“American Prophet” Review: Prophets and Losses
metroweekly.comAmerican Prophet: Frederick Douglass in His Own Words (★★★☆☆), in its world-premiere production at Arena Stage, wisely draw directly from the source for their expansive, though not exhaustive, biography of the great abolitionist, author, publisher, statesman, escaped slave, and public speaker.The bulk of Douglass’ lines and lyrics in the show are words that the man either spoke or wrote, interpreted and interpolated fluidly by book writers Charles Randolph-Wright and Marcus Hummon.Randolph-Wright also directs, while Grammy-winner Hummon composed music and lyrics for the score, which floats between R&B, pop, and gospel influences, but stays too comfortably within theater conventions.The music doesn’t start down the most adventurous path.
Opening with Douglass plaintively singing “What Does Freedom Look Like?” feels way too obvious.The follow-up number, “Going to the Great House,” turns out to be a sharply satirical subversion of happy-dancing-slave tropes, but then shifts into a sober — and, again, very on-the-nose — “Wade in the Water,” complete with choreography reminiscent of Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations.”Fortunately, the show goes bolder in its characterization of Frederick Douglass.
One of the most photographed figures of his time, he intentionally never smiled in front of the camera — a point referenced in the show — as he wanted to project the image of the serious social reformer.The dozens of portraits that Douglass posed for thus offer but a hint of his true personality, and despite his renown as a speech-maker, no known recordings of him exist. (He died in 1895.) Randolph-Wright and Hummon have license then to imagine Douglass to be as big and brash, good-humored, and romantic as they please, allowing Cornelius.
Read more on metroweekly.com