Susan Granger’s review of “The Scottsboro Boys” (Lyceum Theater)
John Kander and Fred Ebb revolutionized Broadway’s musical theater, adding their own unique razzle-dazzle style to the decadence and squalor inherent in “Cabaret,” “Chicago” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” so perhaps it shouldn’t be such a surprise that they’d tackle controversial, highly political subject matter like a shameful racial incident in American history and stage it within the minstrel show format.
Back in 1931, nine black teenagers – the “boys” of the title – were falsely accused of raping two white women near a train station in Alabama. They’re immediately convicted and remain in prison, despite the fact that one of the women later recants her testimony.
John Cullum, Colman Domingo and Forrest McClendon play the stock characters in the 19th century minstrel show: the Interlocutor/narrator and the buffoonish Mr. Bones and Mr. Tambo. In addition, Domingo and McClendon play the absurdist ‘white’ roles, like the sheriff, the attorney general and the liberal Jewish lawyer, while Joshua Henry is outstanding as the most vocal, muscular and memorable defendant.
According to librettist David Thompson, the minstrel tradition began in the 1840s as a collection of sentimental songs, dances and sketches meant to be a depiction of Southern black life. It was staged by white men wearing blackface until after the Civil War, when black people began performing it. “Minstrel shows were a part of the national culture,” 83 year-old John Kander explains. “We didn’t think about how offensive that was. Now, looking back on it, and having researched it a lot, you know what it really meant.”
Meticulously directed and toe-tappingly choreographed by five-time Tony winner Susan Stroman, the injustice resonates within the rousing, ragtime framework of lively, satirical songs and intriguing, inventive backstories, audaciously reflecting America’s insidious bigotry. As the momentum builds, the haunting, sardonic significance of the singular, silent African-American woman (Sharon Washington) is only revealed at the symbolic conclusion. This subversively challenging Broadway musical is a must see!