Theater Review: Playing Hot

Playing Hot‘s unique experience begins in a park in Manhattan where you receive a (Mardi Gras) bead necklace to wear. This is your unconventional-yet-perfect ticket to the show. Then a brass band suddenly appears, playing loudly and accompanied by cast members decked out in colorful outfits. Leading everyone in a music and dance-filled Mardi Gras parade to the theater a few blocks away, the party has begun.

Stepping into the small theater, there are drinks and everyone is encouraged to mingle and move around the space. With stages in each corner of the room, the story of Buddy Bolden, the inventor of jazz, unfolds.

Presented as a tour through Bolden’s history in New Orleans (thanks to New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park Ranger Karen, played by Emma Meltzer), we quickly move through his life, meeting his demons, hearing his glorious music, and discovering cultural and musical moments influenced by Bolden’s jazz. It’s almost like the show is a way to actively learn about this lesser-known piece of jazz history while also having a fun evening out.

Photo Credit: Suzi Sadler

Playing Hot was created by Kevin Armento and Jaki Bradley and written by Armento and C.A. Johnson. Not much is known about Bolden–except for what can be gleaned from some interviews with folks who played music with him (which you can hear snippets of in the show); the other thing known about him is that, at the age of 30, he was committed to a mental asylum and died there twenty-four years later. So, since we don’t know much about his life, Playing Hot is not just about Bolden; it’s about his legacy. It weaves in examples of how jazz has influenced music through the ages (including Queen Bey’s “Crazy in Love”). Needless to say, the dance breaks where cast members weave in and out of the crowd encouraging audience members to let loose make for a lively show.

It’s also worth noting that the joyful, exciting, and funny moments are tempered by serious ones, particularly when Bolden enters the asylum (and the show explicitly points out they are fictionalizing what they think happened since there is no documentation).

The performers are all solid, particularly the musicians. The music is fabulous. The cast seamlessly performs multiple characters throughout the show, from characters like Don Marquis (Eric R. Williams), a biographer of Buddy Bolden’s, and Bill O’Reilly (Fernando Contreras) to Bolden’s mother (Cristina Pitter). They are all energetic performers, and their joy in performing is contagious. The exception to playing multiple characters is Linton Smith II who only plays Buddy Bolden. While Smith is not the best actor in the ensemble, he plays the coronet really well and comes alive as Bolden in those scenes. The rest of the great ensemble includes Danté Jeanfelix, Roi King, and Monique St. Cyr.

Part play, part dance party, and part jazz concert, Pipeline Theater’s Playing Hot is an invigorating theatrical experience.

For more information on Playing Hot and for tickets, click here. 

Featured Photo’s Photo Credit: Marcus Middleton