GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER

West Ashley High gives The Blues Brothers a little Southern flavor

By Lorne Chambers
Editor

Shane Williamson and Darren Jones are Jake & Elwood Blues in West Ashley High’s production Blues Brothers — Coast to Coast

Thirty-two years after Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi made Wayfarers and black fedoras iconic in The Blues Brothers, the Drama Studio of West Ashley High School has put together a musical adaptation of the ‘80s classic called Blues Brothers — Coast to Coast.

With nearly 150 student actors, backstage assistants, and musicians “On a mission from God,” pulling off a production of this scale is no large feat. Co-directors Ellyn Winkles and Nancy Shurlds, along with music directors Kevin Lakin and Eddie Shealy, are to be credited with “Getting the band back together,” so to speak.

Getting Jake and Elwood Blues adventure adapted to the stage took quite a bit of effort for Winkles and  Shurlds, who wrote the adapted screenplay, giving it the brothers a tour of the South, rather then the juke joints of Chicago. “We start out in North Carolina and then head to Myrtle Beach, then to Memphis, and Montgomery, Alabama, then to Gilly’s Bar in Texas, and then they end up in Hollywood, says Shurlds.

According to Shurlds, one of the biggest challenges with the screenplay was that in much of movie the brothers are driving around in a car. “That’s not conducive to the stage,” she says.

The Blues Brothers hosts fun music arranged locally by Steve Green of Island Sounds that promises to entertain audiences, who will recognize many of the songs — from “Soul Man” to “Somebody to Love” — which were part of the film and the Blues Brother’s album, Suitcase Full of Blues.

Taking on the roles of Jake and Elwood Blues is senior Darren Jones and junior Shane Williamson. While Jones, who has a knack for dancing and acting, has been part of WAHS drama program since a freshman, Williamson is relatively new to the stage and has more of a background in singing, according to Shurlds.

The Blues Brother Coast to Coast  will be performed on May 16, 17, and 18 in the WAHS auditorium. The shows begin at 7 p.m. All ticket prices are $10.