By LisaMarie Martinez

So much can happen within a day in one’s life. A song about this very subject is what led Ruth Lee Jones to pop stardom.  Born in Tuscaloosa, Ala. in August 1924, and moving to Chicago as a child, Jones began her musical career playing the piano in her church choir. As an adolescent in 1943, she began singing with the Lionel Hampton band and soon acquired the name Dinah Washington. 
 
After numerous hit songs on the R & B charts, Washington sang a Belford Hendricks-arranged ballad "What a Difference a Day Makes," which won her a Grammy Award for best rhythm and blues performance in 1959, and propelled her into celebrity status.  Because of her strong voice and emotional singing, she became known as the Queen of the Blues.  In 1963, she died at the age of 39 due to a lethal combination of alcohol and prescription drugs.
This story of Dinah Washington’s life is being told through Shadow Theatre Company’s presentation of Dinah Was, a musical by Oliver Goldstick.  It is Jeffrey Nickelson’s expectation as the director of the production and as Shadow’s artistic director that the audience feels the truth of her story throughout the performance. 

Acquiring the lead role in the Dinah Was production became one of parallels and challenges for singer, recording artist and composer Rene Marie.  She sang professionally at age 15, took a long hiatus, and later acquired her own band and gigs. She went on to produce four CDs on the MaxJazz label, won awards, received notoriety, and traveled the world.  Through these experiences, Marie could relate to her director and her Dinah Washington character.  
 
“Jeffrey tries to pull emotion out of you for a scene which parallels how I am with my band when it comes to songs. It feels like he’s very organic in his work, just like I am in mine,” said Rene Marie.  “She was the leader of her musical group, just as I was when I was touring, and I like she had appearances to uphold out in public. There’s a dual personality that exists where lines can get blurred.  It was and is difficult for a woman to exude her power in a male-dominated industry, because they look at you as a woman first, not a business person/singer.”
The dream to break out of the box as a recording artist is another commonality that the first-time actress saw in her character’s role. 
“Dinah wanted to break out of the Blues singer box, because she recognized that it would allow her to become more successful, just as I was in the jazz singer box and wanted to break out,” said Rene Marie. 
As she read Queen: The Life and Music of Dinah Washington by Nadine Cohodas, recommended by Nickelson, Rene Marie discovered that she faced the challenge of breaking out of herself to accurately portray Dinah for the audience. 
“My purpose is to tell the truth to the audience through my character portrayal of Dinah Washington and for them to feel it; that’s Jeffrey’s expectation.  I’m challenged in an acting role to tap into the anger and volatility of Dinah, because I’m a calm person who’s very forgiving and because I’m a singer, not an actress,” said Rene Marie. 
Getting through her day now involves thinking about Dinah, the scenes, and the script in terms of focusing on interactions with other people. 
“I think about how she would have reacted in certain situations, as opposed to how I am responding to it,” said Rene Marie. 
Although these challenges have made rehearsals draining, Rene Marie knows that Nickelson will push her and pull the best out of her.  To facilitate his work with her, she utilizes many avenues to get it right, as she prepares for her leading role.  She’ll rehearse in the car, in the shower, in the family room, and even the kitchen.

Dinah Was runs from April 24 to May 24. Performance times are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m.  The new auditorium for the Shadow Theatre Company is located at 1468 Dayton St., Aurora. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by phone at (866) 388-4TIX (4849), online at www.shadowtheatre.com, or at the box office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday.  For group rates, call 720-857-8000 or purchase online.

LisaMarie Martinez is a writer, spoken word artist, actress and a master’s-prepared nurse, who constantly seeks to find the journey of herself within the situations and people that her life has to bring.

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