Saturday, September 12, 2009
Black Ensemble Theatre to present world premiere: “The Message Is in the Music”
Chicago Theater Blog: "The Black Ensemble Theater opens its Five Play Season of Excellence Dedicated to the Music with the World Premiere production of The Message Is In The Music (God Is A Black Man Named Ricky). Produced, written, and directed by Black Ensemble founder and executive director Jackie Taylor, The Message.. is a fanciful, song-filled production featuring selections by superstars ranging from Curtis Mayfield to Stevie Wonder; The Isley Brothers to The Temptations; The Beatles to Paul Simon, just to name a few. Scheduled for an open run, preview performances will begin October 3, with opening night being Sunday, October 18th. More info here."
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2 comments:
i really like hearing songs i already know in a new manner. This reminds me a lot of Movin' Out. But i really like how this is drawing from so many different sources to tell its story. But I was a little confused what story they were actually telling (seeing as we know the ending and all.) But maybe its just a common find your way through life and get your purpose piece. I wish I knew how God is a black man named Ricky, though!
How did the trope that God is a black man come about? I love, it personally, but this made me wonder. Once upon a time, indicating that God is black in western society would be as unthinkable as indicating that God is a Islamic woman.
A quick google search turned up nothing, but honestly this is so prevalent that the voice I conjure up for divine intervention is always Morgan Freeman.
I'm quite fond of the title of this piece, especially being a rabid follower of Marshal McLuhan. The Medium is the Message is a great read and I hope they're referring to it in the title of this play. The medium they deal with is specifically music, but I don't know if our community is given to medium self analysis in performance.
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