Starting off the new Geffen Playhouse season is Stephen
Jeffreys’ “I Just Stopped By to See the Man,” a
three-person play about the power of the blues.
“The Mod Squad” alum Clarence Williams III stars as
Jesse, an old blues music legend living in obscurity in the
trenches of the Mississippi Delta. Jesse’s life is thrown
into disorder with the arrival of Karl (Donovan Leitch), a British
rock star who uses Jesse’s old songs as his inspiration.
Good writing and clever dialogue are well executed by all cast
members and are the main features that keep this play alive. It is
also the only device that ever changes; the setting, being entirely
within the walls of Jesse’s living room except for a couple
short clips of Karl’s concert arenas projected on a screen in
front of the stage.
Williams gives a convincing portrayal of a reclusive legend, and
in parts, the blues spark a fire in Jesse’s soul, mostly
thanks to Karl’s encouragement.
Leitch also successfully pulls off the British rock star persona
(not much of a stretch, considering the actor is also the lead
singer of the rock band Nancy Boy), complete with mullet and tight,
leather pants.
However, Jesse’s fugitive daughter, Della, played by
JoNell Kennedy, bemoans the issue of race to an extreme, tiring out
both the characters and the audience. Her way of viewing everything
in literal black and white casts a negative tint on the friendship
between Jesse and Karl, and feels like an unnecessary addition to
the plot.
The friendship between the rock star and retired legend feels
genuine, but the entire way in which they are drawn together is
unrealistic, making the whole concept seem clever but silly. But
the play does manage to demonstrate the strong power the blues have
over each of the characters.
“I Just Stopped By to See the Man” runs through
Oct. 19 at the Geffen Playhouse.