Critical Response
Frank Rich in his New York Times review of the 1982 revival, wrote: "The sad truth is that not even the plainest theatrical formulas are as easy as they look - and Blues in the Night, the new revue at the Rialto, is the not-so-living proof. The 25 blues numbers in this show...are often first-rate. The stars - Leslie Uggams, Jean Du Shon and Debbie Shapiro - are talented. The format - no dialogue, a minimum of dancing - is a model of economy. Yet Blues in the Night proves a bland evening that mainly serves to remind us just how much imagination went into its seemingly similar, far more fiery predecessors. Sheldon Epps, who "conceived" the revue and directed it, may well be responsible for what's gone wrong, but his basic notion isn't bad: Blues is set in a cheap hotel in 1938 Chicago (modestly designed by John Falabella) where the three stars occupy separate, shabby rooms. Yet the women remain anonymous throughout - they are called simply Woman No. 1 and so on in the Playbill - and, even when they sing together, they don't interact."
Read more about this topic: Blues In The Night (musical)
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