The second act of The Black Rep’s season 46 premiere production – Carlyle Brown’s The African Company Presents Richard III – opens with an intense monologue where a character explains how came to be known as Papa Shakespeare. It was a moniker given to him by his enslavers with the aim of ridiculing his perceived lack of command of the English language. He has a thick African accent that is sprinkled with a hint of West Indian from spending his formative years on a sugar cane plantation in the Caribbean.
At last Friday’s presentation, actor Wali Jamal Abdullah absolutely enchanted the audience with his story of finding the silver lining in what oppressors designed for evil – which is essentially a metaphor for the Black experience. During the dramatic climax of the speech, it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Bodies leaned towards the stage to make sure that they caught every word. And then, out of nowhere, a sneeze echoed through the Edison Theatre.
“Bless you,” Abdullah said, as himself. And then he stepped right back into Papa Shakespeare. He effortlessly transitioned back into the thick accent, and the pace
of the speech’s tricky cadence. He never missed a word as he continued with how he embraced the name and how he – just as Shakespeare did during his day – serves his circle as their griot. Though seemingly insignificant, Abdullah’s instinctive decision to break the fourth wall for the sake of a patron speaks volumes with respect to the power and purpose of Black theater as the griot of the Black community. As an institution, it is a place where Black people can see themselves and their stories on stage from their perspective – and performed with the care of the audience in mind.
The African Company Presents Richard III is a nod to the legacy of Black theater in the United States. Inspired by true events, the play chronicles the unrelenting will of a producer and his company to present their interpretation of the Shakespeare classic The Tragedy of King Richard the Third in New York more than 200 years ago. The African Company understood that artistic expression and representation are essential to liberation – so much so that they were willing to risk their own freedom to present their art.
White producer Stephen Price decides that their “Black Richard” is an affront to his staging of “Richard III.” He wields his power and influence to sabotage the efforts The African Company. Neither that – or bribery – can subside the iron will of William Henry Brown and his African Company.
With cultural racism as his backdrop, Carlyle Brown masterfully weaves the
juxtaposition and irony of the American story for the stage. Brown asserts that this oppression imposed on Black people is rooted in white insecurity. He even makes the case that the Black people of this era are among the greatest thespians to ever live, because they were forced to suppress their ingenuity and potential to assume lifelong roles of subservience that bore no resemblance to their true selves. And despite their sacrifices these actors suffered through to ensure survival, they stepped out of character with ease while in safe spaces to create a subculture that continues to frame and inform every element of America’s cultural contributions.
Though The African Company Presents Richard III is a play that caters to the intellectual theatregoer, the direction of Ron Himes and the performance of his talented actors provide a level of engagement that compensates for the lack of intense dramatic action and conflict. This is especially true with Abdullah and Eric
Dean White in his portrayal of Stephen Price. Abdullah is the soul and driving force of the production, but White magnificently sets the tone with the play’s monologue. The robust and lengthy speech promoting a freedom he shamelessly contradicts with his antics against the African Company could have easily lost the attention of the audience if in the hands of a less talented actor.
The passion of Olajuwon Davis as producer William Henry Brown creates a wonderful ebb and flow as he calls Price to task for the sake of his troupe’s artistic independence. The entire cast – which includes Cameron Jamarr Davis, Alex Jay, Coda Boyce and Dustin Petrillo – make for a well-balanced ensemble.
The sound design of Kareem Deanes is a stellar highlight among the technical elements of the show. The external noise feels like an additional character that amplifies the experience of the play – from the Baroque music that plays softly before the show begins to inform the audience of the era, to the pre-recorded reactions to the play within the play. And except for his choice for Ann Johnson’s mainstage role in the African Company’s costuming for Richard III – which feels too contemporary against the medieval ensembles of the other players – Andre Harrington takes bold risks with prints, patterns and colors for the time period that pay off quite nicely.
The Black Rep’s presentation of The African Company Presents Richard III continues through Sunday, September 25 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. For tickets or additional information, visit www.theblackrep.org or call (314) 534-3807.
