Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...I’ve seen “Blues in the Night,” which dates back to the 1980s, several times before. It’s one of the few revues to showcase the women of the blues and it’s elegantly staged here and with top-drawer local talent. This is just the kind of show that city promoters should grab (but rarely do); in the right tourist-friendly venue, it could run forever and offer the kind of Chicago blues showcase that differs from the clubs but is no less legit."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Fields is more than a decade out from her 2006 Tony nomination for playing Miss Sophia in "The Color Purple," but her voice is as powerful as ever. If anything, she's only gotten better in the intervening years, as numbers including the sensual "New Orleans Hop Scop Blues" and the deeply melancholic "Wasted Life Blues" make undeniably clear. Lynn's rich, warm alto is in glorious form. With "Rough and Ready Man," she goes full-throttle sex-positive with a vigorous celebration of the old axiom that dancing is a vertical expression of a horizontal desire. The bone-deep sorrow she instills within "Four Walls Interlude" will have you reaching for a hanky."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Individually and in harmony, the ladies-joined by a slick saloon singer (Evan Tyrone Martin) and a dancing gigolo (Terrell Armstrong)-tag-team their way through a marvelous collection of classic blues and jazz tunes by the likes of Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, Ida Cox, Jimmy Cox, Mack Gordon, and Vernon Duke."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...It's a down-and-out 1930s hotel populated by a weary and worn-out clientele. The hotel doesn't have a name, nor do its occupants. Black or white, they're all in the same familiar boat, adrift late into a never-ending day, just living the song they know so well. These are the denizens of "Blues in the Night," a sort of jukebox revue staged with existential grit by Porchlight Music Theatre."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Honoring legends of the past with contemporary panache, Blues in the Night is a wonderful night out. This talented quintet instantly captures your heart while you find yourself simultaneously tapping your toe along to the infectious rhythms of both familiar, and not so familiar, Blues standards. Adding this to their pre-pandemic repertoire which included an all-Black production of Gypsy, Call Me Madam, Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies and Pump Boys and Dinettes, Porchlight Music Theatre proves once again there is some "serious stompin' going on in Chicago." Trust me baby, you will be singing the Blues if you miss out on this winning combination of talent and tunes."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended
"...Blues in the Night is solely for those who love the blues. I grew up as a young twelve-year-old boy, listening to blues in a dark basement home of my uncle Jimmy, so this backdown memory lane musical was a treat. Blues in the Night will have you in that smooth, soulful state of mind where you are continuously tapping your feet and bobbing your head to the rhythm of the beat. "
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Conceived by Sheldon Epps, “Blues of the Night” is a perfect event to take in for Black History Month—and at any time of the year. And speaking of history, watching this performance at this moment in time means noticing an incredible coincidence. The dateline of the show is on the eve of what later became World War II, while today we are seeing this production on the eve of what could become World War III."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...Porchlight Music Theatre is once again doing what it does best: providing an enthralling afternoon or evening of music, directed and choreographed impeccably, and performed by an accomplished cast of triple threats. This revue, although it provides some thoughtful, melancholy moments, as well as a few laughs, has a storyline that’s shapeless, a bit confusing and, at times, uncertain. It does allow the audience to tap into their own experiences and use their individual imaginations to formulate a plot, but the story’s not always crystal clear. However, it’s the songs and the singers who absolutely sparkle in this production, and every one of them bring a polished glow to the Blues that are sung in the night."
Buzznews.net - Highly Recommended
"...David Fiorello's musical direction is brilliantly handled the task of telling several stories musically. The vocals were flawless, the harmonies were tight, and the sound perfectly matched the 1930s style. The band consists of Maulty Jewell IV doing double duty as pianist and conductor, Rafe Bradford on Bass, Ricardo Jimenez on Trumpet, Darius Hampton on Reeds and Harold Morrison on Drums. The band mixed seamlessly with the vocalists, creating the perfect atmosphere for an audience to be immersed in jazz and the blues."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...While these stars certainly shine bright, Blues in the Night would be nothing without its powerful ensemble numbers, namely ones featuring all three women of the hotel. Donica Lynn ("The Woman of the World") and Claire Kennedy ("The Girl with a Date") round out the trio with powerhouse voices that compliment Ms. Fields rather than overpower of shy away from her. A Porchlight regular who recently starred as Effie alongside Mr. Martin in Dreamgirls, Donica Lynn brings a gospel sensibility to her work, playing with runs that move up and down, spanning and showing off her enormous range."
PicksInSix - Highly Recommended
"...This show is loaded with a full beating heart. You will be moved by both the joyous celebration of faith and the steamy hot independence of character in every role. If you are a singer who wants to see what it’s like to own it on a major theatrical stage in Chicago, Porchlight’s “Blues in the Night” is your next destination. For everyone else, just get comfortable, sit back and soak all this loveliness in."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...The sparse book highlights how this is Black music - even by noting a White girl exception-and is mostly delivered by Fields as the one-time Chitlin' Circuit star who shares that the Theatre Owners Booking Association is better known as Tough on Black Asses. Robbed yes; broken no - this is music that summons stamina for another day. From Fields we learn that there is also a lot of room for raunch in her music. And if you have any doubt, plan to be educated by Fields summoning Bessie Smith's ghost to tell us double entendre style to Take Me on a Buggy Ride. Oh my, what she can communicate just by making her round eyes even rounder!"
BroadwayWorld - Recommended
"...When the four powerhouse singers in the ensemble deliver big on the blues, Porchlight's BLUES IN THE NIGHT proves itself to be a gem of a production."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Chicago's been home to a slew of jukebox musicals that work to recreate songs in their original versions. Those show charm with familiarity. Here's one that dusts off a couple dozen songs that will likely be new discoveries to most in the audience. It delivers them with fresh takes, by great performers and packages them in a show with atmosphere worth getting wrapped in."
