HITT Records is an educational music revue cleverly MC’d via a play structure. The traditional
elements of a play: plot, character development, etc. are not present. Instead, the theater segments are more akin to skits introducing and illuminating historically relevant musical hits performed by the cast and an excellent live band. It’s a high energy show and the audience was often invited to clap and even sing along which was a lot of fun.
Included songs span the 1960’s through the 1980’s with a focus on black artists. I recognized the
majority of the songs, but I wasn’t familiar with the music of Sylvester, a queer black man who started out in a group called the Discotays which included several trans women. He was later a member of the gender-bending group The Cockettes before moving on to a successful solo career. I was not aware that the origins of disco were from black and LGBTQ+ communities, and therefore the music faced discrimination until being embraced by the mainstream, as evidenced by the movie Saturday Night Fever. The movie sadly white-washed the genre, but it was one of the most successful films of the 1970’s.
I loved the age diversity in the cast and it was a delight to see the characters transform from
actors into renowned pop artists. If I had to pick favorite singers and dancers it would be Lyle Miller and Britt Edwards, but everyone in the cast was truly excellent. I also loved the set design which is integral to the presentation of the show.
The Black Ensemble Theater is a beautiful modern building and theater space in Uptown that
opened in 2011. It’s mission statement is “to eradicate racism and its damaging effects on our society through the use of theater arts and community engagement.” We are lucky to have this organization and their productions in our city. This is a not to be missed journey through an overlooked part of contemporary music history.
HIIT is playing at Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 North Clark Street in Chicago, Fridays through Sundays through January 26, 2025. For tickets and information go to https://blackensembletheater.org/