Playwright: Rueben D. Echoles in collaboration with Dawn Bless. At: Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark St. Tickets: 773-769-4451; www.blackensemble.org; $55-$65. Runs through: June 29
Don't scoff at one-hit wondersrecording artists whose reputations rest on a single high-profile success. Some composers, having said what they wanted to say, preferred to pursue their muse away from the distractions of the spotlight. The American pop repertoire abounds with OHWs identifying whole generations: warble "G-L-O-R-I-A" in an all-ages room and note the response.
The scenario for Rueben Echoles and Dawn Bless' new revue for Black Ensemble proposes a quartet calling itselfwhattaya know?the One Hit Wonders, currently rehearsing its show featuring a score of you-know-whats. Its progress is beset by the usual intrigue found in backstage fiction: Lisa struggles to free herself from her husband's bullying; Jason must decide whether to risk everything for a chance at going pro; and Michelle has her eye on fame and on director Michael, whose divorced music-biz parents find themselves joining the act, while his girlfriend Trina and the company stage manager strive to keep everything in order. Ohand Nolan, their choreographer, gets mugged by gay-bashers.
Back up and read that last sentence again. You don't need to wear flip-flops to count the number of non-het males typically encountered in entertainments targeting non-white audiences. Black Ensemble's long record of addressing issues often ignored within its demographic is hardly the evening's focus but, even so, consider the significance of opening-night audiences clapping on the very first backbeat of "I Will Survive" and welcoming the return of the intrepid hoofer ( played by a scrappy Yando Lopez ) with rousing cheers.
We don't come to Black Ensemble for the sermon or the spectacle ( although the scenic collage of iPods, cassettes and MP3s is undeniably clever ), but to hear a squadron of powerhouse vocalists lay down such benchmark chart-toppers as Brenda Russell's come-home-soldier-boy anthem "Get Here," Eddie Holman's wistful plea "Lonely Girl" and the giddy Weather Girls classic "It's Raining Men."
Donald Craig Manuel contributes an operatic "One in a Million You," Allie Jones does a seductive "Ring My Bell" and Mallory Maedke performs an appropriately Wagnerian "Total Eclipse of the Heart." BET veteran Lyle Miller brandishes an ice-cutting falsetto on "Cause I Love You" before switching effortlessly to a balladeer's croon for the mournful "Me and Mrs. Jones." Whether the refrain that lights up your nostalgia meter is "Follow Me" or "This is Why I'm Hot," you'll find it in this celebration of stars who dazzled us, if only momentarily, with their brightness.