stage at the Monterey Pop Festival as Jimi Hendrix burned his guitar. And I went off to college. In 1968 the drug culture spread with music by The Doors, Cream, Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, and the group that would adopt Janis, Big Brother & the Holding Company. By the summer of 1969, at Woodstock, marijuana use was everywhere. And then we were off to the 70s, when Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison all died within 12 months. As I said, it was intense.
I admit I wasn’t Janis Joplin’s biggest fan but I had great respect for her after seeing her perform live. For some reason that I can’t remember, I didn’t get to see her concerts at my preferred venue, The Fillmore East, on February 11thand 12th 1969. That was where Janis unveiled the Kozmic Blues Band (a group assembled for her by her label), shifting from psychedelic rock to soul‑R&B. So I scrambled and got up the Hudson River to SUNY Albany for her February 14, show. I do clearly remember thinking that of course she would do a fantastic gig at the mecca of rock, the Fillmore East, but on a college campus would probably just “phone it in.” Boy, was I wrong. She gave it her all. And I remember thinking “this woman is a true professional.” And my attitude changed dramatically for the better.
And I learned something during the musical. I was predisposed to appreciate Janis Joplin because of my love of the San Francisco sound of the mid‑to‑late 1960s, the sonic world of Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and the Grateful Dead, all of whom I liked. I admit that Big Brother and the Holding Company weren’t on my radar, but as I learned in the musical, it was producer Chet Helms, who was managing them, who had the genius idea to bring Janis from Texas to San Francisco and to put her in front of the band. It was a clash of cultures, but it worked.
The other thing I learned during the musical at the Kavinoky was how much Black female singers shaped Joplin’s aesthetic. And what a treat it was to have those stars of the past brought back to life by the sizable talents of four of Buffalo’s go-to women of musical theater: Dasia Cervi, Danielle Green, Anika Pace, and Ember Tate-Steele. They were well assisted in creating that “theater magic” by Costume Designer Vivan DelBello and Hair & Wig Designer Amanda Steitz. Elevating the performances were a kick-ass on stage band, led from the keyboard by the very in-demand Karen Saxon, often as not busy leading gospel choirs. This show was well planned.
To be sure, the show is “A Night With Janis Joplin” not a Janis Joplin concert, so there is more explanatory material in between songs than at a typical Joplin concert where she kept her remarks short. Part of that was, believe it or not, insecurity. She craved audience adoration but only felt comfortable when singing. And of course, at a Janis Joplin concert you wouldn’t have Bessie Smith, Odetta, Etta James, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, or The Chantels on stage either. So, all in all, the evening has a good pace to it, thanks in part to director Megan Callahan.
When I went, the “alternate Janis” was Casey Moyer who did a fine job, sounding more and more like Janis as the evening progressed. I was told that the “main Janis,” Samantha Hoy, is stunning in her recreation of Joplin’s voice. So if that matters, you may want to call “the Kav” (716) 829-7668 to inquire who’s on that night. And,to continue the magic, you may want to know that both “Janis” performers sing locally with their bands. I believe that Casey Moyer’s band is “Back to the Bars.” And Samantha Hoy fronts for the Band “Bubblegun.”