Press

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Black Nativity in Raleigh News and Observer 2011

An 'off the charts' look at the nativity
By Lori D.R. Wiggins

By the time you read this, it'll likely be too late to get tickets for The Justice Theater Project's inaugural production of Langston Hughes' Christmas classic, "The Black Nativity."

You see, when I talked early last week to Melissa Zeph, JTP's management director, only 150 tickets remained for the last of four shows scheduled to run Dec. 16-18 at St. Mary's School 340-seat Pittman Auditorium.

She expected those to sell out in two days - tops.

"This is off the charts," Zeph said, emphasizing that the matinee sold out in ticket pre-sales, "which goes to show how desperately the city of Raleigh needed a professional, multicultural holiday offering."

"Next year, we may have to offer more shows or find a bigger venue."

"The Black Nativity" retells the story of Jesus' birth, combining scripture with Hughes' poetry - all amid contemporary, traditional and original gospel music, as well as verse and dance.

On Dec. 11, 1961, it became one of the first plays penned by an African-American person to get a Broadway stage.

JTP's production of the musical features a multicultural chorus of 40 - some of them whole families of moms, dads and children - and an all-black cast, as Hughes intended.

"It's just a beautiful chorus of angels, which is exactly what heaven would look like, right?" Zeph queried rhetorically. "It is just gorgeous."

I'm not surprised JTP is bringing it to us in downtown Raleigh.

Established in 2004 by artistic director Deb Royals-Mizerk and Megan Nerz, The Justice Theater Project is an activist theater group based in North Raleigh that uses dramatic art to call public attention to the needs of our poor, marginalized and oppressed neighbors.

Each year, JTP chooses a topic of social concern for its main stage performances.

On the heels of the death penalty and immigration, this year's focus is the environment.

Royals-Mizerk always wanted to add a fourth show to its annual offerings, supported by funding from the N.C. Arts Council, the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County and the City of Raleigh Arts Commission.

"I can't think of a better story that addresses an issue of social concern than that of Christ is born into poverty," Royals-Mizerk said.

"There was no room at the inn; no room for a poor family to stay because they had no money, regardless of the fact that she was getting ready to give birth to a baby."

Performed annually all over the country, Hughes' musical is more than mere entertainment, more than a writer's turn of story.

It's a statement both of preservation of history, culture and religion and of the promise of progress toward equal acceptance.

Lots of little black children nurtured in Christianity - including me many years ago and our daughter fewer years ago - are encouraged to imagine ourselves in God's image.

We're encouraged to know it's possible, despite social assumption and traditional art, that Jesus was black, or otherwise "colored," with hair like wool and skin like brass, "as if burned in a furnace," as scripture tells us.

"Why not have this as another way of understanding the Christian story?" Royals-Mizerk asked.

"It's arousing. It's lively. We're experiencing something different, and what's wrong with that?

"Why not call ourselves out; call attention to a story that may not be the same.

"I'm really happy we're doing it."

So is musical director Carolyn Colquitt, a former music director at Baptist Grove Church.

Colquitt was quickly enthralled by Hughes' ability to weave prose, scripture and music to support messages in the production.

She has reveled in the creative license Hughes granted future directors to use or replace music according to their audience and era.

"And that's what we've done," said Colquitt, who began working on the production with Royals-Mizerk in June.

"Our interpretation is fresh and it's new. It's been quite a journey."

The journey will continue, Royals-Mizerk said, noting even non-Christians will enjoy the ride.

"It's a spiritual way to come together and fellowship and be part of a production that is very uniting; that pulls together a collective soul," she said.

"My hope is there's something that happens to people because of the production, from just being in it or from just seeing it.

"We need to rock our soul."
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To read the article in its entirety, please go to http://www.midtownraleighnews.com/2011/12/03/10336/an-off-the-charts-look-at-the.html

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