It’s December 17, 1957, and we are in the audience for the taping of the last Nat King Cole show. Cole was the first African-American to host a variety show and it was groundbreaking. Although the show had some local sponsors like Rheingold Beer, it couldn’t attract national sponsors who feared losing business in the South. Supposedly Cole noted that "Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark” and writers Colman Domingo and Patricia McGregor make good use of that phrase in the script of “Lights Out: Nat King Cole.”

As the singer prepares for the show, he is filled with anguish and turmoil as he wrestles with himself. He’s been a role model and set a standard but in doing so has bottled up his true feelings. His revolt begins subtly when his makeup lady comes to powder his face, puffing it liberally and he stops her, not wanting to lighten his skin for this last show.

While the music is quite good and and the 85 minutes is filled with many of Cole’s famous songs, like "Unforgettable", "Smile", "L-O-V-E", "Nature Boy", "When I Fall in Love", "Let There Be Love", "Mona Lisa" , the storyline is confusing. It takes a while to realize that some of what we are seeing may not be happening but instead is a manifestation of Cole’s anxieties and angst. At the onset, Sammy David Jr. appears (energetically played by Daniel J. Watts) who announces himself at first as a riddler. He appears at odd moments but not as a guest. In real life a friend of Cole’s, Davis appears to personify Cole’s alter ego. His role is to goad Cole to finally speak up and be truthful. When Cole says it’s his job to entertain, Davis replies , “No, it’s your job to reflect the times.”

Director McGregor makes some interesting, though not particularly effective, choices in having Cole introduce a song by speaking the first lines and then singing it as with “Nature Boy.” Later Cole sits at a typewriter and types “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter” beginning quietly and gradually growing angry. The song leads to the most exciting scene in “Lights Out.”as Davis joins in with “Me and My Shadow.” Cole and Davis do a tap dance number which gets faster and more furious. ( tap choreography by Jared Grimes.) Despite the men’s dancing talent and the excitement of the number, the scene feels out of place. Hill is a fine dancer but Cole was known as a piano player and a singer. The number, though taking advantage of Hill’s considerable talent, doesn't truly represent Cole.

The final show is the week before Christmas so there are some holiday references. Later in another quirky scene, Cole delivers his own ‘version’ of the Night Before Christmas” but this poem details abuse and racial discrimination.

The music is good ( Music Supervision, Arrangements & Orchestrations by John McDaniel.) Hill does a fine job imitating Cole’s sound. He looks and sounds like the performer, even conveying his sophisticated presence. Watts is fiery and frenetic, commanding the stage and seeming to be everywhere, even in the commercials.

The ensemble plays the guest stars and acts out the commercials. Through the course of the show, his guests include Betty Hutton, Peggy Lee (played by Ruby Lewis), Eartha Kitt, and Cole’s daughter Natalie (played by Krystal Joy Brown.) and the dynamic Kenita Miller plays his mother.

“Lights Out: Nat King Cole” attempts to be a different kind of jukebox bio-musical. More than a series of wonderful songs, sung by fine performers, it seeks to deliver some important messages: unfortunately they got a bit muddled along the way.