A Night with Janis Joplin
Sonoma Arts Live's Lively Jukebox Musical
By: Victor Cordell - Sep 06, 2025
A jukebox musical paying tribute to a singer depends on two factors for success – a historic figure who resonates with the audience and a performer who engenders nostalgia for the original. Not only was Janis Joplin an iconic figure, but her flame burned bright and was tragically extinguished in the most distinctive and storied decade in the post-WW II era – the 1960s.
The ‘60s brought with it a sea change of strong influences including involvement by teens and twenties in music, politics, civil and women’s rights, religion, clothing, and intergenerational clashes. San Francisco sat at the epicenter of these dramatic shifts, highlighted by the Summer of Love in 1967.
In the same year and only two hours down the coast, Monterey Pop would become the prototype for Woodstock and other massive rock music festivals. It provided quantum lifts for Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and a band little known outside of San Francisco – Big Brother and the Holding Company. Its lead singer Janis Joplin would deliver one of the most memorable and electrifying performances recorded in rock history.
Sonoma Arts Live brings Janis to life in the person Libby Oberlin, who replicates the icon with exceptional flair. She sings with Joplin’s urgency and raw emotion. She punches the air, waves her hair, and jitters and stomps around with the same gesticulations. And she talks with Joplin’s signature raspy voice and laughs with her nervous giggle.
Those who enjoy the jukebox format and who like or are curious about Janis Joplin will relish the experience. The performance of over 20 songs dominates the evening, supported by a live band of eight instrumentalists.
Smatterings of somewhat sanitized connective tissue, much about growing up in Port Arthur, Texas, give the show some narrative. But it largely ignores the ridicule and ostracism she suffered as a teen and her massive addiction problems when she entered the entertainment world. And while the part of her that is the Southern Comfort-drinking free spirit comes across, we see little of the web of contradictions that include her self-doubt and vulnerability.
In one sense, A Night with Janis Joplin is a one-woman show, as the title character is the only one with dialog. However, the physical energy and vocal demands of the role are punishing, and a clever script design brings timely relief and recovery to the Joplin character.
Joplin grew up with the blues, and her musical influences included Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Etta James, and her contemporary, Aretha Franklin. Scattered through the show, performers impersonate and sing works from these great blues singers. An odd one out that is included is the girl group the Chantels, whose anthem “Maybe” was a Joplin favorite. In addition to giving the lead performer a respite, these intervals add variety and context.
All four of the additional singers contribute well, as soloists and as backup singers to Joplin. Particularly notable is Safira McGrew who plays Aretha and other parts. Her voice is stunningly bright, accurate, and penetrating.
Of course, Janis and her songbook are the main attraction. Most moving are “Piece of My Heart” and especially “Ball and Chain,” with their gruffness and wailing. Yet, more laidback pieces strike the fancy as well, like “Me and Bobby McGee” and the a capella “Mercedes Benz” that delights the audience as a sing along. Finally, the uniqueness of Janis’s style comes across in songs that are sung two ways - by others in earlier versions and later by Oberlin as Janis. The distinctiveness shows particularly in “Summertime” and “Maybe,” which also demonstrate how versatile a good song can be.
The one caveat of the evening’s entertainment concerns the format itself. As a musical compendium with a little history of the title character thrown in, there is no dramatic arc, so it doesn’t feel like a play. But it will work well for anyone who enjoys treatments of the music of one of rock-and-roll’s queens.
A Night With Janis Joplin is written by Randy Johnson, produced by Sonoma Arts Live, and plays at Sonoma Community Center, 276 East Napa Street, Sonoma, CA through September 21, 2025.