Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Boston Globe: "On the streets of Watertown, a Black Civil War soldier tells the rest of the story"

From the Boston Globe, an article of interest for Franklin:
"In this pandemic year, reimagining theatrical performance means exploring not just the digital space but that infinitely roomy analog space known as the outdoors.

In any year, heightening theater’s relevance and immediacy means grappling with urgent social issues such as the kind of entrenched racial injustice that has spawned massive nationwide protests in 2020.

New Repertory Theatre tackles both the performative and thematic sides of that equation with its premiere of “The Charles W. Lenox Experience,” copresented with the Watertown Free Public Library and the Historical Society of Watertown. Scripted by local dramatist Ken Green and directed by Michael Ofori, it’s a solo play set in the 19th century that has the ongoing struggles of the 21st century very much on its mind.
 
The estimable Kadahj Bennett plays Lenox, a Black barber in Watertown who served in the Civil War with the storied 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, rising to the rank of sergeant. As Bennett leads patrons on a one-hour stroll to notable sites in and around Watertown Square, Lenox’s first-person narrative outwardly resembles one of those tourist-friendly guided expeditions.

But this is no anodyne history tour. Embedded throughout “The Charles W. Lenox Experience” are pointed reminders of how little the nation had done to deserve the service of Black soldiers — and how little it appreciated their sacrifice once they had helped to save it."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/28/arts/streets-watertown-black-civil-war-soldier-tells-rest-story/

 
Kadahj Bennett portrays Charles Lenox, a Watertown barber who enlisted in the Union army, in "The Charles W. Lenox Experience."New Repertory Theatre
Kadahj Bennett portrays Charles Lenox, a Watertown barber who enlisted in the Union army, in "The Charles W. Lenox Experience."New Repertory Theatre


No comments:

Post a Comment