Playwright: Jackie Taylor & Jimmy Tillman
At: Black Ensemble Theater at Uptown Hull House, 4520 N. Beacon St.
Phone: (773) 769-4451; $32.50
Runs through: April 13
He's a tall man—nearly six-and-a-half feet—wearing a four-button coat, singing in a raspy nasal roar with his eyes bugged out and his head canted at a hangman's angle, pacing the stage in a loose-limbed, splay-footed crouch like a duck in Beelzebub's barnyard. The woman fated to marry him recalls in retrospect that she was 'nearly scared to death' at her first sight of him.
This is not how we envision a fairy-tale prince, nor does a story entitled Howlin' At The Moon indicate that romance will be its theme. But the focus of Jackie Taylor and Jimmy Tillman's 'bluesical' biodrama is not so much the career of Chester Arthur Burnett—under the sobriquet 'Howlin' Wolf' renowned as one of the greatest blues interpreters of all time—but the exemplary relationship shared by the unassuming artist with the wife who would be his rock, his beacon, and his comfort until his death in 1976.
A bluesman who didn't drink or smoke, never cheated on his spouse, attended church regularly, and wisely opted to collect royalties on his records might not seem the stuff of legend—unlike his alleged rival, McKinley Morganfield (aka 'Muddy Waters'). But between them, they introduced the songs now comprising standard repertoire for blues bands the world over—'Hoochie Coochie Man,' 'Spoonful,' 'Little Red Rooster,' 'Sitting On Top Of The World'—inspiring a legion of young imitators, black and white, like the Paul Butterfield Band, the Yardbirds, and the Rolling Stones (though the best Wolfman impersonator would be a pint-sized Newcastle boy named Eric Burdon).
Rick Stone embraces his title character with a gusto that renders the actor and his persona indistinguishable. No less impressive is Desla Epison, who delivers a dynamic performance as the indomitable Lillie Burnett, with Dwight L. Neal's Muddy Waters, Qween Roy Wicks' KoKo Taylor and Stephanie Crystal's Lady Blue providing muscular support. But the foundation on which this towering ensemble is built is the orchestra assembled by Jimmy Tillman—in particular, Paul O'Neal on mouth-harp. All elements unite on the powerhouse 'Got My Mojo Workin'' that closes the first act. Ow-wow-WOOOOOO!!!