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HITS Daily Double

A PIECE OF HER HEART

Broadway's Janis Joplin Musical Enlivens L.A. Crowds

Everyone knows that series of scenes in Almost Famous, when William Miller goes out for a night on the (small) town with Russell from Stillwater to hang with “some real Topeka people.” Russell drinks from the red cups, which are of course laced with acid, and ends up rambling all night long before standing on the roof, arms outstretched, howling “I am a golden god!”

That’s the best way I can describe the vibe of Broadway musical A Night With Janis Joplin, which is currently doing a run at the Pasadena Playhouse. The audience is William, and Mary Bridget Davies (as Janis) is Russell.

She drags you by your somewhat reserved hand that has paled with the monotony of everyday life, she gets the party started and, most importantly, she keeps it real.

The show lacks a traditional narrative and is more like a conversation at the local dive bar, or a Kansas teenager’s house over LSD-enhanced beer. Breaking the fourth wall, Davies shares emotionally charged stories about Janis’ upbringing in Port Arthur, Texas, her family life, her art, the move to California, her transition from blues to rock n roll and how success eventually compromised what she promised herself as a newcomer; to be true to herself.

In between storytelling, the room is a full-blown concert. Davies, who was nominated for a Tony for this performance, sparkles brighter than the glitter used to embellish her crushed velvet blazer, and as my date (my mom) noted, “she brings her back to life.”

Jeff Jampol, who manages the late Janis' estate, shared "Mary Bridget Davies is one of the most incredible singers I've ever heard. It's interesting to me that she's not imitating Janis in the slightest. By completely opening herself up to the role, she ends up emulating Janis in an amazing and otherworldly way that lets listeners experience Janis Joplin through Mary Bridget...like it's not acting at all. It's a complete transformation, and Mary Bridget becomes a channel through which Janis comes out."

It isn’t just a Janis show, though. As she shares the myriad of musical inspirations she’s had throughout the different phases of her life, she’s joined onstage by them: Odetta (Sylvia Maccalla), Bessie Smith (Macalla), Aretha Franklin (Yvette Cason), Nina Simone (Cason) and Etta James (Jenelle Lynn Randall). The vocal performances are flooring, especially Davies’, as she sounds eerily synonymous to Janis herself; they even share the same growl.

She pours her heart and soul into a selection of classics, like Pearl’s “Cry Baby” and “Me and Bobby McGee, along with I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!’s “Maybe,” Cheap Thrills’ “Summertime” and “Piece of My Heart” (Big Brother and the Holding Company) and more.

All in all, it’s a charming insight into a faded memory that manages to put on an electrifying show, which literally brought the audience to their feet at times. That being said, it also stands as a testament to the communal pain and passion found in the blues and womanhood. “I just wanna feel as much as I can,” she pleads. “Nobody really feels the blues like the everyday woman.”