The cast of The African Company Presents Richard III
The incident that inspired Carlyle Brown’s The African Company Presents Richard III is a fascinating bit of theatre history that today is largely, tragically, unknown. In 1821, the country’s first known Black theatre company mounted a production of Richard III in New York City. The play was extremely well-received, packing the house and earning glowing reviews. Even white audiences turned out to see the play—coming out, perhaps, to heckle, but staying to admire the work.
However, across town, the much more established Park Theatre is about to open its own production of the same play. The theatre’s owner, Stephen Price (Terry O’Reagan), is concerned about the competition, but more sinisterly, he seems to think that the very existence of this Black company delegitimizes his own production, as if Shakespeare’s entire legacy would be reduced to a mockery if Black actors spoke his words. The efforts Price makes to shut down The African Company are reprehensible, and their response is wonderfully fierce.
While these events still aren’t widely known, Brown’s play, which is currently running as a co-production of The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City and the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, keeps them from being entirely lost to history. That fact alone makes the 1994 play an important installation in the American theatre canon.
Brown’s script moves between the relationships between the members of The African Company and their rehearsals of Richard III, so we get to see just how impressive the actors are in this play within a play. In one especially gripping scene, the tragedy’s lead, James Hewlett (Raffeal Sears), and his Lady Anne, Annie Johnson (Chioma Anyanwu), work through the famous wooing scene, as James tries to get Annie to push through her (completely appropriate and astute) reservations over her character’s capitulation to the villain’s courtship. A romantic subplot between the two characters feels unnecessarily tacked on, but Sears and Anyanwu’s performances are so captivating that it barely matters.
The full cast is excellent, but George Forbes is a standout as the group’s elder, Papa Shakespeare. Shakespeare can’t read, but he knows his namesake’s work well and feels it deeply. This role is a reprise for Forbes. Ten years ago, The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City performed The African Company Presents Richard III as part of their very first season, with Forbes playing Papa Shakespeare. For those of us who didn’t catch the show the first time, we’re fortunate to get a second chance to see Forbes in the role, because his performance is worth seeking out.
Brown’s script is a bit uneven, without much natural flow between the scenes, but artful co-direction from Damron Armstrong and Sidonie Garrett keeps things moving well. The design elements are elegant and understated, starting with Gary Mosby’s scenic. The scenic design consists of a broken half proscenium arch and rigging ropes off to the side, so that as set pieces move in and out, the concept of theatre remains a constant throughout. Mary Traylor’s costumes are beautiful and somewhat subdued, which well serves the moments when a few deliciously lush pieces hit the stage.
The events depicted in The African Company Presents Richard III are significant, but this is more than a history lesson. These characters are grappling with layers of complexity, trying to claim a bit of ownership over their own artistic expression, while struggling with the limitations inherent in using the words of a long-dead white man to do that expressing. Under Armstrong and Garrett’s deft direction, the cast explores these nuanced contradictions beautifully.
“The African Company Presents Richard III,” a co-production of The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City and the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival runs through March 29 at Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main St. For more information, visit www.brtkc.org.
