Who knew that a Faustian story would work so well in an American setting? All I can say after seeing this version by Damien Geter and Jarrod Lee is: Eat your heart out, Gounod.
Introduced as the centerpiece of INseries’ 2025-2026 season, The Delta King’s Blues tells a legend of Robert Johnson, considered to be the father of the blues. INseries Executive Director David Mack introduced musician Memphis Gold to start the show, and immediately I loved the vibe from this opening act. Dressed in a beautiful sequined jacket, Gold explained that his mother is from the same town in Mississippi that Johnson’s mother was from, giving a certain gravitas to this production. Gold chose to perform some of Johnson’s music, namely, “Me And The Devil,” and immediately I was transported to the sound-world of the opera. To close one’s eyes and listen to a steel-stringed guitar with a blues singer is to visualize at the same time the Spanish moss and metal washboard paneling of buildings you might find in the rural American South, both of which featured in the fantastic set design by Joshua Sticklin.
Just as immediately transporting as the music and set were the costumes once the actors entered the stage. Rakell Foye’s gorgeous designs screamed “golden age of jazz and blues” and suited each actor to a T. Likewise, Paul Callahan’s lighting design was not only excellent but also engaging as the colors changed with smooth transitions from moment to moment, scene to scene.
Not knowing what to expect sound-wise from Geter’s score, I have to say that I ended up loving the fusion of blues and opera and found it frankly brilliant. When else does one get the chance to hear sweet, sweet sax licks at the opera house? It is nothing short of irresistible.
The cast of five was phenomenal, all with great voices, physicality, and acting. Christian Simmons played a mesmerizing Devil, with a perfect snide, evil laugh and gestures that went along with the music, music which incidentally allowed his deep bass voice to resonate and shine. Clearly, this was the character pulling the strings, as he mesmerized not only the audience but the rest of the cast as demanded by the drama. In the end, it felt like we humans are just his playthings.
Albert. R. Lee as Robert Johnson brought not only a crystal-clear tenor to his role, but also conveyed the right amount of vulnerability, as when he tries to play guitar at first and ends up with his friends and the woman he’s trying to impress mocking him. He also had a super-effective moment singing at his mother’s grave, and I loved the bargaining between him and the Devil. He also got a fabulous costume change and a boost of confidence from the beginning of his guitar lessons with the Devil to six months later, when he performs for the friends who formerly mocked him and gains their admiration.
Although the Devil and Robert were the main characters and focus of the story, the rest of the characters felt no less important. Melissa Wimbish owned her role as Virginia, the sole female role in the opera, with crackling energy and an appropriately seductive attitude at times. There was one moment when her singing was covered by the orchestration, mainly because of the percussion being used. Full kudos goes to her and the entire cast for singing unamplified with a combination of orchestra and blues band. Anthony Ballard as Son and Marvin Wayne as Willy rounded out that cast by having a ton of fun in their roles, drawing the audience in as they, too, observed Robert’s transformation from a timid, untrained musician to the Father of the Blues.
Stage Director Alicia Washington had the cast make the best use of the set, with most of the action taking place at a bar. Her staging treated the audience to lots of interesting angles and perspectives in a way that almost broke the fourth wall, in the best possible way. I was also impressed with the coordination between the orchestra and the actors as they pretended to play instruments. Bravo to Tim Nelson for leading that coordination as conductor at the performance I saw.
As mentioned earlier, this opera was introduced as INseries’ 2025-2026 season centerpiece, and it should be. This piece and production deserve to be seen across the United States and, hopefully, the world. It is a fresh, beautiful take on the Faustian story with roots in a great American legend and musical tradition. Not only that, but with a runtime of only one hour, this is an opera that would help companies, especially local ones with smaller playing spaces available to them, bring in new audiences: teenagers and college students in addition to adults. Bravi tutti to the performers and production team, and bravo to INseries for telling this story in this way. It’s a show that deserves a chef’s kiss. Congratulations, too, to the company on their new executive director and permanent venue at Theater Alliance. I cannot wait to see what’s in store in future productions and seasons.
Maggie Ramsey
The Delta King’s Blues
Composed by Damien Geter
Libretto by Jarrod Lee
Cast and Production Staff:
Robert – Albert R. Lee; Devil – Christian Simmons; Virginia – Melissa Wimbish; Willy – Marvin Wayne; Son – Anthony Ballard
Instrumentalists – Michael Barranco, Tom Clippinger, Karen Cueva, Michael Chong, Dave Doescher, Mira Frisch, Victor Holmes, Doug O’Connor, Marcus Pyle, Ben Thomas; Special Music Guest – Memphis Gold
Stage Director – Alicia Washington; Conductors – Darren Li & Timothy Nelson; Rehearsal and Show Pianist – Dana Scott; Costume Designer – Rakell Foye; Assistant Costume Designer – Nadia Kuffar; Set Designer – Joshua Sticklin; Lighting Designer – Paul Callahan; Stage Manager & Lightboard Operator – Mikayla Talbert; Technical Directors – Jonathan Dahm Robertson and Josh Lucas; Production Managers – Samba Pathak and Isabella Tapia
Pop-Up Theater, Washington DC, December 12, 2025
Top image: (L to R) Albert R. Lee, Melissa Wimbish, Marvin Wayne, Anthony Ballard
All photos by Bayou Elom