Review: Vibrant,Joyous BLACK NATIVITY at Theater Alliance

It is normal for critics to wax lyrical about a truly stunning show, and this review will be no exception. But to be honest, as the lights went down on Theater Alliance's brilliant revival of their Helen Hayes Award-winning production of Langston Hughes' Black Nativity, I confessed to one audience member that it would be impossible to put it all into words.

Which is my way of saying, read on by all means-but you have to see this to believe it!

Featuring a host of home-grown talent from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Howard University, Black Nativity drinks deeply of the Christmas season's true spirit, the sorrow as well as the joy, and can fill your heart in ways that few holiday offerings can. This isn't just a feel-good show, this is also a show for those who feel the pain of loss keenly this time of year, and it offers a balm for what ails us.

The talent on stage and bandstand raise the roof again and again, and their joyful noise is truly infectious, with the audience repeatedly drawn in to participate. There are so many star turns here -- I'd love to give a shout-out to everyone in the cast -- but space being what it is, I can only give you a one or two examples. When the show opens we are greeted by the regal Kelli Blackwell (dressed in one of Marci Rodgers' gorgeous, African-inspired costumes) who leads the ensemble in a rousing "Joy to the World" - first in Swahili, and then in English. She shares the stage with other vibrant artists like Krislynn Perry, whose joy and passion are positively infectious.

The African connection, of course, is key to understanding the experience of Black Nativity; and choreographer Princess Mhoon, when not giving the entire cast some truly mesmerizing moves, offers brief, moving reminders of the Middle Passage and the ordeal of slavery. The dancers Whitney Hutchinson and Darin Turner are featured as Mary and Jesus, and are serenaded by the entire cast as they express the anxiety of new parents who have no place to stay.

In an echo of the old Medieval "Shepherd's Play" the Gospel story is interrupted by a moment of comic relief with a scene featuring Roy Patten, Jr. as the No-Good Shepherd. Patten lazes around while his fellow shepherds talk trash about him, to hilarious effect; but once aroused from his indolence, Patten fills the space with an ethereal voice whose range and intensity are among the many highlights of the show.

The scene shifts from biblical Judea to a contemporary church in Act II, and here a different kind of magic is in store. To the strains of "We've Come This Far By Faith" the cast gathers and, with the skillful use of a simple shroud, they bear witness to the loss of young black men too soon taken from us, far more often than we can count. As the service unfolds, presided over by Marquis Gibson as the Reverend, we see one of the more moving, discreet elements of the production; Mary, Joseph and the angels who had narrated the Gospel story in Act I, still in their robes, float around the fringes of the church space bearing witness. In traditional Christianity the angels are seen as co-celebrants, whose eternal heavenly liturgy parallels those we have on earth.

Scenic Designer Brian GIllick has created a spare church hall, complete with hardwood floor and sweeping arches where audience and actors enter, and Dan Covey has made e xcellent use of the lighting grid in this black-box space as the action moves from story to song and back.

Based on Hughes' text, Theater Alliance's production team has rung a few changes on the original and draws from a long tradition of performances at the Kennedy Center which informs the current show's incarnation. Eric Ruffin has assembled a knockout of a production team, cast as well as designers, and I would be surprised if his concept doesn't take the stage for many years to come.

The selection of traditional Christmas carols and hymns makes it possible for the audience (which is invited to participate as sometime parishioners) to clap, shout encouragement, and occasionally sing along. The experience is all-encompassing by design, so come prepared for a total, spiritually uplifting theater experience!

Production Photo: Roy Patten, Jr., foreground center, with ensemble (from left to right: Krislynn Perry, Sherice Payne, Elton Pittman, Ryan Swain, Greg Watkins, Kelli Blackwell, Marquis Gibson, Jakiya Ayanna, and Natasha Gallop. Angels in the background are Taylor Walls and Kinaya Grayson).
Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes with one intermission.

Black Nativity runs November 25, 2015 to January 3, 2016 at the Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Place SE, Washington, D.C. For tickets go to www.theateralliance.com

For newcomers, the Anacostia Playhouse is five blocks from the Anacostia Metro on the Green Line, and just across the 11th Street Bridge. For directions see: http://www.anacostiaplayhouse.com/getting-here/ .

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