Black Nativity @ Bishop Arts Theatre Centre
—Review by Ramona Harper
The opening scene of Black Nativity is a crowning moment in Langston Hughes’ renowned Christmas classic, now playing at Bishop Arts Theatre Center (BATC): The Ancestors grace the stage garbed in colorful African robes, carrying staffs and spears. You see, hear, and feel the eternal connection between the past and the present through the percussive message of The Drum, movement, and song. Storytelling about the Birth of Jesus has begun, shepherding us into a joyous Christmas season and a hope-filled future.
Dating back to 1961 when it appeared Off-Broadway (among the first from an African American playwright), Black Nativity features an all-Black cast—and BATC’s ensemble of seven multi-talented performers continues the time-honored tradition. Now in its 18th annual production of Black Nativity, BATC’s show this year was written and directed by Sheridan Singleton in a new adaptation inspired by the original book written by famed Harlem Renaissance author and activist Hughes.
As an artistic creation, Black Nativity lends itself to a variety of playwright interpretations and directorial choices. And if you have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed its wonderful Christmas pageantry over the years in various locales around the country, it’s likely that every production was different.
What is particularly impressive and unique in BATC’s Black Nativity is the playwright’s singular focus on making a deeper connection between the history of Black Americans—and their African history. In a program note, playwright and director Sheridan Singleton writes:
“The Nativity story is a Christian story. Our ancestors that were kidnapped from Africa were not Christians. Their kidnappers used Christianity as a way to subdue them, and yet they managed to find strength and power within it.
In this story there is struggle, there is sacrifice and courage, and above all there is love.… It is a celebration of what happens when people are driven by faith and determination, despite their circumstances. That is the story that our ancestors understood; that is the story I wanted to uplift in this production.”
Ecstatic celebration through praise dance adds emotional nuance and energetic verve, with traditional Christmas songs performed with gospel and R&B orchestral composition by Nigel Newton. Christmas favorites like “Mary Did You Know,” “Silent Night,” “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” and “Joy to the World” make the Yuletide bright.
Incorporating a comedic play within a play of Christmas pageantry and jolly good fun, Black Nativity is family fare that is sure to get you and yours into the Christmas spirit and the reason for the season.
The production also makes a well-conceived narrative choice in the way the play transitions from the African historical past of the Nativity in the first act to the second act at Mount Missionary Church today, where rehearsals for an upcoming Christmas pageant are underway. The mood shifts from the savannah to the church in a hilarious rehearsal conflict between Actor (Eric Carter) and Actress (Karrington Sneed) who try to upstage each other but ultimately succumb to the power of forgiveness.
Scenic design by Rodney Dobbs cleverly transitions time and place with three large static standing panels splashed with colorfully painted African motifs that double as church arches and Christmassy decorations through John Moss’s collaborative lighting design.
J. Alexander Langley’s lyrical praise dance choreography weaves sacred beauty through the entire production, and every member of this exceptional ensemble has a showstopping opportunity to shine their talents in multiple roles:
Stephanie Sullivan’s performance as Agba Obinrin is a pillar of strength. She is the centering female presence, an anchor in the first act of African Ancestors and in the second act as the influential mother of the church’s pastor and First Lady. With Sullivan’s powerful chops, a few more solos would have been welcomed.
Eric Carter as Ancestor Ologbon and the Reverend gave a strong performance as the male center of gravity in the first and second acts. His booming, soulful vocals leapt from the bush to the parish in palpable power that included a full-out sermon from the pulpit.
Karrington Sneed’s background as an independent singing artist came through in her round-the-way girl performance of Iya/Actress. She couldn’t hide her flair for R&B performance style, and that was a blessing. The lady can sing!
Octavian Lewis’ turn as JagunJagun/Actor showed off his comedic creds and wonderful Vandrossy vocals.
For Alexandria Lofton and Jayqwon Tobias, whether praise dancing, singing, or interacting as Mary (Omidon) and Joseph (Odo), the vibes were high, and the vibes were exceptionally good between them.
Local high school senior and dancing talent Ryann Beckman’s star quality shone radiantly from onstage and into the aisles, upleveling the energy in joyful praise.
Connecting the African story of the Nativity to the Black American story, the playwright encourages us all to be storytellers who preserve our own precious histories of faith, determination, and courage.
With a program note that “encourages the audience to engage and participate from their seats during the second act”, Black Nativity takes you to church in a rousing, handclapping, get-happy finale meant to make the season bright. And it did!
Kudos to Bishop Arts Theatre Center for 18 years of staging this wonderful Christmas production.
When: through December 18
Where: Bishop Arts Theatre Center, 215 S. Tyler Street, Dallas, TX 75208
