Feb. 28, 2009 – The James C. Savage Performing Arts Center at the Good Hope School will present, "Little Ham: A Harlem Jazzical," based on a play by Langston Hughes. The show, directed by Jan Hart, is a jazzy musical with a sassy and energetic cast, lively dancing and a finger-snapping jazz ensemble. The jazz musicians are Stan Joines, Mitch Hennes and Patrick Baron. "Little Ham" will have performances at 8 p.m., on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27 and 28; and at 8 p.m., on Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7. Tickets will be available at the door at $5 for students and $10 for adults.
Based on the play of the same name by Hughes, it is a comedy set in the late 1920s. It is a dramatic and sentimental portrait of a Harlem neighborhood where people hoped to supplement their hard-earned income with a little on the side from playing the numbers. For the musical stage, the time has been pushed forward to 1936 (the middle of the Depression). The cast of characters makes up a neighborhood family with a wide variety of beliefs and aspirations. There are the responsible young woman, the good-guy outlaw, hardworking small-business owners, the grandmother in her church crown and the snooty wife of a Pullman porter—but in the end they all manage to pull together for a common cause.
It's a musical show with swing tunes, ballads, a rambunctious church choir, a moody torch song and more.
For more information, call The Good Hope School at 772-0022.
