Milwaukee recording artist Eric Beaumont (aka Eric Blowtorch) collaborated with his father, Texas A&M emeritus history professor Roger Beaumont, on a radio play in the form of an operetta. Neither had written in either genre before, but both have led prolific lives, Eric as a songwriter and Roger as the author of a dozen non-fiction books. A recording of the play, The Ethiopian Ball , will be broadcast on WMSE. A host of prestigious Milwaukeeans contributed their talent, including jazz singer Adekola Adedapo, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra violinist Glenn Asch, Kings Go Forth trumpeter Eric Jacobson, Vincent Maslowski providing technical service (he has assisted filmmaker Frankie Latina) and a cast of respected thespians, alt rock musicians and Wisconsin Conservatory of Music faculty members.
What’s The Ethiopian Ball all about?
The Ethiopian Ball actually happened—my dad learned about it through his research—in February of 1782, just before the end of the Revolutionary War, when British officers and emancipated African women gathered at a ball. One way black women could emancipate themselves at that time was to go into private enterprise—in this case, a brothel. But we can’t find much about the event in the sources …
So it’s a fictionalized account?
In large part. My dad was always interested in Show Boat —how a popular work of fiction was able to discuss racism and be so successful at that time [the 1930s]. He started thinking how powerful Show Boat was, and began working on a treatment for The Ethiopian Ball .
And your role was the music?
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Right. It became clear that since a heavy element of political satire was involved, the music should be lighthearted, at least in Act One. It reminded me of the Gilbert and Sullivan records I grew up with—light comic opera. I took that style of music and infused it with touches of blues and gospel. I wanted to keep it simple but that said, it includes a variety of instruments—piano, harpsichord, pump organ, violin, viola, French horn … In the second act, the music is moodier. When the topic is a society where slavery is a fixed institution, you have to get serious.
Any surprises working with your father?
It was a delightful shock to me what melodic, rhythmic quality his words had. I saw that my dad might be a better lyricist than I am!
Why choose to do it as a radio play?
People suggested we do it as a reading and present it to drama companies. The people I wanted for the reading were so busy—if we were going to pay them for their time anyway, why not record it in a proper studio for posterity? When I approached [WMSE station manager] Tom Crawford about it, two minutes into my explanation, he said: “We’d be delighted to air it.”
The Ethiopian Ball will be broadcast at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15 on WMSE, 91.7 FM.
