The Scottsboro Boys
cast list
Josh Breckenridge, Derrick Cobey, E. Clayton Cornelious, John Cullum, Colman Domingo, Jeremy Gumbs, Joshua Henry, Rodney Hicks, Kendrick Jones, James T. Lane, Forrest McClendon, JC Montgomery, Clinton Roane, Cherene Snow, Julius Thomas III, Sharon Washington, Christian Dante White
directed by
Susan Stroman
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In The Scottsboro Boys, one of Kander and Ebb's final musicals as a pairing before Fred Ebb's death in 2004 (others include Curtains, which played on Broadway in 2007, and The Visit, which, despite regional productions, has yet to hit New York), the story is told of the nine Scottsboro boys charged with rape in 1930s Alabama, accused of the crime by two besmirched white women.
The musical, which has a book by David Thompson, is for the most part a straightforward presentation of the case surrounding these nine innocent men who were held up as scapegoats in the Deep South as a way of inspiring fear in black people who were presumed to be threats against the purity of their beloved white women.
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The story is told using signature elements of minstrelsy. The Interlocutor, played by Broadway legend John Cullum, signals Mr. Bones and Mr. Tambo to begin telling the story of the Scottsboro Boys. Only this time, they ask to tell the story as it really was, and thus begins the musical at hand.
As directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, the musical makes fascinating use of its chosen storytelling conventions. The entire cast, besides for John Cullum, is black. Excepting Sharon Washington, they're all men. Stroman's use of these dynamics to play with performances of gender and race is particularly impressive. The show's penultimate number in particular presents a coup de theatre that's likely to be remembered by audiences for some time.
Unfortunately, Stroman's vision for the piece exceeds the quality of the material itself. Besides for a fascinating sequence surrounding the song Electric Chair and a handful of other choice numbers (Make Friends With The Truth, Southern Days), most of the songs here are forgettable, or else seem conjured from others of John Kander and Fred Ebb's shows, including Chicago and Cabaret most notably.
It's not that the performances aren't great. Joshua Henry as Scottsboro Boy Haywood Patterson shines in particular. It's his story that's given the most face time; he's got a spectacular, emotive singing voice and a presence that commands the stage consistently. Cullum, as always, delights, supported amply by Colman Domingo and Forrest McClendon who make the most of their shticks as Bones and Tambo respectively. The rest of the boys are equally talented, fine singers and dancers all.
Despite its rather innovative use of the minstrel show set-up as a window into a historic Civil Rights court case, however, unfortunately the musical too often lapses into a straightforward reportage of facts, particularly as trial after trial follows one after the other and years pass in the blink of an eye.
Particularly false-seeming is the show's final scene, which seeks to show the result of cases like this one but which is ultimately simple and reductive. From great creative minds like these, we've come to expect deeper, more truly felt conclusions than this one; unfortunately, despite the courage of its convictions and some flashy theatrical conventions, The Scottsboro Boys ultimately comes up short in this regard.
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New York reviews
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Three Sisters, Classic Stage Company
The Piano Lesson, Yale Repertory Theatre
The Momentum, Laurie Beechman Theatre
The Walk Across America for Mother Earth, La MaMa E.T.C.
John Gabriel Borkman, BAM Harvey Theater
Blood From a Stone, Acorn Theatre
Malfi, Inc., Theatre 54
Pieces, 59E59 Theaters
A Delicate Balance, Yale Repertory Theatre
The Memorandum, Beckett Theatre
The Scottsboro Boys, Lyceum Theatre
Driving Miss Daisy, Golden Theatre
Futura, TBG Theatre
La Bete, The Music Box Theatre
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
A Life in the Theatre, Schoenfeld Theatre
In Transit, 59E59 Theaters
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