The names James Baldwin, Miles Davis, and Maya Angelou loom large in our cultural memory, because they were among the vanguard of Black artists who began to thrive in the nooks and crannies of New York City in the mid-Twentieth Century. If you missed them, as I did, then you will love the Robey Theatre’s rendition of Last Night at Mikell’s, by the prolific Larry Muhammad. The production not only celebrates these icons, but it revives the memory of the equally iconic jazz joint, Mikell’s, an upper Westside watering hole that served as a meeting ground for musicians, poets, and artists of all stripes.
Mikell’s lasted for almost 30 years before surrendering to the neighborhood’s gentrification. But playwright Muhammad allows us to experience some of the allure, imagining Baldwin (an uncanny performance by Julio Hanson), a dragged out Miles Davis (Nick Gillie) and protective Maya Angelou (Raquel Rosser) descending on the place as Baldwin’s brother, David (James T. Lawson), is locking up for the last time. During the next few hours and into the morning, an ailing Baldwin alternatively cavorts with his friends, and reverts to writing furiously in a corner. Along the way, we are treated to remnants of Baldwin’s and Angelou’s writing, as well as some of Miles Davis’ musical licks.
Robey Theatre Artistic Director, Ben Guillory, orchestrates this piece, utilizing the theater space to best effect, with Mikell’s bathrooms up a steep staircase, and Baldwin’s writing nook tucked away off stage-left. Set designer Grant Gerrard brings the room back to life, centered on the bar, with tiny bandstand to the right. Costumes by Naila Aladdin place us in an amorphous mid-period between the 70s and 90s, and, as Miles’ memorable horn croons again through the efforts of Music Director Cydney Wayne and Trumpeter Nolan Shaheed, with enhancements from a kaleidoscope of street projections by Vanessa Fernandez, our journey back in time is completed. As a whole experience, it’s the next-best thing to having been ther
Last Night at Mikells continues Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 through May 11th at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Theatre 4, 415 S. Spring St., LA, 90013. Most tickets, $40, with student, senior and veteran tickets at $25. Purchase online: https://ci.ovationtix.com/28125/production/1231056.
