Musical ‘Black Nativity’ connects Christmas with life in Milwaukee today
The first act of “Black Nativity” dramatizes the struggle of Joseph and Mary two millennia ago to find a safe place for her to give birth to Jesus, only to keep hearing there’s no room at the inn.
But the setting of Black Arts MKE’s production looks so familiar: highway underpasses tagged with graffiti.
Langston Hughes’ gospel play aims to connect the Christmas miracle with life today. Director Dimonte Henning’s staging, which began performances Thursday at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, reinforces the notion that the little town of Bethlehem and metropolis of Milwaukee are sister cities. As Joseph (Brian D. Crawford) and Mary (Erica Brown) make their way toward the manger, they pass people haggling over basketball shoes on the street.
Henning, who played Joseph in the 2018 production, also wanted to make this year’s production an unapologetic celebration of Black life. That shows in this musical’s rafter-shaking ensemble song-and-dance numbers, especially “What You Gonna Name Your Baby?,” which includes an electrifying cameo by choreographer Christopher Gilbert. Cast members turn “Joy to the World (Reprise)” into a boisterous call and response with the audience. Who would have guessed people could sing so fervently through their masks?
“Black Nativity” features an intergenerational cast and an egalitarian approach. Anyone can and does take the musical lead or preach the Word, including teen cast members Terynn Erby-Walker, Maya O’Day-Biddle and Nykolis Antoine Reynolds. Women’s voices are as important as men’s. Local musical theater veterans Cynthia Cobb and Shawn Holmes infuse “Black
Nativity” with her powerhouse voice (notably on the spiritual “Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow”) and the grace note of humor he brings to all he does.
In Act Two, and unlike many Christmas shows, “Black Nativity” talks frankly about the Crucifixion of Jesus and about where God is during human suffering and trials. The problem of theodicy gets a vigorous airing before the stirring finale, “I Was There All the Time.”
I’ve called this production a gospel musical because of its biblical message. Music director and keyboardist Antoine Reynolds and his ensemble are giving us an R&B musical infused with gospel music and a few hip-hop elements.
Costume stylists Kyndal Johnson and Vato Vergara have curated outfits that suggest the enormous diversity of the Black community, with everything from casual streetwear to Afrocentric looks.
Black Arts MKE does not suggest a minimum age for this show. Any child who can sit through a two-hour production and be OK with occasional passages of seat-shaking bass guitar should be fine.