"The very first instrument we learn to use is the human voice. In “Lackawanna Blues,” Santiago-Hudson shows his expert prowess with his, which he uses to deliver music with his portrayal of the various personalities. He strings together a cadence, tone and rhythm into a piece of work that is equal parts narrative and song."
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"There is nothing revolutionary about Lackawanna Blues, but it is a loving and skillful evocation of a formidable Black woman and the community she was able to create, through the force of her character, in a world of lack and want."
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"Rather than mock the people from his past, Hudson-Santiago takes their flaws seriously and treats them like the main characters of the overall drama. Whether they be an autistic man menacingly searching for his jingly keys or a man whose tongue darts like a serpent’s between each word he takes or an eager party girl using her gyrating rump to lure in a mate, the play and actor revel in their humanity while avoiding caricature for the sake of cheap laughs. Their opportunities may have been scarce, but regardless of their circumstances, Lackawanna Blues refuses to treat its characters like props; rather the play honors them for no other reason than they are alive."
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"Lackawanna Blues is, after all, a memory play, and Santiago-Hudson makes no bones about presenting the ghosts (and occasional monster) of his childhood with an enveloping and inviting compassion. He does them proud."
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"A treat!...a restorative evening of Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s loving recollections of growing up in an upstate New York boarding house run by a life force known as Nanny."
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"Ruben Santiago-Hudson is a fine actor (and an even better director) but, at the beginning of Lackawanna Blues, he displays shapeshifting skills the likes of which I've never seen before."
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"How does Santiago-Hudson bring the crowd from his Lackawanna, New York youth to the stage...At this indisputable tour de force he’s immeasurably helped by his director. That’s to say by himself."
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"Santiago-Hudson is such a dynamic, charismatic performer that it’s easy to overlook the fact that the piece, more an assemblage of vignettes than a compelling narrative, is sometimes difficult to follow."
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