This show, written by Langston Hughes, is billed as "The Black Community's Gift to the World" has been running every Christmas Season since 1969.
The show runs a tight one hour twenty minutes that is held together by the Narrator. Actor/Activist/Producer Ruby Dee was the Narrator for three of the fifteen shows this season.
A choir of forty-five, and a band of seven join the Narrator bringing the joyful news to the audience.
The story of the Nativity is familiar, and easy to follow. Black Nativity has a unique take on the very familiar story.. It addresses the economic/class issues that were in play at the time of Christ's birth, that as still in play now. Joseph's desperation to provide a place for his wife to give birth played as a theme that everyone understands. The drumming increases in intensity as each door is closed to him.
As the story continues, many members of the choir have solos proclaiming the birth of Christ. The songs are not, but deserve to be, well-known Christmas songs.
A stand-out performance is given by one of the young drummers. The young man was 10-12 years old and he beat on his drum, which was more than half of his size, with precision and force that had the audience slack-jawed in awe. He projected an easy confidence that is hard to fake at any age. I don't think he was faking a bit. He is completely comfortable performing, completely comfortable in the knowledge that he was really, very good at what he was doing.
For many folks in Boston, Black Nativity is a yearly tradition. I hadn't been before this year. Now I can't figure out why.
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