I recently bought a remarkable three-CD set called “This May Be My Last Time Singing: Raw African-American Gospel on 45 RPM, 1957-1982.” It’s a compilation of 72 small-label or self-released recordings made by church congregations, evangelists, and beyond-obscure groups with names like the Skylifters and Little Midget & the Morning Stars.
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Urgency and high stakes also happen to be components of compelling drama—which may help account for the success of Regina Taylor’s Crowns, a musical that derives most of its impact from a whole bunch of gospel classics like “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” and Sam Cooke’s “Touch the Hem of his Garment.” After premiering in 2002, the show went on to become one of the most produced musicals of the last decade.
The show is loosely based on Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats, a coffee-table book published in 2000, featuring black-and-white photographs by Michael Cunningham and profiles of the subjects written by Craig Marberry. Taylor wove the text into monologues that she divvied up among five women who, at least on the page, aren’t easy to distinguish from one another. They acquaint us with the finer points of hat-queen etiquette (rule number one: never, but never touch a woman’s headwear) and describe their hats’ various functions as status symbol, self-expression, and link to both the recent past (mothers, grandmothers) and a more remote heritage (Africa).
Through 8/12: Tue 2 PM, Wed 7 PM, Thu 2 and 7:30 PM, Fri 8 PM, Sat 8 PM, Sun 2 and 7:30 PM, Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, 312-443-3800, goodmantheatre.org, $29-$82.
