in the summer of 2011 i played bass guitar and double bass for it ain't nothin' but the blues, at new haarlem arts theatre in harlem, alongside my friend brett pontecorvo.

the company was new that year. city college's department of theatre and speech had just started it, and this was part of the opening season. alfred preisser directed, having founded the classical theatre of harlem and run it for its first decade, and jeffrey bolding was the musical director. the show is a revue rather than a book musical, so there is no plot to follow and no scene to underscore. as the times put it, the songs "remain front and center". we played from a side-stage pit rather than out of sight under one, in costume, with the cast coming over to work with us through the evening.

previews began on 27 july, the show opened on the 30th, and the run was held over a week past its announced close, to 28 august. the new york times was mixed on the evening but found "lots of standout moments" in it, from "a strong, nicely varied cast". that november the production tied for musical production of the year at the audelco awards, with tracy jack winning for choreography.

the times review · broadwayworld on the production · playbill on the company's launch · the audelco nominations · new haarlem arts theatre