After gaining numerous sponsors and waiting four years to show off Ruby, its principal creator (with brother Michael) and director Nate Jacobs still had to add a program explanation of Ruby McCollum’s trial, a show focus. At intermission, many from the audience also picked up a booklet on Ruby and significant historical background. In the actual show Zora Neal Hurston appears as a character narrating, as the famous black author actually did, the trial story surrounded by details.
Apparently, neither script nor musical score are still sufficient to understand the character Ruby’s case. It’s been said that Ruby’s story is not so simple, but it’s not too complicated either .She was a smart beauty, both sexually attractive and attracted to handsome men like Sam McCollum, whom she married.
Together Sam and Ruby made good in business and in love until she, in some pain, met the preying white Dr. Adams. He lured her with opium shots and took serious advantage of her sexually, becoming the terrible commander of her whole life.
When Ruby killed Dr. Adams, although in understandable circumstances, she went on trial. The whole black and white attitudes of the times and place, as well as typical prejudiced legal practices, led to her jail and…the climax that Zora Neal Hurston made famous, as she published the entire story.
Had Hurston not written of Ruby, she’d probably not have been center of the musical “Ruby” or any of the other attention she has received. Yes, it’s that simple, yet the musical makes it seem more complicated by much-iterating the Ruby-Dr. Adams encounters and the black-white perceptional differences regarding Ruby in every situation.
Catara Brae acts Ruby confidently, even when the script calls for her to finally still look young, strong, and—in a discordant shiny white dress—almost angelic. She’s got a great voice, making her “Breathe” and “Alone” worth waiting for. Luckily, she gets to duet with handsome Maurice Alpharicio’s sturdy Sam McCollum earlier on “Together.” Larry Alexanders’ toxic Dr. Adams rightly has to use his snake-oil tricks to try to persuade Ruby that “You Need Me.”
Asley Elizabeth Crowe shines as narrator Zora Neal Hurston, giving the proper tone to every scene. She supplies dignity to what passes, often in contrast to the white women and black group who discuss all. They convey the mood of both races during the trial. David Sitier handles being a judge of that as non-biased as possible, but the character is not clearly so.
Sieglinda Fox, as Olivia, becomes a commendable friend of Ruby, due to seeing the developing attitudes against her.
Ben Brandt does equally well, as Sheriff Gary, who might have been expected to enjoy harsh police duties but is a moderate. There isn’t a single member of the Ensemble who fails, when called on by the script, to act as an individual as well as group actor and dancer.
Donald Frisson’s varied choreography works wonders with his often huge number of dancers onstage together, but it is notable for smaller groups and—even for a short spurt—Ruby with husband Sam. He and music director Dan Sander-Wells deal not only with the outstanding ballads but the average rhythm and blues, gospel, and such.
The script prolongs too much activity by all the narration. Lyrics are best for ballads. Too many singers (also dancers) and loud sound often make the words hard to distinguish. This may come from musicians being backstage and thus amplified.
Costuming adheres in general to the times and weather. (I’ve noted the exceptional angelic white dress of Ruby in her final scene.) The simple set of platforms allows for the large number of dancers down and across stage. Projections of place scenes add to the realism of the show.
Ruby still has some polishing needed, especially the elimination of much repetition. A few explanations, not just embedded in Hurston’s narration, would help. Still, Ruby is a significant undertaking about a significant subject. When perfected, it could well be sought for production by not only black theaters but others with sufficient English-language staffers anywhere.
