BLACK HEROES IN THE HALL OF FAME
Griffin Theater
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But Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame is more than just a blitz course in black history. It is a pageant, its material interpreted lavishly through music, dance, and drama. An onstage chorus bridges the diverse segments, creating a parade through time and space. For example, after the eight kings of Africa have been introduced, they dance together to the reggae song “War” (sung by Errol Hines, who plays Haile Selassie). Later, while a voice-over lists their significant accomplishments, Nelson and Winnie Mandela each perform a solo dance that segues into a full-cast production number featuring–what else?–the African National Congress anthem.
In the sequence entitled “The Great Debate,” Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Marcus Garvey (played in a booming Screamin’ Jay Hawkins voice by Count Prince Miller) debate their positions on the direction to be taken by their people. (Malcom X got the most support from the audience, but King got the last word in.) Though the dialogue is credited to J.D. Douglas, a certain amount of improvisational leeway is clearly permitted–references to K-Town, Spike Lee, and the recent LA police beating all turned up. At the end of the debate the three men embrace in sportsmanly brotherhood, while the chorus sings a commentary on what we have just heard. Just to make sure we get the message, a rapper named Seannie-T hits the stage with a song summarizing the main points. I left the theater understanding for the first time in my life the precise distinctions between the idealogies of three of the most influential black American leaders of the 20th century, and I got to clap my hands on the downbeat to a modern rock-rap. What more could you ask from one evening at the theater?
As hit-and-miss as Griffin’s record sometimes appears to be, the company is to be commended for providing an outlet for the works of new playwrights. These two scripts are not perfect, by any means–Imagining America rarely rises above an extended acting exercise. But in the hands of the Griffin artists, they emerge as original and engaging.
