"A Legacy Isn't A Legacy Until You Pass It On"

At the urging of Pepper Von, I went last night to see "And The Dream Goes On" at CSU, Sacramento, a revival-spirited celebration commemorating the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., but it's the first time I've seen the show (precisely how many previous incarnations there have been is unclear to me). I didn't understand the ticket reservation policy, so I just showed up, and someone just handed me a ticket, so it worked out well.

The show focused on generational clashes that result from pride, and a failure to listen, as much as anything else. The purpose of the musical show is to effectively pass on the core of the learned wisdom of the Civil Rights movement of the 50's and 60's, to a younger generation, without being overbearing or didactic.

I remember once seeing a film of a Civil Rights pioneer (name I've forgotten) as he walked the back roads of Mississippi in the early 60's. This fellow was alarmingly young; no more than twenty. His vision for the future of Mississippi was clear, simple, and quite radical, given the realities of the day: register everyone to vote. He was taking his life into his hands, he knew it, and yet he was unperturbed: he had a mission, and no earthly impediment would stop him. That zeal and clarity of purpose is hard to maintain throughout life, much less convey to a younger generation. The proper education of the young requires placing the message in a form easier to understand: a musical.

Bev Sykes at The Davis Enterprise summarized the show well:

This year's production, "And the Dream Goes On," is the culmination of work that began with 2002's "Keeping the Dream Alive." The creative team — Anthony D'Juan and Lisa Tarrer-Lacy (book), and the Rev. Charles Cooper (music and lyrics) — found their efforts fueled by passion and a firm belief that they were obligated to pass on King's legacy, and that of the civil rights movement, to today's youth.

...

"And the Dream Goes On" is at once a musical revue, a political statement and a good ol' revival meeting, with a heavy dose of history thrown in to hold it all together.

The central characters are a trio of men, each representing a different generation and perspective. The Dream Guide (Derrick A. Miller, reprising his spectacular performance from last year) is given the mission to share King's legacy with Chuck Temper (Stephen Lamar), an angry young man whose life centers around his "homies" (Robert Joseph Andrews and Thomas Wright).

Chuck feels the world owes him a living, and he's drifting through life without any real direction. Both Chuck and The Dream Guide battle internally as they try to discover and fulfill their intertwined destinies.

The Janitor (the incomparable Bill Miller) becomes the voice of wisdom who helps The Dream Guide and Chuck find a way to connect.

Outstanding moments take place in the "Museum of Living History," where heroes of the civil rights movement — sung and unsung — speak their piece. In the very moving finale to Act I, Kenna Wright — a vision of innocence in white, with large, luminous eyes, who clutches a teddy bear — sings "God Knows What's Best for Me," speculating on the possibilities ahead of her, minutes before she becomes a victim of the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.

At the start of Act II, Elaine Lenae Douglas — accompanied by dancers Venetia James, Misty Kline and Sharen Moseby — portrays an elderly woman who participated in the bus boycott in Mississippi.

Albert (Noah Hayes) speaks out for interracial marriage, stating, "If you forbid me to love, then you forbid me to live."

Bill Miller and dancer Pepper Von give voice and vision to the pride of being an African American man, in the show-stopping "I Am a Man."

...

Tarrer-Lacy insists that this work is more than just a play: "I see it as a vehicle for reflection," she said, "a call to remember how far we have come, and a reminder that our work isn't complete. It is an acknowledgment that we are not the first to struggle against injustice, and that we can stand proud knowing that we, too, possess the strength to overcome diversity."

... Tickets are free, but they're available only at the University Theater Box Office 45 minutes before each show time. Two tickets per person may be picked up (only for that day's performance). Each ticket guarantees a seat until 15 minutes before show time, and seating is limited.

Many fine performances, of course. Like Bev mentioned, Bill Miller and Elaine Lenae Douglas are excellent (as well as Pepper Von and his tap dance sequence). The dance trio is fine as well (I enjoyed comparing the dancers, and seeing, from second-to-second, who was doing best, because they often outdid each other). The three 'homies' are both skilled and lackadaisical in that youthful way that elders find so annoying. My favorite song was 'You Are' by Rachelle Archer, Shelanda Goss, and choir. I was also impressed with Kenna Wright's discipline: frozen while kneeling, out of the spotlight, for just the longest time, with a radiant smile, and not falling over, or having the smile turn into a Frankenstein mask.

Like they say, "A Legacy Isn't A Legacy Until You Pass It On!" The show continues through this weekend - check your newspaper!

[P.S.: I think that last Tarrer-Lacy quote in Bev's review is supposed to be "adversity", not "diversity."]