“Hitt Records” Reviewed by Julia W. Rath

***** “Hitt Records” is a hit with the whole audience! Written and directed by Daryl D. Brooks, this splendid show features hit songs previously performed by a diverse mix of top artists from the 1970s and early 1980s: many of whom are African-American.

The premise behind this jukebox musical is excellent. Two brothers (whose last name happens to be Hitt) own a vintage record shop that sells CDs, tapes, and vinyl. Since listening to music in these formats has become quite profitable in 2024, James Hitt (Vincent Jordan) and his brother Charles (Dennis Dent) have just decided to employ their nephew Vincent (Destin Warner) to help with the inventory and sort the recordings according to genre. While we watch the dynamics between the two brothers and their nephew, we also watch customers constantly go in and out of the record store, often perusing the old albums and album covers. Each customer might ask for something specific or not, and they might know something about the music that they are looking for or perhaps not. That’s where the Hitt brothers come in. They explain the history of where a lot of popular music comes from, who the recording artists and songwriters are, and what record label the songs can be found on. And of course, the audience learns from their explanations—and so does their nephew! What the nephew doesn’t realize is that a lot of the music we hear today has its roots in the artists of the past. After all, performers like Beyoncé were not born in a vacuum!

Britt Edwards, Rhonda Preston, and Qiana McNary excellently portray The Pointer Sisters singing “Jump” and “I’m So Excited.” McNary’s imitation of Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” is great, and Devaughn Loman does a fine impersonation singing Bob Marley’s reggae songs “Get Up, Stand Up” and “No Woman, No Cry.” Dwight Neal’s rendition of “When a Man Loves a Woman” is very provocative, and I particularly loved Michael Lunder’s performance of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” and Hall and Oats “Rich Girl.” The show also includes hits from Curtis Mayfield, Alexander O’Neal, Shalamar, The Brothers Johnson, Percy Sledge, and many, many more! There are so many great songs, which make for a very entertaining and lively production.

Denise Karczewski’s set design is brilliant. A good portion of the time, the set consists of the interior of a record shop, featuring lots of album covers throughout. CDs line shelves on the brick wall in back also, and, of course, we see several appropriate posters. On both sides of the stage are two doors, one of which leads to the “outside”, where customers come in and out. The other door leads to the “stockroom” where we see Vincent hauling items in a plastic crate. Basically, when a specific record or recording artist is mentioned, a large platform on the stage spins: The store vanishes, and instead we see the vocalists perform with a wall of platinum records behind them. The spinning stage is a simple but elegant way of handling a jukebox musical without making the story seeming forced, and it allows the vocalists the time and space to change costumes and assemble themselves behind the scenes. In addition, Karczewski’s lighting design could not have been better. She has done a great job alternating from the flat lighting of the storefront to the stage lighting that highlights each of the various entertainers. The set also contains two windows above each of the doors, which provide a view to the outdoors much of the time. But it is due to DJ Douglass’s projection design that these windows also give the audience a preview of an individual or music group or a record label before featuring a particular song. While often quite informative, the projections also ease off at just the right moments. We usually see abstract colors or shapes in these windows while any one group is performing. Then as the stage turns counter-clockwise and the vocalists disappear from view, an outdoor scene returns to both windows.

Perched on a balcony between the two windows are the stage musicians. They consist of Adam Sherrod (keys), Eric Troy (keys), Myron Cherry (drums), Oscar Brown, Jr. (bass/band leader), Charles “Chip” Dubose (guitar), Dawon Washington (saxophone), Antwan Washington (trumpet), and Bill McFarland (trombone). The music director is Robert Reddrick, and the choreographer is Christopher Chase Carter. Sound design is by Sean Alvarez. (And be sure to pack a pair of earplugs with you.)

Evelyn Danner has done a bang-up job with the costumes! In particular, I liked the multi-colored abstract women’s dresses when the women sang Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family”, and then there were the men’s outfits all in white (including matching white shoes) when Lyle Miller, Dwight Neal, Devaughn Loman, Trequon Tate, and Jaitee Thomas imitated The Temptations. And we saw the same men wear red glitter suits when imitating The Spinners. The costume changes are many and frequent, not to mention changing out the diverse wigs and hats donned by the vocalists. The same performer may come into the store as a customer wearing casual clothes and shortly thereafter sing a number wearing a glamorous outfit.

What’s so marvelous about “Hitt Records” is that it can be understood on many different levels. It’s perfect if you just love listening to the music or want to reminisce about songs from an earlier part of your life. It’s also quite informative if you want to know something about the history and origins of popular music, such as R&B songs and disco. Above all, it can get a new generation of young people to appreciate the music of their elders. When the two Hitt brothers provide words of wisdom, they explain that everybody knows something about something and each one of us can become better schooled in what we don’t already know. In the process of having their nephew learn their business, Vincent also learns valuable life lessons, such as what it means to have a work ethic and not to partake in drug use. These are messages that the audience takes away as well.

Kudos to Jackie Taylor for her efforts in organizing this production. Because she had a prior commitment, I missed seeing her during the show’s opening performance. But on this special occasion, another star took her place: Mayor Brandon Johnson was seated right above us in the balcony!

The world premiere of “Hitt Records” is playing through January 26, 2025, at Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark Street, in Chicago.

Tickets are $56.50-$66.50 (fees included).

Performance schedule:

Fridays at 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sundays at 3:00 p.m.

For more information and to purchase tickets, see https://blackensembletheater.org/ or phone 773-769-4451 or visit the Black Ensemble Theater Box Office, 4450 N. Clark Street.

Valet parking is available for $13 (cash only)

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Hitt Records:.

Note : I attended the performance on Sunday afternoon, two people during the second half were standing in an aisle where they thought nobody saw them or heard them. I kept hearing their unrelated conversations and a cell phone constantly going off. This was too much of a distraction. My recommendation (for what it’s worth) is to decrease the volume of the walk-in music (while people are taking their seats) and to draw everyone’s attention to a brand new message with having to do with turning off cell phones, etc.

Here’s a thought about suggested wording: “Hey folks! We’d like you to get into the spirit of today’s performance. And it’s great if you respond like you’re in church. But our performers can’t compete with your conversation with your neighbor or with your ringtone. So unless you want to be the star of the show, please silence your phone now. Also, please take a brief moment to find the location of the nearest exit in case of an emergency. Now sit back and enjoy the show!”