Forceful production of play about Martin Luther King, Jr

By Erik Abbott

Near the end of TNT Theatre Britain’s forceful production of America: Dreams and Nightmares, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, self-reflective and despondent, asks his friend and fellow civil rights activist Ralph Abernathy to tell the press not about his many awards, but simply that he has tried to live his life serving others. Weary and uncertain of how to reconcile who he actually is with his image, this very human man is, moments later, shot and killed.

Such are the emotional and theatrical juxtapositions of this highly theatrical and mostly very successful production, which has landed at the Salle Robert Krieps at Neimënster (Abbaye de Neumünster).

Theatrical telling of historical events

TNT has again employed recognisable hallmarks of their work: a small cast, a sweeping story, episodic scenes, simple staging and music. It works very well and is the best use of their signature approach I’ve seen.

Five actors play a myriad of characters across roughly twelve-and-a-half years (late 1955 to April 1968), highlighting seminal moments of the Civil Rights Era: the Montgomery bus boycott and Birmingham campaigns in Alabama, the March on Washington, and King’s last journey, to Memphis, Tennessee, to rally for striking sanitation workers. The music, a mix of traditional spirituals and a blues-inflected score by John Kenny, ties it together and roots it in the period.

Strong, solid cast, led by moving portrayal of King

At the centre, movingly portrayed by Adrian Decosta, is King. Although he bears a passing resemblance a young Dr King, Decosta wisely avoids outright impersonation, creating instead a sophisticated theatrical interpretation that is far more compelling than simple mimicry.

His strong voice recalls King’s, and he commands the stage with charisma and a presence that reflects the real man. It is a detailed, assured and finely tuned performance, and it is extremely compelling to watch.

Decosta gets solid support from the rest of the cast, which includes Andrew Earl as Abernathy, and Mary King as Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks. Jonathan de Mallet Morgan convincingly plays the conflicted Jack Nader, a white journalist who follows and reports on King and becomes his friend.

The character appears to be a composite one and Paul Stebbings and Phil Smith, who wrote the play, use Nader as a stand-in not only for the media but also—in a very clever and effective way—as one for the millions of white Americans who wrestled with their own complicity, guilt and fears as the society they knew changed before them. Takunda Kramer rounds out the strong cast as Sonny, another confidant of King’s.

Subtle, powerful, effective theatrical devices and visuals

Every cast member also portrays, in turn, whites and blacks of the era. Stebbings, as director, employs the use of masks throughout, with black actors donning white masks to portray white characters and the white actor wearing a black mask for the opposite effect.

The device (coupled with a generous use of deliberate stereotypes) conjures not only TNT’s roots in commedia dell’arte, but also suggests the American minstrel show, a racist form that survived into the twentieth century.

The resulting emotional impact is subtle, but powerful and theatrical. The staging and visuals often transcend simply propelling action and are frequently arresting in their own right. Of particular note is a dance-like scene with chains leading into a rendition of ‘Go Down Moses’ and the final, horrific, assassination.

Although condensing the history leads to a couple of moments that feel a little contrived and the huge space seems to slow some transitions, in total the piece is powerful and instructive, a vivid theatrical reminder of Dr King’s dream and legacy.

When and where

TNT Theatre Britain with American Drama Group Europe presents

America: Dreams and Nightmares at the Salle Robert Krieps at Neimënster Monday, January 26 at 19.30, and Tuesday, January 27, at 11.00 and 19.30.

Tickets: www.neimenster.lu or phone 26 20 52 - 444