Since its premiere off-Broadway in 1961, Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity has only grown in popularity, first as a song-driven play based on the poet’s namesake book, then as the 2013 movie starring Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett. The work in which the Nativity story is told with all-Black casts singing gospel-tinged carols and original tunes is a template that invites reimagining by contemporary visionaries. Jubilee Theatre, which celebrates its 43rd anniversary this year, has revamped the popular play by serving up jazz-tinged R&B arrangements of classic Christmas tunes. A Gospel Black Nativity is a sublime blend of joyful vocals, exuberant acting, and solemn moments for reflection.
Act 1 retells the birth of Jesus. The cast, dressed in bright traditional African clothing, meander around the minimalist stage (an elevated manger and a stairwell leading to a balcony stage right) as an angel in white (Kayla Marshall) lightly dances around Mary (Maranda Barris), Joseph (Octavian Lewis), and the three wise men (Dameron Growe, Rickie Jones, Kyle Spears). Actor Kris Black Jasper sang a somber rendition of “Joy to the World” set to sparse strings and unhurried synth harmonies. While the soundtrack was prerecorded, the original arrangements by pianist Donarious Mims, bassist Chuck Hill, and drummer Marquis James were colorful, complementary, and never distracting to the vocals.
A funky bassline kicked up the tempo as Lewis soulfully sang the spiritual “My Way’s Cloudy.” The story unfurls through a medley of rousing choruses of songs and tightknit dances with intermittent tender moments, like “Mary’s Lullaby,” lovingly sung by Barris, and “I Love You, Lord,” which was accentuated by long sonorous lines masterfully rendered by Lewis.
The first act isn’t without its humorous moments. When crooning “What Month Was Jesus Born In?,” Spears, Growe, and Jones took turns trying to top one another’s virtuosic solos.
The cast dawned church attire for Act 2, which began without intermission and brought the audience to a contemporary Black church service. Many of A Gospel Black Nativity’s most dynamic and tightly choreographed performances unfolded over the last act, which features gospel classics like “Nobody Like the Lord” and “Get Away, Jordan,” often sung with alternating soloists and a chorus of pitch-perfect singers adding bold harmonies. The play ends at the peak of a trio of songs performed with gusto in short succession by the full cast.
The play directed by D. Wambui Richardson, Jubilee’s artistic director, draws a line between the Nativity story — historically framed from a white, Eurocentric perspective — to the Black church that is the center of life for many Black communities. Hughes’ classic work made the New Testament’s origin story prescient and relatable to Black Americans, and Jubilee Theatre’s rendering preserves the solemnity of one of the most important Biblical accounts of the Christian religion while artfully updating the music to meet contemporary tastes — something Hughes did through his own works during his career.
Jubilee’s 2023-24 season continues Fri, Feb 2, with Bread n’ Gravy. The work directed by Richardson and based on the play by Donald McNeilly and Frank Cullen recounts the life of famed jazz and blues singer Ethel Waters. The theater’s 43rd season concludes with performances of Sister Act at Bass Performance Hall this summer.
A Gospel Black Nativity
Thru Sat, Dec 3, at Jubilee Theatre,
506 Main St, FW. $30-40.
817-338-4411.
