Greta Oglesby could sing an instruction manual and make it marvelous, especially if her interpretation is straight out of the gospel tradition in which she grew up. If you’ve caught a production of Penumbra Theatre’s “Black Nativity” in recent years (save 2023, when Oglesby was busy being the Ghost of Christmas Present in the Guthrie’s “A Christmas Carol”), you know how this skilled staple of the Twin Cities theater scene can make a tune her own.

Dennis Spears and Greta Oglesby in “Handprints,” which runs Jan. 27- Feb. 18, 2024 at the History Theatre in St. Paul. (Rick Spaulding / History Theatre)

And now she’s trying her hand at storytelling. While St. Paul’s History Theatre typically casts a spotlight on historical events local and national and the figures who set them in motion, it’s currently presenting what amounts to a memoir with music. “Handprints” finds Oglesby recounting her life story, from a Chicago childhood with a preacher father and schoolteacher mother to a college-age awakening and courtship to what’s become a very successful theatrical career.

With the help of the set and evocative projections of Kirby Moore and Leslie Ritenour, Oglesby proves an engaging conversationalist throughout “Handprints,” finding some very touching touchstones along the way with the help of Dennis Spears’ colorful characterizations and some fun use of puppetry.

Yet, just as an excellent storyteller learns to tweak their tales over time for maximum audience engagement, I wonder if “Handprints” won’t evolve into something more deeply meaningful than what I experienced on Sunday afternoon at the History Theatre. The show feels a bit too much like a series of episodes relayed in chronological order — with some of those vignettes bearing a lot of emotional resonance — but lacking a linking element or underlying theme tying it all together.

What emerges is that Oglesby has spent much of her life wrestling with the shadow of her father, who disciplined his children with whipping and other abuse and left his daughter longing to be told that she was loved.

Dennis Spears and Greta Oglesby in “Handprints,” which runs Jan. 27- Feb. 18, 2024 at the History Theatre in St. Paul. (Rick Spaulding / History Theatre)

But most scenes are character sketches of individuals Oglesby has found particularly influential in her upbringing. Among them are her mother and a beloved aunt, and, in the show’s most powerful scene, a drag queen cousin who teaches her how to apply makeup before exploding during a public humiliation, Spears making the heartbreak disarmingly palpable. It’s one of the rare instances in which one of the people from Oglesby’s personal history really comes to life before us.

But then there are the songs, most written by Oglesby and aided greatly by pianist and music director Sanford Moore. There are two beautiful ballads — a wedding day reflection and a concluding lullaby — and a swinging gospel number that her aunt delivers while cooking breakfast. None is more electrifying than a traditional spiritual about the prodigal son, which Oglesby uses to net her first theatrical role.

Yet when we get to her stage career, “Handprints” loses its way. Oglesby delivers dramatic monologues by August Wilson, Shakespeare and Tony Kushner, but it might be more rewarding to hear about how her personal experiences and the people she’s known helped shape her performances. To learn how a Chicago city accountant with no acting experience came to realize that she was good at this.

Nevertheless, Oglesby proves an enjoyable companion. And you may find that her way with a song throws any of the story’s shortcomings into eclipse.

Greta Oglesby in “Handprints,” which runs Jan. 27- Feb. 18, 2024 at the History Theatre in St. Paul. (Rick Spaulding / History Theatre)

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

‘Handprints’

When: Through Feb. 18
Where: History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul
Tickets: $64-$15, available at 651-292-4323 or historytheatre.com
Capsule: This memoir with music could go deeper, but the singing’s splendid.

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