The reviews are in for the Manhattan Theatre Club production of Lackawanna Blues, written by and starring Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The October 7 opening night at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre was canceled shortly before curtain, due to a recurring back injury sustained by Santiago-Hudson. The play had originally been scheduled to open September 28, but the initial injury bumped the opening to September 30. It was again postponed to October 7 as Santiago-Hudson continued to heal.
Written, performed, and directed by Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues is set in a 1950s boarding house outside of Buffalo. The artist brings to life over 20 characters in the solo performance, celebrating the housemother who raised him, Miss Rachel.
The show features original music by Bill Sims Jr., performed on stage by Grammy-nominated blues guitarist Junior Mack.
Read the reviews below.
Broadway News (Charles Isherwood)
Cititour.com (Brian Scott Lipton)
Did They Like It (Bedatri D.Choudhury)
New York Daily News (Chris Jones)
New York Magazine/Vulture (Helen Shaw)
New York Stage Review (David Finkle and Frank Scheck)
The New York Times (Maya Phillips)
Time Out New York (Adam Feldman)
Wall Street Journal (Terry Teachout)
Playbill will continue to update this article as reviews come in.
The creative team includes scenic designer Michael Carnahan, costume designer Karen Perry, lighting designer Jen Schriever, and sound designer Darron L West.
Lacakawanna Blues premiered Off-Broadway in 2001 and was adapted into a television film in 2005. Santiago-Hudson made his Broadway debut in 1992 in Jelly's Last Jam and won a 1996 Tony Award for his performance in Seven Guitars. He is slated to direct Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew—also at Manhattan Theatre Club—in 2022.
Broadway previews for Lackawanna Blues began September 14.
