Theater Reviews + Features | Pittsburgh City Paper: Would Breath & Imagination be such engaging musical theater without the massive talents of its three cast members? Jubilant Sykes, Kecia Lewis and Tom Frey fill the City Theatre mainstage with playwright Daniel Beaty's images and imaginings of pioneering singer Roland Hayes. The well matched trio have perfected their roles in this co-production (directed by Darko Tresnjak) with the Hartford Stage, where it received its world premiere at the start of the year.
Hayes' story is remarkable enough all by itself, and I slap myself for never having heard of him before. Born in 1877 into a tenant-farming family in Georgia, his mother a former slave, by the 1920s the gifted and trained vocalist was touring Europe, entertaining royalty. The first African American to achieve the musical and professional milestones that he did in both traditional spirituals and classical music, he fought to desegregate audiences and performances.
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