Petrina has got “dem old kozmic blues,” and is ready to roll back to the Summer of ’69.
Yes, the energetic, provocative and popular Villages’ singer is primed for a musical ride to the days of hair, skinny-dipping and rock and roll.
Petrina plays Janis Joplin in the Broadway Bound Players’ production “Remembering Woodstock.” It will be held Nov. 15-17, in the Savannah Center and also features Ralph DiNome and the Flashback Band. The musical event is directed by Carole Greenfield.
Watch video of their rehearsal:
But it’s Petrina’s portrayal of Joplin, the late, star-crossed blues singer that is a highlight. Joplin, 27, who battled drug and alcohol abuse, died in 1970, about a year after her illuminating performance Woodstock.
“If I had one word to describe Janis, it would be: free,” Petrina said. “She had so much energy and so much soul. It’s hard to sing like Janis. Her voice is difficult and off the cuff. She loved the blues. I never really sang much blues before, but I’m really enjoying it.”
One of Joplin’s memorable albums was, “I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama.” The LP came out in 1969, after she left the band Big Brother and the Holding Company. The album was reissued after her death and featured live Woodstock performances of “Piece of My Heart” and “Summertime.”
“She sings those songs with such passion,” Petrina said. “Her voice is remarkable.”
So was Joplin’s hair.
Petrina transformed herself into Joplin, with flowing, Rapunzel-like hair, oversized pink sunglasses and an engaging smile.
“I never sang with this much hair,” Petrina said. “Sometimes it gets in my eyes and covers my ears, and I can’t hear. But I’m ready.”
So is Ralph DiNome .
He remembers August, 15, 1969, when Woodstock started in New York State.
“I wanted to go to Woodstock but I was on my honeymoon,” DiNome said.
Many of the songs at Woodstock era will be performed by DiNome and his band. The set list includes music of the Who, Jimi Hendrix, CCR, Santana, Crosby Stills and Nash, Jefferson Airplane and even Sha Na Na.
“Just about every American band that mattered was there,” DiNome said. “It was a great time for music, and that music is still great.”
Members of the band include Jay Sampson, Dave Czohara, Ted Skolits, Dave Hosack, Sara Kallioinen, Tony Nasser and Richard Faith.
Gary Davis plays lead guitar and will tackle Hendrix’ famed version of the “National Anthem.”
“The thing that matters most is the sound,” Davis said. “Hendrix created a wham-bam mood. He had an infinite bag of tricks. His music was feel-based, not technical.
“I loved Woodstock. I lived that music and I play that music.”
So does Sara Kallioinen, who plays keyboards.
“That music was special, not just because of the sound, but also the lyrics,” she said. One of her favorites from Woodstock was Joe Cocker’s version of the Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends.”
Greenfield is the director who puts everything together to recapture an era.
“Everybody who grew up in the ‘60s remembers Woodstock,” she said. “Young people felt so free back then, and music was a big part of the reason why.”
For the show, Greenfield wanted to recreate a ‘60s’ atmosphere.
“We want to bring back the costumes, the look and the feelings,” she said. ‘It’s the whole hippie thing about peace and love –but without the nudity and the drugs.”
Greenfield, like everyone in the cast, is enjoying the ride on the Woodstock time machine.
“I’ll always be a child of the ‘60s,” she said.