“The Jackie Wilson Story” 2026/505h Anniversary reviewed by Julia W. Rath

***** Black Ensemble Theater’s 50th Anniversary season goes gangbusters with the return of “The Jackie Wilson Story”, written and directed by Jackie Taylor. This show is one of Taylor’s best productions ever, with not enough superlatives to describe it! Longtime patrons may remember its original 2000 debut or the 2011 and 2016 revivals—as well as its national tour which began in 2002 and culminated at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater. For newcomers, the performance offers a vibrant introduction to one of the most electrifying entertainers of the 20th century. Taylor’s script makes clear that Wilson’s brilliance was undeniable, even as his personal choices and the pressures of the music industry complicated his path.

The story starts out in a stark hospital room. Two nurses—one seasoned, one younger—attend to the comatose Wilson, who has suffered from a stroke and is now suspended between life and death. They explain to each other (and to the audience, by default) that Wilson was once a famous singer, and they speculate whether he can hear them or not. Since they conclude that he is still conscious and aware of his surroundings but can no longer speak, maybe he should listen to music—and perhaps that might snap him out of his coma. This becomes the setup to observe the legendary R&B singer’s life in flashback. As the production sweeps backward in time, it traces Wilson’s rise, his demons, and the battles he fought onstage and off. It candidly yet sensitively confronts Wilson’s drinking, drug use, womanizing, and the conflicts he faced with the record executives who controlled so much of his fate in that era. Chapters from Wilson’s life are described not just with the aim of telling the audience more about his family, friends, and career but also as a moral lesson.

There could not have been a more compelling and versatile actor, singer, and dancer to play the role of this iconic entertainer than Jaitee Thomas! What vocal power and kinetic energy he exudes! What a magnetic personality! Thomas croons and does runs and achieves pitches as yet unknown with such gusto, and of course, there’s all his fancy footwork! Above all, Thomas’s sensuality lands with full force. Here we need to remember that Jackie Wilson introduced dance to popular song, which included hip gyrations—before Elvis and his promoters cut across racial lines to make this type of motion mainstream.

The cast surrounding Thomas is equally strong. Britt Edwards brings warmth and spunk to the role of Wilson’s wife, Freda. Rhonda Preston offers a grounded presence as Wilson’s mother, Eliza Mae, whose wonderful singing voice was the inspiration for her son’s talent. Solomon Langley convincingly plays the role of Sam Cooke, and Destin Warner delivers charm and humor as BB, Wilson’s loyal friend. Ensemble members include Dennis Dent, Vincent Jordan, Michaela Dukes, Raeven Carroll-Lavern, and Ben Woods. The score is a parade of nostalgia: “Baby Workout”, “Little Bitty Pretty One,” “Tweedlee Dee,” “He’s a Rebel,” “To Be Loved,” and “Lonely Teardrops”, among others. And the show builds toward the soaring “Higher and Higher.” Lyle Miller has done an outstanding job as the vocal arranger. Choreography by Breon Arzell is smooth and highly entertaining, not to mention accessible to the audience.

Most of all, Taylor’s direction remains straightforward, allowing the music and the incredible performances to predominate. Also, thanks to her efforts, the costumes shimmer with mid-century glamour. I especially liked how Wilson’s characteristic hairstyle has been successfully replicated by wig designer Dawn Crenshaw. (Remember Brylcreem?) Other wigs and hairpieces have been masterfully coifed to provide just the right curls, swirls, parts, and textures to mimic the styles worn by the original people whom this show is modeled after.

Denise Karczewski’s set and lighting design is spectacular: The simple but elegant and effective multipurpose set, with the band above, nicely sets the mood for each part of Wilson’s life story. I loved the forward and backward motion of center stage. Plus, the twirling areas of stage right and stage left create a flowing continuum from one scene to the next. This fairly blank stage allows for a palette of lights that beautifully frame both the slice of life events and the magnificent showstopper numbers. Not only is the background lighting of purples and turquoises just lovely at the beginning, but I also must mention DJ Douglass’s projection design and Daryl Brooks’s props. Sound design by Sean Alvarez and JaVaughn Hannah could not be better, for is not an easy thing to achieve just the right balance of vocals and instrumentals in combination, especially when the scenes change so quickly from one to the next. Unlike previous shows at Black Ensemble, today’s volume levels are perfect, because they remain consistent between spoken dialogue and singing (although I did have to wear a pair of earplugs). Moreover, the canned music before the show starts and between the two acts is not so loud so that audience members can carry on conversations.

Then too, the band, led by musical director and drummer Robert Reddick is excellent (as it always is). But what’s most important is how well the instrumental balance has been crafted. The tall plexiglass surrounding the trap set makes the sound of the drums not so intense relative to the other instruments, and this makes them blend in much better with the rest of the band. There is also an intermediate-sized plexiglass as a means of shielding the sound of the saxophone (Mark Felton), trumpet (Corey Wilkes), and trombone (Bill McFarland), relative to the guitar (Oscar Brown, Jr.), bass (Walter Harrington), and keyboard (Adam Sherrod), thus allowing the band not to overshadow the vocals. Also, the layout of the musicians and their instruments is great, with the guitars as part of the rock/rhythm section, strategically placed between the drums and keyboard.

The best part of the presentation is that you can just sit back and relax and let all your cares wash over you. Taylor’s lovingly revived production features dynamic performances by all and never skips a beat technically. It’s exciting. It’s terrific. It’s a one-of-a-kind wow experience!

THIS IS A DEFINITE MUST SEE!

“The Jackie Wilson Story” is playing through April 26, 2026, at Black Ensemble Theatre, 4450 N. Clark Street, Chicago.

Tickets: $65 + $4 convenience fee = $69
Juniors (17 and younger): $55 + $4 convenience fee = $59
Seniors (65 and older): $55 + $4 convenience fee = $59

Performance schedule:

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

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.blackensembletheater.org/thejackiewilsonstory.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “The Jackie Wilson Story”.