Duke Ellington’s Cool Blues, Hot Jazz, Snappy Ragtime and Hip-Popping Swing Set to Shakespeare’s Rom-Com, Twelfth Night at Signature Theatre

Play On!
Signature Theatre
Jordan Wright
August 25, 2025
Special to The Zebra

Greg Watkins (Duke), Jalisa Williams (Vy), and the cast of Play On at Signature Theatre. (Photo/Daniel Rader)

Where can you find Duke Ellington’s cool blues, hot jazz, snappy ragtime, and hip-popping swing set to Shakespeare’s romcom, Twelfth Night? At Signature Theatre in the musical Play On!. The exclamation point is in the title and it’s there for a reason, because you if you don’t feel like leaping out of your seat to the sounds of tip-top tap dancing and mile-a-minute jitterbug, then you don’t have blood in your veins. Take in the vast double-tiered Art Deco set from stage level at one of the intimate cabaret-style tables or swoon to the tunes from above and prepare to be transported to the 1920’s at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club, where the Duke made his bones and Cupid found his mark.

A bit of history – “The Duke”, as you may recall, was and is a Washington institution. He even had a band he named “The Washingtonians”. A native son, he cut his teeth here writing hits and playing around town, creating his own big band sound which he called “American Music”, a singularly apt nomenclature for the elegant blend of South and North sounds from Black America. Today his legacy lives on at the DC’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts that is still turning out the nation’s top talent.

Greg Watkins (Duke) Jalisa Williams (Vy) and the cast of Play On. (Photo/Daniel Rader)

The show features twenty-two of Ellington’s compositions dovetailing jubilation, longing, love lost and lusty shenanigans. It’s a brilliant interpretation conceived by the great Sheldon Epps (with book by Cheryl L. West) who with Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, chose the show’s award-winning director Lili-Anne Brown along with casting director, Charlotte La Nasa, who hired all the best talent to form this wowza cast of hoofers, actors and singers. Take the time to look up the stellar body of work these pros bring to the stage.

The story tells of star-crossed lovers, mistaken identity, gender discrimination, jealousy and mad, passionate, unrequited love, which if you remember your Shakespeare, turns out as fine as frog’s hair split four ways.

When Vy, up from Mississippi toting a suitcase filled with her compositions, finds her Uncle Cootie aka the Jester, at the Cotton Club, he convinces her to pass as a man if she wants The Duke to hear her music, because back then women couldn’t be composers. She becomes Vy “Man”, dons a pin-striped suit and fedora, convincing everyone she’s a he. It’s her music that lifts Duke out of his funk and away from his obsession with the divine Lady Liv, “Harlem’s Queen of the Blues”.

Jalisa Williams (Vy) and Awa Sal Secka (Lady Liv). (Photo/Christopher Mueller)

“It Don’t Mean a Thing” (if you ain’t got that swing) sung by Jester, Miss Mary and Sweets who try to convince Rev, the club’s manager, to loosen up and dress sharp if he wants to make it with the ladies, especially full-on diva Lady Liv whom he pines for. Miss Mary is Lady Liv’s hot-tempered, outspoken backstage dresser who gets caught up in the whirlwind of unrequited love. Her man is Sweets, a role that sneaks up on you in the hot number, “Rocks in My Bed”, a duet with Jester to include the full ensemble who burn up the stage.

The audience easily recognizes classics like “I Ain’t Got Nothing But the Blues”, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”, “Take the A Train”, “Hit Me with a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce”, “In My Solitude”, “Mood Indigo” and so many more. Twenty-two classic numbers bring the house down showcasing this cast’s remarkable talents.

Wesley J.-Barnes (Jester) and the cast of Play On. (Photo/Daniel Rader)

The all-Black cast stars Jalisa Williams as Vy; the inimitable Greg Watkins as Duke; Wesley J. Barnes as Jester; Awa Sal Secka as Lady Liv; Kanysha Williams as Miss Mary; Chuckie Benson as Rev; Derrick D. Truby Jr. as Sweets; Alana S. Thomas as CC; with Bryan Archibald, Montel B. Butler, Clara Hargrove, Divine Iweha, Vaughan Ryan Midder, Kalen Robinson and Sean Walton in the ensemble.

Music directed by Jermaine Hill and brilliantly choreographed by Breon Arzell.

This show has it all! Highly recommended!

In the MAX theatre at Signature Theatre through October 5th at Shirlington Village, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA. For tickets and information call the box office at 703.820.9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org