Musically-focused “Hail Hail Chuck” by Black Ensemble Theater outlines the architect of rock n’ roll

Photos provided by Alan Davis

The larger than life Elvis Presley may have been crowned “The King,” but don’t get it twisted, Chuck Berry was really the electrifying architect who laid rock n’ roll’s entire foundation. Thankfully as the years wore on, he finally got the credit he deserved, whether it was the Keith Richards-produced documentary “Hail! Hail! Rock ‘N’ Roll,” a slot in the inaugural Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class or salutes from musicians and fans of every stripe when he passed away in 2017 at the ripe old age of 90.

In between that climb to the top, falling on hard times and coming back with full force in the ‘80s, “Hail Hail Chuck” features many other enjoyable tunes from Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Fats Domino and Bo Diddley, plus glimpses of “American Bandstand,” Berry’s own Club Bandstand and the Windy City’s Checkerboard Lounge.

That tradition continues in the Black Ensemble Theater’s “Hail Hail Chuck: A Tribute To Chuck Berry,” which finds writer L. Maceo Ferris and director Daryl D. Brooks chronicling his rise above the unjust Jim Crow laws of the 1950s to become one of the most meaningful musicians on the planet. With the focus primarily on his many career achievements, this isn’t the dirt-bearing tell-all that digs beyond the surface of his several eyebrow-raising scandals, but even so, there’s more than enough material to extract from a career that continued to flourish until the day he died (extended by the posthumous yet entirely new studio recording “Chuck”).

Though Berry’s a St. Louis native, his bond with Chicago is unbreakable given his longtime association with the locally grown but internationally renowned label Chess Records. The south side company might not have always treated him equitably, but it sure did make him famous as displayed in a stack of hits such as “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Maybellene,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “No Particular Place To Go,” “Nadine” and “Rock And Roll Music” (long before The Beatles and The Beach Boys by the way).

Vincent Jordan and Lyle Miller do an excellent job alternating between a youthful and older Berry, but Rueben Echoles and Kelvin Davis in the roles of lifelong collaborator Johnny Johnson are practically equal scene stealers (with honorable mention going to Jeff Wright, who really camps up his Richards appearance for the better). In between that climb to the top, falling on hard times and coming back with full force in the ‘80s, “Hail Hail Chuck” features many other enjoyable tunes from Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Fats Domino and Bo Diddley, plus glimpses of “American Bandstand,” Berry’s own Club Bandstand and the Windy City’s Checkerboard Lounge.

The supporting cast is loving in their portrayals of these fellow legends and Berry’s wife of 68 years, Thelmetta (“Toddy”) has Kylah Williams demonstrate her saintly patience, but the real stars of the show are the songs. The salute is also just as much an audience affair thanks to several call and response segments that build up to the final shouts of “School Days,” which double as another chance to “Hail Hail” the man who made it all happen.

“Hail Hail Chuck: A Tribute To Chuck Berry” continues at the Black Ensemble Theater through Apr. 1. For additional details, visit BlackEnsemble.org.