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By Vince Robinson
James Baldwin’s play “The Amen Corner,” directed by Terrence Spivey, is wowing audiences at Akron’s Weathervane Playhouse. Baldwin was a noted author/activist known for speaking out against societal ills. In this Baldwin, his first play, he tackled relationships, religion, and racism, true to his form as a writer and social critic.
“The Amen Corner” remains relevant in its depiction of the conflict between religion and reality. The play addresses the juxtaposition between rhetoric and real talk. It begs the question of whether or not prayer and praise truly solve problems. Is faith sufficient to address the issues as prevalent today as they were in the last century or is there futility in our ol’ time religion?
The answer is left to the observer.
Shaneen Harris portrays Margaret Alexander, pastor of a Harlem, New York church in 1954. The story follows her navigation of a church without her husband and losing control of her 18-year-old son, David (Beloved Obeng), who longs to leave his role as the pianist there to pursue a life as a secular musician. Her husband Luke (Michael D. Fisher) returns after a 10-year absence to reconnect. His return signals an unraveling of events that test her faith and the confidence of her congregation.
This narrative is brought to life with a thoughtfully crafted set by Richard Morris Jr. It depicts a church upstairs, subtly projecting it as a high place, visible at all times. Downstairs leads to access to a bedroom awaiting a tuberculosis-ridden Luke, and a kitchen below where the pastor and some parishioners congregate. All three sections of the stage serve as windows to those separate realities, all happening within a week and visible at all times.
The opening scene brings the energy of a lively church, replete with Sister Margaret’s fiery oratory, the spirited responses from her flock, and the consistent rhythm of Sister Boxer’s (Jerald Lynn Beard) magnificently singing tambourine. It was a perfect complement to the gospel music supplied by Maestro Glenn Brackens, setting the tone for the underpinning of the moral thread that runs through the narrative.
Charlene DeJournett as Sister Moore, carries the banner of righteousness, a chaste member of the congregation who appears to support the pastor initially, but eventually joins other members in reshaping the perception of their beloved leader as she wrestles with her declining popularity. DeJournett and Harris were effective in the embodiment of their characters in this production, standing out among the performers.
Equally riveting, however, was Fisher who portrayed a dying trombonist who comes back to the wife who left him. He spent much of the play in full view on his deathbed, subtly reminding the audience that he was present while the drama unfolded. His last breath brings the proceedings to a climax when his mouthpiece falls to the floor after the wife who had deserted him with their son confessed her undying love for him.
Their son, David, had the eyes of Sister Boxer’s husband, Brother Boxer (Derwin Rowser) on him to disclose his penchant for cigarettes, girls, and worldly activities to the flock. The tug of war between his mother’s plan for him and his own plan was admirably conveyed by Obeng, offering a perfect companion to Rowser’s potent role as Brother Boxer in dropping the 411 on the young man’s departure from his church music ministry.
The Broadway production resulted in a Tony Award nomination for Beah Richards as Margaret Alexander, Spivey’s masterful direction delivers an engaging display of the nuances within church life and the drama connected to the people within. The nearly three-hour performance moves quickly to a conclusion that either tests one’s faith or strengthens it.
James Baldwin’s play “The Amen Corner,” directed by Terrence Spivey, is wowing audiences at Akron’s Weathervane Playhouse. Baldwin was a noted author/activist known for speaking out against societal ills. In this Baldwin, his first play, he tackled relationships, religion, and racism, true to his form as a writer and social critic.
“The Amen Corner” remains relevant in its depiction of the conflict between religion and reality. The play addresses the juxtaposition between rhetoric and real talk. It begs the question of whether or not prayer and praise truly solve problems. Is faith sufficient to address the issues as prevalent today as they were in the last century or is there futility in our ol’ time religion?
The answer is left to the observer.
Shaheen Harris portrays Margaret Alexander, pastor of a Harlem, New York church in 1954. The story follows her navigation of a church without her husband and losing control of her 18-year-old son, David (Beloved Obeng), who longs to leave his role as the pianist there to pursue a life as a secular musician. Her husband Luke (Michael D. Fisher) returns after a 10-year absence to reconnect. His return signals an unraveling of events that test her faith and the confidence of her congregation.
This narrative is brought to life with a thoughtfully crafted set by Richard Morris Jr. It depicts a church upstairs, subtly projecting it as a high place, visible at all times. Downstairs leads to access to a bedroom awaiting a tuberculosis-ridden Luke, and a kitchen below where the pastor and some parishioners congregate. All three sections of the stage serve as windows to those separate realities, all happening within a week and visible at all times.
The opening scene brings the energy of a lively church, replete with Sister Margaret’s fiery oratory, the spirited responses from her flock, and the consistent rhythm of Sister Boxer’s (Jerald Lynn Beard) magnificently singing tambourine. It was a perfect complement to the gospel music supplied by Maestro Glenn Brackens, setting the tone for the underpinning of the moral thread that runs through the narrative.
Charlene DeJournett as Sister Moore, carries the banner of righteousness, a chaste member of the congregation who appears to support the pastor initially, but eventually joins other members in reshaping the perception of their beloved leader as she wrestles with her declining popularity. DeJournett and Harris were effective in the embodiment of their characters in this production, standing out among the performers.
Equally riveting, however, was Fisher who portrayed a dying trombonist who comes back to the wife who left him. He spent much of the play in full view on his deathbed, subtly reminding the audience that he was present while the drama unfolded. His last breath brings the proceedings to a climax when his mouthpiece falls to the floor after the wife who had deserted him with their son confessed her undying love for him.
Their son, David, had the eyes of Sister Boxer’s husband, Brother Boxer (Derwin Rowser) on him to disclose his penchant for cigarettes, girls, and worldly activities to the flock. The tug of war between his mother’s plan for him and his own plan was admirably conveyed by Obeng, offering a perfect companion to Rowser’s potent role as Brother Boxer in dropping the 411 on the young man’s departure from his church music ministry.
The Broadway production resulted in a Tony Award nomination for Beah Richards as Margaret Alexander, Spivey’s masterful direction delivers an engaging display of the nuances within church life and the drama connected to the people within. The nearly three-hour performance moves quickly to a conclusion that either tests one’s faith or strengthens it.
