THEATER REVIEW : Entertaining, Political ‘Night!’ of Music

Ambitious, poignant and rawly energetic, “The ‘Children’ . . . of the Night!” serves up a musical slice of the African American gay and lesbian experience, from the subterranean precincts of underground clubs and bathhouses to the sanctified surroundings of a gay Christian congregation.

“Night!,” which enjoyed a lengthy Los Angeles run in 1992-93, has been dubbed a “choreopoem” by director Stephen Semien, who also wrote the book and lyrics. And indeed, it is Semien’s choreography and lyrics, along with composer Byron Smith’s original music, that gives the piece its distinctive heartbeat.

The historic Ebony Showcase Theatre, which has recently undergone extensive earthquake repairs, provides an ideal venue for this big, ambitious show. At times pointedly political, Semien’s brainchild is first and foremost an entertainment, featuring a large and capable cast that, under Semien’s guidance, proves equal to the most sprawling production numbers.

Unfortunately, Semien’s book tends to sprawl as well. The show runs almost three hours, and the dialogue sequences are without exception too long.

However, though imperfect, the material is nonetheless effective. Particularly amusing is the playground conversation between two sexually curious little girls (played by adult performers Terry E. “Tes” Scott and Leslie Dockery), who are trying to figure out just what this “playing house” business is all about.

In another sketch, the audience roars its appreciation as Miss “It” (Larry “Bobcat” Jeffries) flounces onstage in full drag. The campiness turns deadly serious in the wink of a false eyelash, however, when this chattering drag queen metamorphoses into a cold-eyed, macho gangbanger. “It’s all an illusion,” the transformed Miss “It” concludes bitterly.

The loneliness--and the unfortunate necessity--of illusion is a prevailing theme in the show. A dedicated schoolteacher (Jerome Davis) becomes the target of a hate campaign when his closet homosexuality is exposed. A Pop performer (Robert Gee), whose sexual orientation becomes painfully public when his partner dies of complications of AIDS, turns evangelist and gives witness to a message of gay pride.

Singly and in combination, the performers’ voices tend toward the spectacular. In “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Why,” Sarah Baldwin displays a stellar style. Davis delivers, soulfully, on “Immoral Decision.” In “The Man I Love,” Tracey Kennedy gives a scorching new twist to a familiar standard (Kennedy is male). The Rev. LaVerna Mason, an ordained minister, belts a virtuosic duet with her “wife,” Sabrina Johnson-Mason, at the opening of a rollicking gospel sequence that almost sends this old theater back for more quake repairs.

“The day is long past for keeping us down,” the ensemble sings at play’s end. From the opening scene in a smoky nightclub to the transfiguring final scenes in a church, these “children of the night” strive bravely toward the light.

* “The ‘Children’ . . . of the Night!,” Ebony Showcase Theater, 4720 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 6 p.m. Ends Oct . 1. $15. (213) 735-9586 or (213) 936-4604. Running time: 2 hours, 55 minutes.