A debate over the history and meaning of negro spirituals enlivens a classroom in Choir Boy. At a school for young black men, a student links the line “keep your eye on the plow” to the latter day “keep your eye on the prize” and, eventually and significantly, to “yes we can.” Tarell Alvin McCraney won an Oscar for his screenplay for Moonlight. His ability to write memorable lines for young people trying to figure out their path in life is in full display in this absorbing, beautifully acted production.
Pharus Jonathan Young is the student at the center of this story. When the play begins he is singing the school’s theme song at the commencement ceremony for the graduating class. A bully hurls some mean-spirited epithets his way, briefly throwing off his timing. Pharus is effeminate and presumably gay. Headmaster Morrow (an excellent Chuck Cooper) advises him to tone it down a bit. In his final year of school, this uber-talented kid has now been put in charge of the choir.
The story which follows is a fairly typical coming of age story. There’s the sensitive kid, a spoiled rich one with followers and the warmhearted jock. These young men are telegraphed early. What makes The Choir so interesting is its skill in weaving the drama of being an outsider. The memories and passed down histories of centuries of slavery and hardship inform the men who inhabit this stage. In today’s world, how does a gay teenager with big talent and even bigger dreams safely navigate their passage into adulthood with so much baggage to carry?
Jeremy Pope plays a powerfully complicated Pharus. Equally endearing and maddeningly self-destructive, his youthful exuberance is fortified with an acerbic defensive wit. We see this personality trait early on and we know there will be confrontation looming. Mr. Pope’s performance is so completely realized that it never really appears to be acting.
The same can be said for the rest of this talented cast. As Pharus’ roommate and compassionate jock, John Clay III nicely develops the one character who may be pointing humanity to the future. The drama in this tale is punctuated with performances by the choirboys. The songs are expertly rendered and comment on the themes contained in the play. “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child.” “I got a rainbow tied around my shoulders.”
Austin Pendleton (perfect) arrives at the school and is the only white person in this play. He is assigned to teach a liberal arts class meant to encourage thinking outside the box. When these young men engage in debate about negro spirituals and what they mean today, the play explodes with ideas. Tensions and youthful indiscretions populate this drama with effectively uncomfortable language. Pharus is not simply a targeted gay wallflower. While wearing his armor, he can also be brutally mean-spirited.
Trip Cullman’s expert direction and David Zinn’s simple set design frames this drama enabling the challenges of youth to remain our central focus. Mr. McCraney is a talented writer who has created multiple stories about being young and gay and black. In Choir Boy, his efforts are made richer with the addition of song. The spirituals still need to be sung. There is still mourning and repression to be overcome.
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