Paul Robeson

Review by Lovell Estell III

Recommended

Photo by Craig Schwartz

There aren’t many African-American public figures who have stood as tall, commanded as much respect or possessed as much galvanizing charisma as Paul Robeson. A celebrated scholar and athlete, as well as a labor activist, lawyer, actor and singer, Robeson remained such a lucid and implacable foe of American injustice throughout his life that in death he became a symbol of the fight against it.

All of this is recounted in Philip Hayes Dean’s homage to the man, with Keith David in the title role.  At the play’s outset, the audience listens to Robeson via a recording he made for his 75th birthday celebration in 1973 at Carnegie Hall (Robeson’s failing health prevented him from attending). From there, Hayes’ script whirls through Robeson’s fascinating life, from his college days at Rutgers and Columbia Law School, through a brief stint as a “token” at a law firm, to his steady rise to theatrical stardom and international acclaim in the company of such luminaries as George Bernard Shaw and Sergei Eisenstein.

Most of Act 2 is about Robeson’s growing stature as a political figure: his involvement in the labor movement and the controversy over his “radical” advocacy for civil rights and communism. This landed him in front of Congress’s House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956, where he spoke eloquently on behalf of the freedom to hold dissenting views.

The production offers a hefty dose of American and world history, and Dean can be forgiven for some creative license (such as bypassing the tempestuous nature of Robeson’s marriage to his wife Eslanda). Among the core strengths of Dean’s script is its subtle depiction of how wonderfully and painfully complex Robeson was.

David is joined onstage by pianist Byron J. Smith in the role of Lawrence Brown, who was Robeson’s friend and collaborator. Smith’s musical accompaniment is flawless, nicely complementing David’s splendid performance and singing. When David breaks out into a rendition of “Ol’ Man River,” you’d swear you were again listening to that long-silenced, unique basso profundo. –Lovell Estell III

Ebony Rep at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W. Washington Blvd.; LA.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through March 30. Added perfs Fri.-Sat., April 18-19, 8 p.m.; Sun., April 20, 7 p.m. (323) 964-9766, www.ebonyrep.org