'South Side Stories' sets poems to song

Media Credit: Courtesy of THEATRE J Capathia Jenkins and Louis Rosen discuss racial transformations in Chicago.

Often students stuck in a boring literature class let their minds wander. As the professor rambles on about symbolism, they start to think about what they are going to have for dinner, whether that person they met at Clyde's will call and what tremendous drama will occur during tonight's episode of "Grey's Anatomy."

But there are certain questions that always seem to come to mind.

Say the professor is droning on about iambic pentameter. No one can help but notice the undeniable rhythm created by each line and how perfectly the words flow together. The next logical thought is often to ask oneself: "Wouldn't this make a great song?"

In Louis Rosen's "South Side Stories," the composer does just that. He takes the words of renowned American poets and spins them into lyrics accompanied with smooth acoustic music. Some of these songs were recently performed at the Historic Sixth and I Synagogue by Broadway artist Capathia Jenkins.

"South Side Stories" is a song cycle adapted from Rosen's play "The South Side: The Racial Transformation of an American Neighborhood." It depicts the south side of Chicago as it changed from an upper-class Jewish neighborhood to a middle-class African American one.

Rosen calls it a story of "youth, innocence, coming of age and experience." These songs speak of drug abuse, family ties, parental relationships, falling in love and sexual experiences. College-aged audiences can relate to this show because it deals with many of the issues they face everyday.

The first act was composed of songs taken from the poetry of Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni. Each song cycle highlighted the most widely known works of each poet and certainly shed new light on the meaning and beauty of each. The soft, strong voice of Jenkins combined with Rosen's rhythmic music truly transformed the poetry into something greater than the sum of its parts.

The audience was not thinking about underlining key words or highlighting phrases in a Lit textbook. Instead, listeners actually realized the deeper messages that were hidden in the poems and better appreciated how each was beautifully, carefully crafted. The songs created a jazzy vibe and were in turn inspiring, empowering and even a little romantic.

Continued...

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