In part, the rock and roll revolution was a rebellion against the stifling post-war comfort of ticky tacky neighborhoods and manicured uniformity. In the 1950s and ’60s, the music of African American culture was re-branded as the white counterculture — a key figure in this history is Janis Joplin, who defied both the look and sound of mainstream expectations. Her smokey, rolling growl and her unrestrained passion on stage made her an icon.
In Ensemble Theatre Company’s production of A Night with Janis Joplin, Joplin is played with effortless authenticity by Mary Bridget Davies. This theatricalized concert experience (written by Randy Johnson, co-directed by Davies and Brian McDonald) is effective and engaging thanks to a quirky, disarming personality in Joplin (a role model of feminism way ahead of her time); a tight, well-designed concept that walks the line between theater and concert; and killer vocals from the entire cast that blew minds in the audience.
Mary Bridget Davies, Sade Ayodele, Jenna Gillespie Byrd, Melissa Musique, and Sha’leah Nikole Stubblefield in ‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ presented by Ensemble Theatre Company | Photo: Loren Haar 
Mary Bridget Davies, Sade Ayodele, Jenna Gillespie Byrd, Melissa Musique, and Sha’leah Nikole Stubblefield in ‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ presented by Ensemble Theatre Company | Photo: Loren Haar 
Sade Ayodele, Jenna Gillespie Byrd, Melissa Musique, and Sha’leah Nikole Stubblefield in ‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ presented by Ensemble Theatre Company | Photo: Loren Haar 
The cast of ‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ presented by Ensemble Theatre Company | Photo: Loren Haar 
Sade Ayodele, Jenna Gillespie Byrd, Melissa Musique, and Sha’leah Nikole Stubblefield in ‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ presented by Ensemble Theatre Company | Photo: Loren Haar 
‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ presented by Ensemble Theatre Company | Photo: Loren Haar 
Mary Bridget Davies in ‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ presented by Ensemble Theatre Company | Photo: Loren Haar 
Mary Bridget Davies in ‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ presented by Ensemble Theatre Company | Photo: Loren Haar 
Mary Bridget Davies, Sade Ayodele, Jenna Gillespie Byrd, Melissa Musique, and Sha’leah Nikole Stubblefield in ‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ presented by Ensemble Theatre Company | Photo: Loren Haar
Nominated for a Tony Award for this role when the show was on Broadway, Davies takes the audience to church. Joplin’s chipper wistfulness coupled with her brash presentation and unique talent creates a deep and layered picture of a character, detectable through her musical performances and casual, interstitial banter rather than typical scenes. Her story includes an ensemble of four incredible vocalists (Sade Ayodele, Jenna Gillespie Byrd, Melissa Musique, and Sha’leah Nikole Stubblefield) who play a variety of Joplin’s personal inspirations, such as soul and blues singers Odetta, Nina Simone, and Aretha Franklin.
The fascinating trick of this production is perfectly balancing elements of theater and concert. Theatrically, the show is a well-produced, well-choreographed simulacrum of a rock show. As a concert, the spontaneity and emphasis on unconstrained expression overlays neatly on those narrative bones.
Don’t miss A Night with Janis Joplin at the New Vic Theatre through April 26. See etcsb.org.
