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| E.H. Wright, Martha Flowers, Barbara Montgomery, Howard Porter. (Photo: Amnon Ben Nomis.) |
Following an
enthusiastic review from the Times
for its Off-Off Broadway showing at La Mama E.T.C., Thoughts ventured forth as a regular Off-Broadway show, with the
same cast, a month later. Once more Clive Barnes sang its praises, but neither
his notice nor several other positive ones induced the public to keep the show
alive.
Thoughts is a brief, simple, nostalgic, autobiographical account of
a Black musician’s (Howard Porter) youth and developing maturity as the son of
a poor Montgomery, Alabama, pastor. The boy is seen growing up in a series of
vignettes with other local characters until he makes a success of himself in
New York show biz.
Lamar Alford wrote the
entire musical, except for some lyrics, and Barnes and others were generally mpressed. Thoughts is essentially bookless
and tells its story through “gospel, country, and hard-rock rhythms,” wrote
Walter Kerr. Barnes found the revelation of the musician’s travails surviving
in a white world throbbing with “style, guts and compassion,” and he deemed the
music “vibrantly and defiantly effective.” Kerr also saw much of value, but he
was unenthusiastic about the work’s inconclusiveness, its lack of “emotional
overtones,” and the incompletely realized characters.
Among the better-known players were Barbara Montgomery and Mary Alice.
Note: Michael Schultz
restaged the show for Off Broadway, while the original director, Jan Mickens,
took credit for its “musical staging.”
Next up: Three By Ferlinghetti
