Stage Review - Black Nativity (Intiman Theatre)

Stage Review - Black Nativity
Presented By: Intiman Theatre / The Hansberry Project - Seattle, WA
Show Run: December 04 - December 29, 2024
Date Reviewed: Saturday, December 14, 2024
Run Time: 2 Hours (including a 15-minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

I’ve been contemplating exactly how to approach the review for Black Nativity, the co-production from Intiman Theatre and The Hansberry Project, directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton, and running on stage at the Broadway Performance Hall on the campus of Seattle Central College through December 29. It’s not exactly a musical, per se, though it tells the Christmas Story, the biblical story of the birth of Jesus, through acting, song, and dance, nor is it a “play with music” as the music most certainly adds context to the story, provides character exposition, and adds emotion to the storytelling. Black Nativity is probably best categorized as neither, instead I would consider it more of an experience, and at that an experience that is unlike anything that can be found on any other Seattle stage, regardless of the season. Written in 1961 by Langston Hughes, the origin of Black Nativity comes from the playwright’s intent to bring the black experience into the Christmas story, which he has done through his poetry, combined with gospel versions of traditional carols and songs written expressly for the show. And while Black Nativity tells a story that is, of course, specifically Christian, there’s just something about experiencing it that I liken to walking through the great cathedrals of Europe. Regardless of your religious denomination, or whether you claim any faith, Black Nativity stirs something deep inside, it’s almost primal as it taps into a spiritual side of us as humans that speaks to the community that we all share regardless of how we were raised and what faith we follow.

The show itself is ultimately two halves that make a whole. The first is the story of the nativity itself, told by some of Seattle’s best singer/actors and complemented by a choir of amazing voices and a group of stupendous dancers. The four principals in the cast, Felicia Loud, Esther Okech, Shaunyce Omar, and Yusef Seevers take turns narrating the story, interjecting their amazing vocals in between Hughes’ poetry and biblical verses describing the birth of Christ. In the 45 minutes that is this first act, there are too many highlights to mention, though the group’s rendition of “Mary Did You Know?” and “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” stand out. The actors play out parts of the story as well, including Yusef as the Innkeeper and Esther as Mary, each reminding us, as they step away from their vocal performances to portray these characters, how talented they are as actors. Everything about this first act, this Christmas story, is spectacular, from the African-inspired costumes worn by the leads, to the choir uniforms, and the beautiful golden angel costume, all designed by Danielle Nieves, to the choir itself under the direction of the great Sam L. Townsend, Jr. This group’s voices are full and harmonious, and boy are they uplifting. Many of the members have an opportunity to feature in solos, and each is just wonderful, the group filled with talent, and the passion they perform with is truly contagious. The performers are all accompanied by a live band under the direction of Dotcy Isom III. The combination of these individual parts into the whole feels so much like a church, but unlike any church that I’ve ever been to. The spiritual side of this, that experience that stirs the certain something I mentioned, isn’t just about the performances, but it also has a lot to do with what the design team has done, from Jennifer Zeyl’s scenic design, which includes stunning stained glass pieces above the choir risers, to how Robert Aguilar has applied his lighting to those and to the performers, lighting them in such a way that their shadows seem to project in a magical way toward the side of the stage. It’s just a beautiful piece of art all around.

One thing I haven’t gone into a great deal of detail yet is the dancing, and that’s because I wanted to mention their work separately. Choreographed by Vania C. Bynum, the dancing in Black Nativity is largely interpretive, but extremely controlled. It’s simply stunning, and watching this group of dancers, that includes DaeZhane Day, Kearia Keke Duncan, Abner Guerrero, Jerom Bixe, and Ayanna Omar, is just about jaw dropping. The choreography is complex, it requires an intense amount of flexibility from the performers, as well as a good deal of body control, and accomplishing all of this with such precision shows how outstanding this quintet of dancers is. Their work, in addition to the band, the choir, and of course the leads in the show really does make for a complete and stimulating experience.

There could be an inclination to leave after the first act, there’s a definite delineation between the acts, but I would suggest that you stay for the second half, as what follows intermission is just as inspirational as before, but in a much different way. Act 2 is the interactive portion of the show, the sing along if you will. If Act 1 feels like passively watching a church service, Act 2 surely is like actively participating in one, more precisely one in a Black church. Sure, it’s sort of scripted and the way the song choices are queued up is a bit contrived, but it’s more about the feeling of inclusiveness that choral director Sam L. Townsend, Jr. provides for the audience, making everyone feel comfortable singing along to some of cast’s favorite hymns and carols, like “Go Tell It On the Mountain” and “Silent Night”. And for the inexperienced of us in the ways of the Black church, it’s quite the education, and through Sam’s guidance, it becomes clear pretty quickly where the passion comes from in the performances experienced throughout the first act. If the first act is inspiring in its presentation, the second is in its participation.

Black Nativity has quite the history in Seattle, and specifically at Intiman. The theatre first ran the show from 1998 through 2012, and while it was well received during that time and became a tradition for many families during the Christmas season, especially for those seeking less secular fare, between financial challenges and Covid, Intiman wasn’t able to bring the show back until last year, when Valerie Curtis-Newton and the Hansberry team partnered with Intiman. For my part, it’s a good thing they have, Seattle needs a show in which people can enter as individuals and leave as a community, or even as a family. And speaking of family, Shaunyce Omar is part of her own tradition, her mother having been in the first iteration of the show at Intiman and her daughter in the dance group this year. And now that the show is back, here’s hoping it stays and becomes part of the Seattle theatre ecosystem for the foreseeable future.

While most theaters are running traditional Christmas favorites or lighthearted family stories for the holidays, Intiman Theatre’s Black Nativity is one of the few, if not the only, shows on stage in Seattle that presents a non-secular vehicle for the season. With a cast that takes the classic words of Langston Hughes and elevates them to new heights through their full and powerful voices, complemented by a beautifully sounding choir and a supremely talented dance ensemble, the experience that is Black Nativity doesn’t care which faith you align yourself with, or whether you align yourself with one at all, but rather it wants to welcome us all into its family, and surround us in a spirituality that will stir something inside and make us realize that we’re all apart of the same human community.

The Intiman Theatre production of Black Nativity, in partnership with The Hansberry Project, runs on stage at the Broadway Performance Hall on the campus of Seattle Central College through December 29. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.intiman.org/.

Photo credit: Joe Moore