By Bart Greenberg***Playwright David McDonald‘s Ella the Ungovernable (recently produced at Theater for the New City) tells the tale of a time in the early 1930s when the teenage Ella Fitzgerald spent some months in The NY Training School for Girls in Hudson, New York. This institution was far more a combination of a prison and reform school where abuse—physical, emotional and sexual—was rampant, especial 
against the “colored girls” incarcerated there. How the future iconic singer found herself there, how she survived, and how she escaped is the substance of this play, with music by McDonald and co-directed by him with Michele Baldwin. Given an extensive production with a large cast and a complex unit set, it added up to less than the sum of some excellent elements.
The strength of the performace was in the cast. In the title role, Christian Neal brought authenticity to her character, believably youthful and alternately shy, vulnerable, strong-willed and smart. The script demanded her to play a different aspect of her personality in each scene, and she somehow managed to blend them into one person. And when she had the unenviable task of capturing Ella’s iconic performance of “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” she delivered a letter perfect imitation that seemed fresh and creative in the moment.
Other standouts among the cast included Tyra Hughes as Ella’s best friend, giving an energetic and charming performance, 
Black as Ella’s Aunt Edna, going way over the top as she undulated around the stage in tight red negligees like a Harlem Mae West, and Michael McGrath as a frightening macho prison guard. And then there was Shadenia Sivad as the wisecracking streetwalker Marie who electrified the stage in her too brief appearance. Her character showed Ella unexpected kindness, while flirting with the men in the audience and warning off some of the women (“You’re cute. Stay off my corner!”). Much of the show could have used the vitality in her appearance.
Energy was definitely a problem with the production. Much of this issue was caused by the style of the writing—a series of short scenes and quick episodes followed by blackouts. This approach created a disjointed feel as well as making the production feel much longer than it was. Some scenes were totally unnecessary, giving unneeded exposition, such as a moment between E
lla’s mother and a woman we never saw again on a bus. Needless repetitious included Ella’s issues with her creepy step-father. At one point, Ella has a session with a psychiatrist, which recounted every thing we’d already seen. Even at the climatic moment when the show should have been rushing to its conclusion, momentum was halted by an unnecessary set change done in the dark.
There were also noticeable inconsistency in style. The story is specifically set in 1933, yet some of the language seemed very contemporary and details such as hairstyle were inconsistent and anachronistic. Even more of a problem was the way in which the material was handled. The songs throughout were diegetic except when Ella and her bunkmate suddenly shared a duet 
as if they were in a traditional musical drama. Action also ineffectively broke the fourth wall. Finally, Ella’s friends had to veer between scenes out of women-in-peril prison films and moments where they seemed to be geering up to launch into “It’s a Hard Knock Life” (Annie).
While these problems with Ella the Ungovernable are major, they are far from insurmountable. McDonald has discovered a fascinating story about an iconic woman, and his speculations to fill in the record’s gaps are all quite believable and dramatically told. Now, he and Baldwin have to make some hard choices about what is the best format to convey his vision with a consistent and tight retelling. Hopefully, they will do the work.
