By Bart Greenberg***Early in the new musical revue The World According to Micki Grant, the quartet of talented and charming performers who make up the cast invite the audience to “step into my world and spend some time with me.” A more gracious and compelling invitation would be hard to find in this theatrical season. Conceived, adapted and directed by Nora Cole, the production is a fitting tribute to an outstanding and slightly forgotten talent. In her lifetime, Grant was an actress on stage and in television (including being one of the first black woman to be a contract player on daytime TV with an 11-year run on “Another World” and spinoff, “Somerset”), pop songwriter, poet (publishing her first collection at 14), and 3-time Tony-nominated composer/lyricist/book writer. All of these talents are on full display here, making for a joyous evening.
Cole has devised a constantly entertaining program, not a traditional biography but a montage of Grant’s life and work collected around various topics. The three women in the cast, Matelyn Alicia, April Armstrong and Patrice Bell, take turns inhabiting the life force of the author, with Brian Davis providing the male perspective, along with some dazzling tap dancing. Each performer is given a chance to shine, and shine they do in their individual ways; while keeping the focus on the subject of the show, they each establish their own personalities. Alicia possesses a big, powerhouse voice, Bell is wry and sophisticated with a command of lyrics and Armstrong is a sheer life force of warmth and humor. The sections of The World According to Micki Grant are:
• Classic Micki or, It’s Personal: “Last night I swore a lot/I do that now and then/ Sometimes, just to see if/I Enjoy it anymore”
With wry humor, Grant (Alicia) reflected on her childhood. Recalling her violin lessons, she told of neighbors throwing things in reaction to her terrible playing. Her mother happily collected the items. 
With great respect, she detailed her mother’s insistence on a cleaning the house. That led to a jubilant rendition of the show-stopping “Cleanin’ Women” from Working, as well Grant’s first big hit, 1959’s “Pink Shoe Laces,” which charted number one in Mexico. Davis performed in this fully-staged number showing off terpsichorean flair with choreography by Lakai Worrell and himself.
• Show Biz: “It Makes me feel like I should feel different when/ The deal goes down/ A month’s vacation is swell but over too quick/And though the champagne’s better, too much/And I still feel sick”
The quartet of actors focused on Grant’s wit and theater career, and, with great warmth and humor, her relationship with famed director Vinnette Carroll, who broke down many walls of her own. Grant did find success with her shows Your Arms Are Too Short to Box With God and Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope, the latter of which earned her two Tony nominations. The quartet shared her beautiful setting of the Bible’s “Beatitudes” and a fierce uptempo “Preacher” featuring Davis.
• Love Section: “Walk into my arms/Knowingly, deliberately/And ready.”
This segment was devoted to an interweaving of poems about romance shared by the cast, creating a dramatic, emotional tension between them, with an emphasis on the musicality of Grant’s writing. The segment was a shining example of Cole’s talent to find the theatrical qualities in the works, and the elegant way she achieved her goals.
• America Section: “Before we lose our humanity let’s/Stop this insanity and turn our children’s hist’ry books around/Let’s do a little living for peace/Not dying but living for peace.”
The most overtly political segment of the evening revealed Grant’s generosity of heart mixed with her strong strength of dignity—most revealed in “Love Mississippi” which, seemingly a response to Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam,” finds that such negativity is no different than everywhere else in America. This section also relies upon the spoken world. One of the few flaws in the production is that it lacks more full-blooded musical numbers in the second half, allowing the energy of the show to lag to a certain degree.
• Tribute Poetry Section
This brief section contained the gorgeous song, “I Am Real” and spoken tributes to Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, and an especially moving tribute to Billie Holiday, focusing on those who deserted her when she most needed them.
• Alice Section: “You can always find a moral/If you’re looking for a moral/There’s a moral somewhere looking to be found.”
One of Grant’s last projects was a musicalized Alice in Wonderland. Despite its all-star cast, the show closed out of town. Among it’s joys was “The Moral Song,” a Gilbert and Sullivan-esque patter number perfectly delivered by Bell. If the entire score is at the level as this and the two other numbers offered, it would definitely be worth rediscovery.
The show moved smoothly into the finale of the program, a warm, generous version of “If I Could Have Been” bringing the quartet of wonderful performers back together.
Praise must be given to the design team, including the simple, flexible set by Patrice Davidson, the lovely costumes chosen by Ali Turns and especially the projections, which serve as both commentary and backdrops, created by Michele Baldwin. They’ve all helped to create this truly charming, illuminating show.
The World According to Micki Grant is presented by Woodie King, Jr’s New Federal Theater, Elizabeth Van Dyke, Producing Artistic Director, at The WP Theater, 2163 Broadway @ 76th St. thru June 29, 2024.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Photos by Gerry Goodstein except photo of Micki Grant by Lia Chang
