Gary’s musical story merges with classic rhythm and blues in “The Signal: A Doo Wop Rhapsody.”
The unique piece of theater pays homage to Gary-born Vee Jay Records, a trailblazing black-owned label that paved the way for Motown Records and released the first Beatles records in America.
Having hit the road for several years, “The Signal: A Doo Wop Rhapsody” heads into southern Michigan for a 4 p.m. (EDT) Aug. 21 performance at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks.
“It’s a whole lot of fun; it’s very uplifting,” said Henry Farag, owner of Merrillville-based Canterbury Productions, which is dishing no less than 20 throwback tunes in what is billed as a “jukebox musical.”
The show’s narrative spins out the real-life experiences of Farag as a boy, and the roots of his infatuation with vintage R&B that grew from a simple, makeshift radio he had.
Farag’s production zeros in on Vivian Carter, matriarch of Vee Jay Records and a pioneering black female radio personality who was a disc jockey at Gary’s WWCA.
Promotional material states the show illustrates how a piece of electronic equipment “captures a radio wave, a signal — transporting an 11-year-old boy into the world of Vivian’s music.”
With a band providing backup for vocalists, “The Signal: A Doo Wop Rhapsody” will roll out numerous songs that were released on the Vee Jay label, including “Baby What You Want Me to Do” by blues great Jimmy Reed, and the doo-wop flavored “Duke of Earl,” which gave Gene Chandler a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s pop chart in 1962.
“It’s good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll,” said Farag, a Lakes of the Four Seasons resident.
He wrote and directs “The Signal: A Doo Wop Rhapsody,” which features a cast of nine that includes Hammond’s Willie Rogers, an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame through his membership in the Soul Stirrers.
The Soul Stirrers rank as an iconic gospel group that helped launch the career of the legendary Sam Cooke, whom Rogers performed with.
At the Three Oaks show, Rogers will sing Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” a soulful civil-rights anthem from the ’60s.
“The song is a message song,” Rogers, 76, said.
Although laced with melancholy, “A Change is Gonna Come” also touted a brighter horizon for racial equality.
More Top Picks Best Non Gel Cooling Pillows For Side Sleepers
“It’s timeless,” Rogers said.
He lauds Farag’s show for tracing the story of Vivian Carter, who headed a diverse label that — in the ’50s and ’60s — released everything from the mainstream New Jersey pop of the Four Seasons to important gospel recordings by the Original Blind Boys of Alabama and Swan Silvertones.
Another momentous achievement by Vee Jay was the release — in early 1963 — of the first Beatles record in America, “Please Please Me.”
While remembering the music of the Liverpool lads, “The Signal: A Doo Wop Rhapsody” will likewise perform fare by two notable Gary natives: Michael Jackson and the Spaniels, who are known for the seminal doo-wop ballad, “Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite.”
Farag was scheduled to bring “The Signal” to Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications for three performances this month.
However, he canceled those dates because of technical issues in the performance area that involved sound and lighting.
He is hoping to bring the production to the Windy City at another time.
“We’re looking at various theaters right now,” the producer said.
“The Signal: A Doo Wop Rhapsody” has played Chicago in the past, in addition to several other stops in the Midwest, including an engagement at Theatre at the Center in Munster.
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance writer.
‘The Signal: A Doo Wop Rhapsody’
Where: Acorn Theater, 107 Generations Drive, Three Oaks, Mich.
When: 4 p.m. EDT Aug. 21
Tickets: $25 and $30
Information: 269-756-3879 or acorntheater.com/