Media theater's SHOW BOAT Cast Featured At The Paul Robeson House Of Philadelphia

Actors from The Media Theatre's current production of "Show Boat" were recently featured at The Paul Robeson House of Philadelphia. Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was an internationally recognized American concert singer, actor of film and stage, professional athlete, writer, scholar, and lawyer. He was the first black actor to popularize Shakespeare on Broadway, with a performance in "Othello" which still holds the record for the longest running Shakespeare play on Broadway (1943-45).

The role of Joe in "Show Boat" was written specifically for Paul Robeson by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein. The musical, which premiered in 1927, focuses on the lives of those aboard The Cotton Blossom from the late 1800's to the year it was first shown on Broadway and includes the spiritual anthem "Ol' Man River". Mr. Robeson turned "Ol' Man River" into an international hit, playing the role of Joe in London, New York City, Los Angeles, and in the 1936 film version of "Show Boat". He sang "Ol' Man River" as it was intended to be performed in productions of the musical, but later altered the lyrics to turn it into a song of defiance and perseverance.

At The Media Theatre the role of Joe is performed by actor Phillip Boykin, who portrayed the role on the National Tour across the globe. A graduate of the Hartt School of Music, he studied Vocal Performance at Howard University and NC School of the Arts. He has toured Europe, Asia, Australia, Russia, Poland, and North America.

"It was an incredible few minutes to perform "Ol' Man River" in the Robeson House," Boykin said. "The man was such an incredible force-an amazing human being. He created so many bridges for us all. To sing his anthem on the street corner where he lived the latter years of his life in Philadelphia was an inspiration."

Boykin was joined by his fellow "Show Boat" performers Brandon Dennis, Alexander Fraser, Michael Hogan, and Paris Nesbitt. Fraser is a 19 year old production intern at The Media Theatre. "Singing at The Paul Robeson House was an experience I will never forget," he said.

Jesse Cline, the Artistic Director for The Media Theatre and director of the current production of "Show Boat", was honored to be invited to the event. "The musical itself is a piece of history," he explained. "Paul Robeson was a man of many talents who paved the way for many African American entertainers to follow. We definitely felt his spirit on October 20 and thank Fran Aulston, the President of The Paul Robeson House and West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance for inviting us to perform at this memorable occasion."

The Media Theatre's production of "Show Boat" plays through November 1. The Delaware County Daily Times theatre critic Neal Zoren stated in his review that Phillip Boykin's performance was ‘worth the price of admission'. Tickets are available by calling the theatre's box office at 610-891-0100 or visiting www.mediatheatre.org

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