The Milwaukee Rep opens its Stackner Cabaret season with the impressive rhythm-and-blues tribute From My Hometown. With charm and charisma, the three-man ensemble finds the essence of roughly 35 R&B classicssome better known than others. "Land of a Thousand Dances" and "Who's That Lady" share the same space as "Cool Jerk" and "I'm Your Puppet."
A staged musical tribute covering this much ground runs the risk of being little more than a tribute concert with costumes, but the production team that created this show in the late '90s did a great job of weaving plot and characters around the songs. Each of the three main characters comes from a different section of the country. Memphis (Jonathan Butler-Duplessis), Philly (Mykal Kilgore) and Detroit (Maurice Murphy) have all come to New York to audition at the Apollo. The characters take turns leading songs by artists from their home cities. Under the direction of Kevin Ramsey, the ensemble keeps it casual without compromising the showmanship that makes for an entertaining cabaret show.
From My Hometown isn't afraid to move away from the expected, either. "Working in the Coal Mine" and "Chain Gang" are stirringly paired up and performed in a way that deviates from the style that made them popular. In the show's most powerful dramatic moment, an emotionally obliterated Detroit performs a version of "Ooh, Child" that is absolutely haunting.
The Milwaukee Rep's production of From My Hometown runs through Oct. 30 at the Stackner Cabaret. For ticket reservations, call 414-224-9490.
