Crossin’ Over closes the Black Rep’s fortieth anniversary season. Created by the company’s founder and producing director Ron Himes and Charles Creath, it first appeared in the autumn of 2005. Described as “a musical with a measure of silent rebellion”, it’s a series of musical suites.
Himes directed and Creath is the musical director as well as playing keyboards for the show. They were part of the original company, and so were several of the actors seen in this edition, J. Samuel Davis, Kelvin Roston, Jr., and Leah Stewart.
The show begins with African percussion and continues from there marking the roots of the African-American experience. The Captivity Suite addresses the Middle Passage wherein people are captured and carried away on slave ships to the New World and the auction block experience and working in the fields. In this latter section, in particular, there are many songs that are familiar from childhood on for some of us. The arrangements are new, though, twining together, streaming along, keeping things more interesting than concert arrangements would be.
After the intermission, there’s a tribute to Thomas Dorsey, the prolific composer of much gospel music and some secular hits as well, followed by the Civil Rights Suite and the Contemporary Suite. There are some splendid sounds in all this, certainly, great harmonies and exciting rhythms. I was surprised, though, that in the relatively small auditorium that the Emerson Performance center at Harris-Stowe State University is, that the performers were miked. There were a few glitches with the sound, but that’s a fixable problem – I just would have been even more excited to hear these voices au naturel.
Watching J. Samuel Davis work is always such a pleasure that it’s nice to be reminded how rich his voice is. Amber Alexandria Rose tears things up with “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”. Venezia Manuel’s dance is joyous to watch, smooth and flowing and creative.
It’s a lovely tribute to tribulations and triumphs.
Crossin’ Over
through June 18
The Black Rep
Emerson Performance Center
Harris-Stowe State University
314-534-3810