Date: Fri 23-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: DONNAM

Quick Words:

Langston-Hughes-theatre-April

Full Text:

(rev "Love, Langston" @Hartford Stage)

Theatre Review--

Loving Langston's Legend

By June April

HARTFORD -- My introduction to Langston Hughes was at age 11, while on summer

holiday to our East Coast relatives. It was at a small theatre in Manhattan.

My parents had purchased tickets to see A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine

Hansberry.

In the program was a poem that branded itself into my being. The poem was

entitled Lenox Avenue Mural:

What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?/

Or fester like a sore --/ And then run?/ Does it stink like rotten meat?/ Or

crust and sugar over --/ like a syrupy sweet?/ Maybe it just sags like a heavy

load./ Or does it explode?

It was subtitled Harlem but like much of Langston Hughes' writing, it spoke

with a universal tongue. This man was an activist, who did not shy away from

controversy, and no matter what people thought of him, he was undeniably a key

figure in the world of Arts and Letters.

And so it was with great anticipation that we went to see Love, Langston , now

in production at Hartford Stage. Under the able direction of Reggie

Montgomery, a talented cast offered some of the poems, stories and music

(lyrics) of the multi-talented Hughes.

The challenge of selecting representational pieces of this writer is, at best,

a herculean task; what with writings that are contained in some 16 volumes,

and lyrics for plays, opera, and musicals. To his credit are two novels, an

autobiography (two of them), nine children's books, seven collections of short

stories and five non-fiction works including A Pictorial History of the Negro

in America .

What is most strongly explored in this play is Langston Hughes, the "Poet

Laureate of Harlem." Loni Berry, who conceived and adapted the show, also

wrote the accompanying music for this original production. This was a personal

tribute to Hughes because Loni Berry grew up reading his poetry and revered

and re-related to the words and the images. A few years after graduating from

Yale's Drama School with a masters, Mr Berry presented Love, Langston as a

work-in-progress... to an appreciative audience.

Music director and conductor Alva Nelson wove the words with jazz and blues to

mesh the rhythmic nuances of lyric and poem. The melodic work of bass player

Rick Rozie brought a rich depth to the ear and the mood of music.

The simplicity of the scenic and lighting design served to effectively accent

the flavor of each segment. The two Donalds, Eastman (scenic) and Holder

(lighting), are to be commended for their creativity.

Of the five actors, one could not but single out Emily Yancy. Her carriage and

speech were exemplary and the way she used her voice was musical, even when

she was not singing. Nora Cole was bright and sexy in her characterizations,

as was Sheila Kay Davis as a complementary "red hot mama" figure.

The two male actors, Bobby Daye and Cedric Turner, had fine voices, but their

dancing skills were clearly not their strength.

Playing through February 7, Love, Langston is worth the time if you appreciate

entertainment that rings true with fine blues and meaningful, memorable prose

and poems.

(Hartford Stage is at 50 Church Street in downtown Hartford, near the Civic

Center. For tickets and further information call the box office at

860/527-5151.)