The Paw Print

By Elena Whitford, Arts & Entertainment Editor

According to an urban legend, Robert Leroy Johnson, arguably the inventor of blues music, gained his incredible guitar skills one night in 1930s rural Mississippi, where he met the Devil at a crossroads and traded his soul for the ability to play the blues. 

Whether or not you knew this story beforehand, after seeing Steppenwolf Theater’s world premiere of “Leroy and Lucy,” written by Ngozi Anyanwu, you will never see a Faustian bargain the same way again.

The play, much of which is one extended scene, reinvents that fateful meeting, challenging assumptions that many see as integral parts of that story. (Why can’t Johnson be good at music on his own? Is the devil figure, in this case Lucy, really evil? Who tells that story anyway?) In that vein, Lucy’s identity is a mystery for much of the play, even after a pivotal scene where the audience is sure to think, “this must be the true story.” In the world of “Leroy and Lucy,” the truth is never fully revealed, and part of the experience of seeing it is learning to live with that.

“Leroy and Lucy” truly shows how every element of a play must be well thought out for it to truly be a success. In this case, every element is. It is not only well-written, but also well-acted by Jon Michael Hill and Brittany Bradford and well-directed by Awoye Timpo. The lighting, sound and set all complement the show extremely well while not taking away from the quality of the writing and acting. The last of these assets is the best; wooden tree branches hover over the audience while wavy patterns cut into the stage pulsate with multicolored light at key moments.

Shameless plug: I am a member of Steppenwolf’s Young Adult Council, and this past spring I was able to read one of the first drafts of “Leroy and Lucy.” Although it blew me away from the start, I can safely say that it’s improved. The dialogue is tighter, character backstories are clearer, and songs by Robert Johnson are even smoothly incorporated into characters’ conversations.

The final scene is the biggest change from the original draft, but to be honest that’s the only change I didn’t love; after a clear ending to the play and lengthy applause that comes with it, the lights come back up for an “epilogue.” It was well written and acted, as was the rest of the play, but the audience didn’t seem to have much patience for the false ending.

There’s a good argument that “Leroy and Lucy” is for the fans, whether that’s fans of Robert Johnson and blues music, fans of folklore and mythology or fans of Steppenwolf’s tradition of producing strong, surprising world premieres. But beyond that, I’d say it’s a play for anyone who appreciates a complex story set to a beautiful tune.