On Kentucky Avenue: A Celebration of Atlantic City's Club Harlem
Historic Club Harlem roars back to life as City College Center for the Arts (CCCA) presents a special return engagement of On Kentucky Avenue: A Celebration of Atlantic City’s Famed Club Harlem at Aaron Davis Hall in New York begin now through July 28. The show, which thrilled audiences when it premiered at Aaron Davis Hall in 2016, offers viewers a glimpse inside the celebrated nightclub that was the center of nightlife in Atlantic City’s segregated Northside beginning in the 1930s. On Kentucky Avenue: A Celebration of Atlantic City’s Famed Club Harlem was created by Jeree Wade, written by Adam Wade and Ty Stephens, and is directed by Lee Summers.
Hailed as “a party you don’t want to miss” by Broadway star Maurice Hines, On Kentucky Avenue transports audiences through time to the heyday of Club Harlem and offers them a fictional musical inspired by a real place: Kentucky Avenue, the center of African-American life in Atlantic City. Opened in 1935, Club Harlem quickly became the number-one destination for black performers in Atlantic City, presenting shows featuring jazz musicians, singers, dancers, comedians, and more. At its zenith—in the’40s, ’50s, and ’60s— the club played host to such legends as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Sammy Davis Jr., Richard Pryor, Frank Sinatra, Moms Mabley, Jerry Lewis, Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington, and the Temptations.
In this reimagined view of life On Kentucky Avenue, the setting is 1969, during dress rehearsal. A love triangle emerges between impresario Ivan King (Ty Stephens), his lead showgirl Betty Jo Stanton (N’Kenge) and her best friend the featured female vocalist, Pauline Pierce (Andricka Hall). (Ramona Dunlap performs the role of Pauline Pierce on Friday, July 27.) The revival introduces a new character to audiences, Homer Paisley (Count Stovall), sure to entertain viewers even as he antagonizes Ivan and the Club Harlem performers. With this new arrival, they are forced to face a reality they hoped to avoid: In life everything must change and the last good times at Club Harlem are upon them. Creator Jeree Wade makes a special appearance as the only nonfictional character in the show, Damita Jo, a popular singer who often opened the summer entertainment season there.
The production also features Lee Summers as Slappy Black, a nod to real-life comedian Slappy White, who played the club. The ensemble includes Donna Clark, Mindy Haywood, Cassandra Palacio, Carmen Carriker, Avery Royal, Jamal Shuriah, and Phillip Deceus. Providing the musical soul each night is the Freddie Baxter Band: Richard Cummings Jr., as Freddie Baxter (piano/conductor), Wilbur Bascomb as Odell Craft (bass), and David Silliman on drums, John F. Adams on synthesizer and Marvin Horne on guitar.
On Kentucky Avenue is produced by Adam Wade, with scenic design by Ty Stephens, Piero Ramos and Yvette Spellman, choreography by Ty Stephens, swing choreographer and tap consulting by Mickey Davidson, costume design by Pearl Williams and Ty Stephens and musical direction by Richard Cummings Jr.
Performances run through July 28, Thursday and Fridays at 7 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at www.citycollegecenterforthearts.org or in person at the Aaron Davis Hall box office Tuesday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m.
