Revenge of a King (review)

Abstract

Revenge of a King Presented by Black Theatre Troupe and Blackpoet Ventures at Playhouse on Park, Phoenix, Arizona. January 8-25, 2009. Conceived by Herb Newsome. Music by Derrick Walker. Additional music and lyrics by Jason Yee, Steve Broadnax, Leia Scott and David Mobley. Directed and choreographed by Steve Broadnax. Music directed by Jason Yee. Set by Jeff Lemire. Lighting by Michael J. Eddy. Costumes by Mario Garcia. Sound by David Temby. Scenic art by Ernie Perazza and staff of Just Blaze. With David Tinsley (Hamilton King), Jade Alexis Johnson (Aft Parker), Atllas (Ray, Charles King), Litisha Chappell (Dominique), Lavelle Claiborne (Jean Claude Rameau), Divine (Lady D), Reggie Powell (Lee Parker), Leia Scott (Gertrude), Roosevelt Watts Jr. (Mr. Parker), Hersley Alexander (Bernard), Ricky Araiza (Francisco), Jason Yee (DJ Son), and others. Herb Newsome's Revenge of a King is most easily described as a hiphop adaptation of Hamlet. However, term musical does not fully capture variety of Hip-Hop Theatre, a genre that Steve Broadnax identifies in his program note with the use of graffiti art, deejaying, emceeing or spoken word and dance. Observing power of hip-hop to influence lifestyles, fashion, politics, religion, and theory, Broadnax referred to production as a call out to Hip-Hop generation to take responsibility for its voice. As Black Theatre Troupe's production demonstrated, though, voice of hip-hop generation is really a multiplicity of different voices. Indeed, production was successful precisely because it was truly collaborative: starting from a script that Newsome first wrote in 2004 and subsequently revised, cast members contributed original poetry, music, and lyrics, and Newsome further revised script during rehearsal process. The result was both a celebration and a critical examination of various art forms that constitute hip-hop culture. Revenge of a King's Hamlet character was Hamilton King, a college-aged youth living on Denmark Avenue. In a quick, tense scene that started play's action, Hamilton's father was murdered by Jean Claude Rameau while trying to stop Jean Claude's gang from raping a young girl. Jean Claude quickly married Hamilton's mother, Gertrude. In addition to revenge plot, play gave equal weight to Hamilton's conflicted relationship with sixteen-year-old Aft Parker, who had aborted their unplanned child without consulting him. In first act, characters were busy in preparation for a block party, which would feature dances choreographed by Aft and a freestyle MC battle (an improvisational rap competition). The second act opened with Hamilton asking his friend Ray to incorporate verses accusing Jean Claude of murder into MC battle. This emphasis on block party set up expectation (familiar from mainstream hip-hop movies such as 8 Mile [2002], Drumline [2002], and Step Up [2006]) that narrative would culminate in a virtuoso competitive performance. Instead, Jean Claude fled MC battle, and remaining scenes resembled their analogues in Hamlet much more closely than those of first act. As a result, parallels to Shakespeare felt more forced in these scenes. Hamilton mistakenly stabbed Afi's father, prompting Afi's suicide and her brother Lee's quest for revenge. In climactic confrontation, Lee shot Hamilton through Gertrude, who was trying to break up fight. The wounded Hamilton then stabbed Lee and shot Jean Claude. Some aspects of plot were left vague. For example, set, costumes, and references to pop culture in dialogue sometimes suggested New York in 1980s and sometimes suggested a present-day metropolis. Also, Jean Claude was identified as a Councilman, but relationship between his political career and his role as a gang leader was unclear, as was his relationship with Hamilton's father. Ultimately, though, such questions were beside point as pleasure of watching Revenge of a King did not derive primarily from its mimetic realism but from its self-reflexive showcasing of hip-hop art forms. …