December is that month when last minute shoppers jam malls, long lost offspring return home for family feasts and little boys and girls - good and bad - clamor for high-tech goodies, cash-filled envelopes or age-appropriate toys. But for some, it is that time of the year when we renew our faith in humanity, remind ourselves that all things are possible and hold fast to dreams of a world where peace reigns supreme.
And what better way to inspire people even if soothsayers and politicians are predicting gloom and doom then with four great stories. To be specific let's consider two plays, one short opera and a ballet that collectively have become perennial favorites for audiences around the world - Langston Hughes's Black Nativity, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Gian Carlo Menotti's Amahl & the Night Visitors and Peter Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. |
Each of these pieces, while written by four men from different races, countries of origin and periods in history, have all emerged as popular theatrical events for Americans anxious to take advantage of a few days of vacation or perhaps hoping to get in the "holiday spirit."
For this writer, Christmas isn't the same without an evening with Charles Dickens and a handkerchief for those tears that will inevitably fall as Scrooge embraces Tiny Tim at the conclusion of the play and the small boy says, "God Bless us every one."
Join us as we take a closer look at four Atlanta-based venues that are currently producing these December favorites as we consider why each continues to stand the test of time.
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| Soulful Gospel Sounds are backdrop for Hughes' Black Nativity |
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| When Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes's play Black Nativity was first produced on Broadway on December 11, 1961, he called it a "gospel song play." Eventually it would be produced in churches, theaters and on college campuses in almost every major U.S. city but its premier was not without controversy.
Two of the original cast members, Alvin Ailey and Carmen de Lavallade quit the show right before opening day because of their objection to the word "black" being in the title and it potentially being too divisive for a mixed Broadway audience.
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But Hughes was determined to write plays and musicals (over 20), novels, short stories and poetry that affirmed the legacy of his ancestors, encouraged his people and remained steeped in the oral tradition.
Perhaps that is why this play with its intricate choreography, poetry and music and songs from the Black Church has become such a favorite among audiences, African Americans in particular.
And it has become a regular fixture for Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company serving as its annual holiday musical at Atlanta's Southwest Arts Center.
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This year's show is directed and choreographed by Patdro Harris with music directed and arranged by J. Michael - the same team that brought The Wiz to delighted audiences.
This writer can't help but marvel at the "Midas touch" that Leon seems to possess - with each show this season the crowds get bigger and bigger and the works continue to impress critics and move the audience.
Harris says that working with Leon is always a treat for him because their "artistic eyes are the same."
"I worked with Kenny on the movie and the play, A Raisin in the Sun, and as always he trusts me," Harris said.
"We do a lot of work together and it's always about the art - never the people. Langston Hughes wrote this so we could have a voice.
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Black Nativity has sounds that will remind you of a storefront black church but then takes you the Mother Land with rhythms of Africa and phrases in Swahili and the Uruba tongue. Look for the powerful voices of Andrea Gooden and Tim Stylez and hold on to your seat when Mary and Joseph (Kelley Young and Juel Lane) dance like there's no tomorrow.
He wanted Blacks to have a Christmas story that sounded like something we could understand and to which we could immediately relate. And for him, "black" was an inclusive term, not an exclusive one.
"People want to be encouraged and so many need to be healed. This is a great story that reminds us that even those who are different from us or less fortunate deserve our respect and tolerance.
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| When this was written we needed a voice - we needed to be able to go to the theater and hear the voice of Christ and hear folks singing and shouting like us Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol were holiday traditions but they didn't sound like us."
Kevin O'Hara is perhaps the brightest star in this ensemble piece but he is joined by a stellar cast that also includes Cynthia Barker and Barbara Grant who portrays a homeless stranger that ultimately reminds the members of prosperous The Light Church what the real meaning of Christmas is all about - love.
"Some may like the angels or the griot while others will be enamored with the dancing, the music or the story itself," Harris said. "But it has something for everyone."
For more information go to www.truecolorstheatre.org.
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| "Bah, humbug" - Words that Lead to One Man's Redemption |
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| Ebenezer Scrooge (Chris Kayser) spreads his new-found holiday cheer with a well-deserved raise for his housekeeper Mrs. Dilber (Bernardine Mitchell) Photo by Greg Mooney |
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This writer has seen almost every film production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and has had the good fortune of seeing it on stage every Christmas season for the past ten years - first at Chicago's Goodman Theatre and most recently at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. But it is strange that while the story remains the same, every production is somehow different - leaving me with yet another lesson to be remembered or a memory to savor.
Veteran actor Chris Kayser stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Alliance's 20th year of bringing this incomparable play to the Atlanta community and he is just as evil, selfish, frightening and finally lovable as Dickens undoubtedly imagined when he first penned this classic He is particularly convincing when he awakes on Christmas morning after having been visited by the three "ghosts,:" newly filled with the spirit of Christmas. |
Bart Hansard does double duty as both Christmas Present and the ineffable Fezziwig and shines in both roles as does the always outstanding Neal A. Ghant who returns in the role of Bob Cratchit. Bernardine Mitchell is a glorious Mrs. Fezziwig and young Royce Mann will warm your heart in his performance as Tiny Tim.
This writer would also like to acknowledge Sinatra Onyewuchi, a product of the Atlanta Public Schools who is an ensemble member and also plays the role of Dick, a high school classmate of young Scrooge and is the understudy for the role of Bob Cratchit. Many promising actors from the Atlanta area like Onyewuchi are routinely provided with the opportunity to gain on stage experience in annual productions like the Alliance's Christmas Carol or Nutcracker which both require large casts. |
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| The Cratchit family raises a glass in thanks for a Christmas feast of roast goose. Photo by Greg Mooney |
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| Peter Cratchit (J.C. Long) and his brother Tiny Tim (Tendal Mann) anticipate their Christmas Day feast of roast goose. Photo by Greg Mooney |
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| Ebenezer Scrooge (Chris Kayser) bah humbugs through the streets of the city. Photo by Greg Mooney |
| There are several aspects of this play that make the Alliance's production one worth seeing - from lively music and elaborate costumes to the special effects. Who can resist becoming excited as Bob Marley's ghost rattles his chains, moans in agony and then begins to fly across the stage?
And don't be surprised if you jump in your seat when Scrooge makes his first appearance, rising from the center of the stage or later in the production when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come dons the stage in his shroud.
Director Rosemary Newcott should be congratulated for her courage in continuing the tradition of this being a piece with an interracial cast.
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For example, Bob Cratchit is played by an African American while his children are of various races. And while Fezziwig is White his wife, Mitchell, who like Kayser is a longtime Atlanta favorite, is Black.
But then this story is not about race - it's about one man's opportunity to revisit his past where he can consider the errors of his way and contemplate changing his life for the better. It's a tale of redemption that returns each Christmas season, reminding us all that in this sea of millions of humans, that what we do for one person can make all the difference.
For more information go to www.alliancetheatre.org.
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| With "Amahl" as the Star, Opera Can Be Fun |
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Theatrical Outfit and Georgia State University School of Music join forces in presenting Gian Carlo Menotti's haunting opera about a crippled boy and his poverty-stricken mother and the miracle they experience on one special night when traveling magi from the East mysteriously appear and seek rest in their humble home.
This introduction to opera is perfect for children - first because it is performed in English and second because the run time is under one hour. With a sparsely decorated set, this piece rests on its music and as it is performed without microphones or electronic enhancements the director, W. Dwight Coleman, takes full advantage of the theater's outstanding acoustics. |
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Amahl and the Night Visitors was first performed December 24, 1951 at Rockefeller Center (New York City) and commissioned by NBC as the debut performance of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. It was the first network television holiday special to become an annual tradition and continued to air on NBC every year until 1966.
Menotti's inspiration for Amahl came after seeing a triptych painting by Hieronymus Bosch, The Adoration of the Magi, during a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In his interpretation, a crippled boy, Amahl, sees a star in the sky that mesmerizes him.
But because he is prone to telling elaborate stories, his mother admonishes him, despite the fact that he is now telling the truth. So, when three traveling kings arrive at their home seeking shelter she assumes that Amahl is once again lying.
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The story continues and is a beautiful testimony of faith in miracles, hope for a better tomorrow and the comfort that comes when neighbors reach out to one another.
The production is double cast and features students and alumni from Georgia State University.
The character of Amahl is played by three members of the Georgia Boy Choir - Thomas McKean, Ruben Roy and Eric Stumiolo and boasts a vocal score that is a new and revised edition of the original opera.
It is a moving fable that once again lives up to the mission of the Theatrical Outfit - "presenting stories that stir the soul."
For more information go to www.theatricaloutfit.org.
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| Atlanta Ballet and Nutcracker - Fifty Years Strong |
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| Peng-Yu Chen as Marya in The 50th Anniversary of The Nutcracker. Photo by C.McCullers |
| Before the curtain opened at Atlanta's Fabulous Fox Theatre and that unforgettable ballet composed by Tchaikovsky began, those lucky enough to attend the opening performance (Dec. 11th) received the added bonus of welcoming back the Ballet's artistic director emeritus Robert Barnett who was instrumental in bringing the piece to Atlanta along with members from the 1959 inaugural performance.
Barnett continued the tradition of enjoying the ballet by brining two of his grandsons who were attending their very first Nutcracker.
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The timeless score was performed by the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra and choreographed by the Ballet's current artistic director, John McFall.
Add to that a breathtaking set, designed by Peter Horne and the agility and prowess of the dancers and the result was a performance that was unquestionably magnificent.
By the way, the Atlanta Ballet is the longest continuously operating ballet company in the United States (founded in 1929).
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| Kelly Tipton & Nathan Griswold as Snow Queen & King in The 50th Anniversary of The Nutcracker. Photo by C.McCullers |
| It's difficult to assess each dancer individually given the huge cast that is required for this show and because sometimes dancers (as well as their understudies) often learn and perform various roles on any given performance.
Still, this writer suggests that you pay close attention to several noteworthy sequences in which the dancers particularly excelled including: the hilarious battle between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker and the Dance of the Snowflakes (both Act I), the thrilling, perfectly synchronized Spanish Dance, the delightful tumbling antics performed by Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles in the Dance of the Clowns, the always exciting Trepak (Russian dance) and the Grand Pas de Deux which includes the beautiful Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (all in Act II).
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While The Nutcracker was poorly received when it was first performed at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg in December of 1892, its popularity has grown in Western countries beginning in the mid-1950s to such an extent that it has become the most popular of all ballets.
This endearing story of a little girl's Christmas Eve in which dreams become reality, where fairies dance in snow-covered forests and the world is filled with wonderful things runs through December 27th.
For more information go to www.atlantaballet.com
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