Riot at the Orpheum theater examines fear and black power
Gwyneth Howell Riot produced by the OBE Theatre Boston presents an experimental piece based on the 1967 riots. A panel debate on black power unfolds as violence and fear rise in a hallucinatory stagecraft where a silent Gefors moves through aisles. The play culminates in a riot that engulfs stage and audience, while a contrasting piece BIG TIME BUCK WHITE at Village South Theatre uses crowd participation but lands less successful.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
OBE Theatre of
Boston
Gefors
Sambo
Buck White
Village South Theatre
Chance Dance by Merce Cunningham Explored
A reviewer analyzes Merce Cunningham’s chance based choreography noting his method differs from traditional plot driven dance. The piece Winterbranch emphasizes lighting as a design element while Walkaround Time uses Jasper Johns decor. Carolyn Brown and Jo Slayton are highlighted for performance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Carolyn Brown
Jo ® Slayton
Jasper Johns
Marcel Duchamp
God Is A Guess What A Morality Play With Music
A review of the Negro Ensemble Company production God Is A Guess What in which Roy Melver’s script blends satire and sermon in a morality play with music. The critic notes uneven pacing and artificial oratory, praising some sharp one liners and the troupe’s comic talent while faulting the play for moralizing sermons that don’t fully fit the urban black experience.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sophompore
Roy McIver
MeIver
Arthur French
Melver
America
Roy Melver
Atlanta
McIver
God
Huckelberry Finn
Negro Ensemble Ca
God Is A Guess What Drama Review
The review argues the play blends action over language and voices McIver as a strong comedian. It critiques the piece for leaning comic while attempting moral seriousness. Stereotypes that work in theater of variety fail in a heavy drama, making the work drag when it turns serious.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
McIver
Corredia Dell'arte
Also Mentioned on This Page
Maven
Gwyneth Howell
New York
Chance Dance
Merce Cunningham
John Cages
Hook
Swence
Cunningham
Merte Cunningham
Valda Setterfield
Cage
Robert Rauschenberg
Winterbranch
Ius Dance Company
Oscar Bailey
Negro Ensemble Co. — Music and Morality
By Edward Shen
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