By Petal Samuel
With two round tables, a full bar, impressive live instrumentation (piano, drums, and trumpet, by Austin Woodlin, Olu Oladapo, and Cornelius Range respectively), and the cool glow of the “Lenox Lounge” sign glowing in the background of the set, the audience was immersed into the world of 1930’s New York City, at the heart of the Harlem Renaissance, as soon as the lights rose on the set. 
When the emcee of the show, Daddy Lenox (played by Colin Williams), walked onstage and performed his first lines into a microphone facing the audience, we were re-situated not only temporally, but as patrons of Lenox Lounge, there to enjoy the show on two levels, both as observers and as participants/performers in a sense.
This duality, observer and participant, is only one of several that characterized 4A’s fall production, “Soul of the Entertainer”, a show that ventured upon the-road-less-traveled for 4A productions—a variety show. Directed, composed, and compiled by juniors in the College, Barbara Shaibu and Jeffrey Amoakohene, and produced by fellow junior in the College, Faridah Gbadamosi, the show was introduced to the audience as an attempt to capture the internal struggles of not only the traditional performer, but of the everyday performer—each one of us, perpetually cast as performers in an unending societal production. The show, structured in two acts that take place in different eras (Harlem Renaissance and present-day Harlem), show the fall and rebirth of the fictional Lenox Lounge and the continuities that linger in spite of the temporal difference.
The diverse, multi-talented cast of the production presented a milieu of performances: from a ‘30’s tap dancing king, Ben (played by College sophomore Adam Hamilton) to a retired pianist, Willie (played by Wharton junior and fellow Vision staff writer Malcolm Evans) to a struggling modern-day R&B songstress, Jenna (played by College sophomore and theater arts major DeAnna Supplee). A mélange of monologues and performances, the show thoughtfully engaged the underemphasized angst behind the notion of making a living off of performing an identity and simultaneously having to cope with the reality of another. A character of the Harlem Renaissance world of the production, sultry jazz vocalist Elaine (played by College sophomore Samantha Osbourne), sang a rendition of Ella Fitzgerald’s “Fever” and subsequently performed a monologue about the fact that she’s never been in love, though she’s sung countless songs about it. Talented, heartfelt performances followed by reflective monologues illustrated the production’s commitment to showing the audience both sides of the story, and problematizing the gaze of the observant.
Aside from singing the praises of the brilliant cast and crew, I want to return for a moment to the question of dualities that the article opened with. “Soul of the Entertainer” not only featured fictional characters who were both performers and real people with real problems—it featured student performers who not only performed for the show, but who also are well known around campus as performers. In the second set, performers such as College sophomore Steven Allen (a rising alternative singer-songwriter with a Thom Yorke-esque lyrical articulation and the voice of a raspless Chad Kroeger), College senior Joya Jones (R&B, soul, gospel vocalist extraordinaire and proud member of the New Spirit of Penn Gospel Choir), and College senior David Warner (spoken word artist and veteran member of Penn’s premier spoken word collective, The Excelano Project) graced the stage with performances that were consistent with the brilliant work they regularly do on campus. This intentional linking of reality and fiction, of past and present, of performance and observance does much to blur the line between these aforementioned binaries. In other words, 4A’s “Soul of the Entertainer” seems to be resisting suggestions that the everyday person and the entertainer are mutually exclusive concepts. Perhaps, instead, the production is suggesting something more along the lines of a continuum of performance and simply “being yourself” (if such a thing exists). That maybe performing is a rendition of being oneself, and “being oneself” is yet another leg of the same concept. The ways we choose to perform or to observe or to “stay true to ourselves” are still choices and are still done in ways specific to us thus, still containing something characteristic of us.
Currently 4A is recovering from their performance and is in the planning stages of its next production (and there are whispers around campus that it’s going to be something fairly magnanimous). So, keep your eyes and ears open for word of 4A’s next production—but if you simply can’t wait, feel free to contact 4A president, Alyssa Lane at lanean@sas.upenn.edu.
