Review: The African Company Presents RICHARD III Timidly Important work.

Did you know that there was an African Theater Company in 1821? We learn during American Players Theater production of "THE AFRICAN THEATER COMPANY PRESENTS RICHARD III, that 6 years before New York abolished slavery and 20 years before the beginning of the Civil War, this company existed. In a country less than 50 years old, racism was rampant! (WAS?!?!)

The show opens, almost ironically, with one of only two white men in the cast. We see Stephan Price (David Daniel) enter the stage, calling for attention like a carnival barker. Through thinly veiled threats we are told of not only his companies Richard III but also of the Rival Black Richard. As he introduces the show with flourish, we are then moved to a scene in which two black women are talking.

Ann Johnson (Jennifer Latimore) who portrays the black Lady Ann is speaking to Sarah (Greta Oglesby) the company's matriarch and Queen, about Papa Shakespeare (Johnny Lee Davenport). Papa Shakespeare, mockingly named for his lack of the kings English, is the companies wise patriarch whose only possession apparently, is his drum, was causing a stir the previous night and the constable (Tim Gittings) nearly took it from him.

Rounding out the African Company Troupe are James (Jimmy) Hewlett (Cedric Mays) the premier Black Richard, and William (Billy) Henry Brown (Gain Lawrence) as the company's proprietor,

The often soft spoken Ann (so soft spoken is she that at times the audience could not hear her) is in love with Jimmy, who (spoiler alert!!) doesn't know. In one convoluted scene we are led to believe that Billy feels the same way about Ann who in a twist of fate, has no idea that he felt this way. This is the only time through out the play that this is hinted at.

Papa Shakespeare has a great scene in which he takes two audience members to the stage to show what a Griot does. Interpreting and softening the words between the two, the griot helps facilitate negotiations and communication between people. (The actual definition is: A member of a class of traveling poets, musicians, and story tellers who maintain a tradition of oral history in parts of Africa). He ends this demonstration stating that if Shakespeare were African, he would have been a Griot.

The play had some wonderfully written dialog and a couple of great speeches. During a scene in which Jimmy explains to Ann, Lady Anne's motivation, we learn that ALL blacks are actors. It is a moving, well written, brilliantly acted scene.

The scene in which antagonist Stephan Price speaks to the constable about shutting down the African Theater company is compelling and might have been taken out of one of todays political candidates speech log. He refers to the company and their audience as "Inmates of the kitchen entertaining themselves" When asked what their crime is, he responds, "Against Nature" later stating, "We are not slavers or slave traders. Why these people are free, but only because we are north of the 36th parallel!"

And one of my favorites in the entire production as Ann talks to Sarah, she says, "I want to feel sweat from skin I can trust" It is a beautiful line, delivered with tenderness and love.

I appreciate this play's historical significance and was so very excited to see it. Not only because I have many friends in the black community, but because of those friends in the black acting community, but that is why I was disappointed that as a whole, the play falls flat. The actors did the best with what they were given, which was not very much. The writer left us with undeveloped characters that we never knew intimately enough. He left the relationships floundering and was not able to adequately end the play. I felt that in the end, after everything they went through, they just gave up. The subplot was not very believable, and again we were not given enough backstory to care about these characters.

Photo Credit: Liz Lauren

 

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