WHO: Amber Iman – Broadway Actor, Writer, & Producer.

Co-Founder of Broadway Advocacy Coalition & Black Women on Broadway

WHAT: WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN

by Alesha Harris

Directed by Whitney White

WHERE: co-presented by BAM and Playwrights Horizons,

at the Fishman Space in the Brooklyn Academy of Music

I went to see What to Send Up When It Goes Down by Aleshea Harris, directed by Whitney White. It was my first theatre experience since the panini shut us down 15 months ago. Will the theatre be at full capacity? Will everyone be wearing masks? Are we showing vaccination cards at the door? Anxiety mixed with anxiousness mixed with excitement… I didn’t know what was about to happen, but I was ready for it…. at least I thought I was. 

The first thing I saw was a lobby full of pictures. The walls were covered with these stunning,  colorful, oversized photos of beautiful Black faces – smiling, mid-laugh posted up at a kickback.  It took a second, but I realized that several of these people were familiar….faces that I’ve come to know over the years… Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor…. And then I knew where I was and what this was.

I looked around for a while, and then I didn’t want to look at the photos anymore. So I went to the bathroom just for a change of scenery. I searched for people I knew in the crowd, I scrolled my phone, I got some water… anything to distract from the eyes looking down at me.

One of the actors gave a sort of “curtain speech” before we moved into the theatre. It set the tone. This wasn’t just another night at the theatre. This was sacred. Special. It required reverence and respect. In her speech, she mentioned that Alesha Harris created this play for Black audiences, but all were welcome. She was wrong. This wasn’t for me. I know these stories, these names, these faces. I’m a Black woman in America. I don’t want to do “this” anymore; I don’t need this…

As we moved into the theatre, we were ushered away from our seats and into a circle, two circles of actors mixed in with patrons. I’m rolling my eyes internally, cuz my back hurts, and my feet are tired, and I want to sit down. But, honestly, I’m fine, just uncomfortable because I know this is about to be some level of an emotional roller coaster that I’ve been trapped on since maybe 2012..ish (has Trayvon been gone that long?)

I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’ll say this…

I’ve never experienced theatre that held space for us. For me. Intentionally. Alesha Harris wrote this show for us. With us in mind. Our pain, our grief, our joy, our light, our heavy, our flesh, our song, our history, our legacy. It felt like a long hug from a knowing Auntie. I felt welcomed and cared for, and covered. I fought back the tears because I didn’t want to cry anymore. But by the end, I was powerless. And then, out of nowhere, joy washed over me. And pride and love and peace. There’s something beautiful about knowing you are seen and heard, and affirmed. And not alone. 

I feel like I’m doing a poor job by not summarizing the plot or revealing the structure, but I feel this odd responsibility to protect it. If you want to know more before you go, I’m sure you can find a review somewhere. But know that the actors are bold, vibrant, vivacious storytellers, using movement and song and dance and fire to tell these tales. It’s one of those pieces that you don’t want to leave right away. You’ll linger in the theatre when it’s over, and the words will stay with you, tucked safely away, for many moons…

Just see it.

This production of What to Send Up When It Goes Down at the Fishman Space in the Brooklyn Academy of Music, co-presented by BAM and Playwrights Horizons, closed on July 11th. Subsequent production at Playwrights Horizons will run from September 24th – October 17th, 2021.

The post We Were There: <em>What To Send Up When It Goes Down</em> by Alesha Harris</em> appeared first on Broadway Black.

We live in a binary culture. Man, Woman, Adult, Child, Life, Death. In We’re Gonna Die, plays in the gray space in between. The set is a neutral space. Like hospital waiting rooms and bus stations, it feels comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. Janelle McDermoth, our lead, transitions seamlessly from gut-wrenching monologues to bittersweet ballads and back again. Frequently she relishes in the silence in-between moments, giving us time to process what is being said. 

Lee’s monologues, delivered with care by McDermoth, feel as though they are from a friend over coffee. There is an intimacy in the work that implores you to look inside yourself to those moments you felt alone, faced tragedy, and overcame. Part of it is that these stories are based on true events. This is the nitty-gritty reality of life. We experience transitions as the band goes from quietly waiting to jammin’ out. 

The tongue in cheek lyrics of the songs perfectly complements the monologues. They are full of hard truths and humor. The music itself is reminiscent of Lily Allen’s “Alright Still” and Paramore’s “After Laughter” with lots of synthesizers and guitar riffs. Again, we hear this fine balance of joy and pain, sorrow and triumph. Simone Rose, Debbie Christine Tjong, Kevin Ramessar, Freddy Hall, and Marques Walls provide the perfect accompaniment to McDermot not just visually (they are a gorgeous cast!) but in the spirit and energy of the show. The connection between them is strong and it feels as if the band has been together for years. 

Under Raja Feather Kelly’s direction, this piece dives deep and wide into a pool of emotion. Kelly carefully balances a myriad of emotions the characters and, in turn, the audience feels. This place between places we see on stage and the transitions from monologue to song come with great care and attention to detail. Some transitions happen faster than others. Some mean little and others mean everything. And isn’t that just like life? Are we not always in transition? 

We’re Gonna Die plays through March 22nd at Tony Kiser Theater. 

The post Review — <em>We’re Gonna Die</em> Explores Hard Truths appeared first on Broadway Black.

Broadway Black {BB}: What is your connection to Sylvester and how did you become a collaborator for Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical?

Sheryl Lee Ralph {SLR}: I’m so excited to be here and doing this show because as a young Dreamgirl on Broadway, I knew Sylvester back in the day. Sylvester was there in all of his fabulosity, loving the show. He was always giving one message: don’t be more fabulous than me! But it was always and only with love so, for me, it was a great thing. We lost Sylvester far too soon and way too early to AIDS. It was very sad. He left New York, he was back in California and it was just a sad, sad loss of an incredible talent.

When I met (co-directors and co-producers) Kendrell (Bowman) and Anthony (Wayne, who also stars as Sylvester), it was a cold morning in Philadelphia. They had their package together with an idea. I took the meeting with my son and at the end he said, “You know, Mom, I really think this is something you should do.” I just followed his direction, we did it and that was almost two years ago. We were just nominated for one of the Best Off Broadway Musicals by the Off Broadway Alliance, along with Hamilton. Hamilton ended up winning, but I feel very strongly that this is not the last stop on the road. We’re really headed toward getting ourselves toward Broadway.

BB: How does Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical coalesce with The D.I.V.A. Foundation that you founded, which focuses on generating resources and coordinating activities to create awareness of and combat against HIV/AIDS?

SLR: I believe in testing. My friends died under stigma, shame and silence in the 80s. When it came to HIV/AIDS, nobody wanted to talk about it. Sylvester spoke out. Sylvester found his voice, had his voice, used his voice. Sylvester in this reincarnation of his life {through the musical}, encourages people to go out, get tested, love themselves, embrace themselves, respect themselves enough to put themselves first. Get tested.

BB: How has Sylvester’s story withstood the test of time?

SLR: Sylvester would want everyone to know how FABULOUS he was and remains in our memory. How much his music is still listened to today. He is still very much alive because his music lives. Long before there were a lot of people that we are looking at now, he was doing those braids, he was doing those beads, he was doing that big hair. Because, you know, the bigger the hair, the closer to God. He really had his finger on the pulse of fashion, of culture. He was always pushing the envelope. Sylvester would have been close to 70 years old today.

BB: You have had a successful career whether on stage, on TV, or in film. What is the secret to your longevity?

SLR: For me it’s all about redefining myself, recreating myself, living my joy. I love being on stage, center stage. But I also really love having my finger on the pulse that keeps that wheel moving forward. I am especially proud and happy any time I can be a part of seeing a more diverse group of faces on Broadway. It is a shame that there is an industry out there in which we are just not given as many chances as we should to be able to work. Too often, when the chances come up, it is from a production that is all of us {an all-Black production} or all about us, that people don’t understand the power of diversity as much as I think they should.

BB: You found success on Broadway as the original Deena Jones in Dreamgirls, for which you were nominated in 1982 for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Tell us about the grueling demands of being on stage.

SLR: In order to be on stage, it must be a project that you absolutely cannot live without doing. You’re dedicating yourself to 6 or 8 performances a week, and that is a lot. No matter what happens, the amount of energy that you put into a show is significant. It’s something that Brandy is learning right now doing Chicago on Broadway, which I’ve got to go and see before it closes. It’s a huge lesson to commit yourself to getting your body, your vocals in order, your head in order, to do what it takes to do a show 6-8 times a week.

BB: After this one-night only show at Washington DC’s Howard Theatre, what’s next for Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical?

SLR: We may do one more city like “HotLanta.” These are what we consider paid, working workshops of the show. We’re using every opportunity to be on the road, to redo the show, to look at those things that really work. We will hold on to those things and then hone and fill out the other spaces where we think the show can grow. Right now we’ve got an incredible 90-minute piece, but we want a piece that can live like Hedwig and the Angry Inch. We want that kind of a show that can win the awards.

BB: What should Broadway Black stars take away from Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical?

SLR: We want people to support us. We want people to talk about us. We want all of those folks out there who have ever thought about or dreamed about becoming a Broadway producer; we want them to bring that money to us. That’s how everybody else does it: they find their circle, their friends, their supporters. That’s what we want to do: find our circle, our friends, our supporters. Find where the money is, so that we can do an incredible show and take it to Broadway.

I really want them to support this show. I want them to know that when they hear Mighty Real, that they are going to have a mighty good time. Everyone that saw the Abba musical, they got up, they stood, they cheered, they danced in the middle of the aisles. This is that kind of show. All to the memory of someone who deserves to be remembered. We need their help. We need people to come out and support theater.

Follow @FabSylvester on Twitter to learn if a performance will be coming to your city. In addition, on August 22, DIVA’s Simply Singing will have its 25^th Annual kick-off at the Dell Music Center in Philadelphia. On October 24 in Los Angeles will be the 25^th Anniversary of the longest running musical AIDS benefit in the country, DIVA’s Simply Singing.

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