Saigon Saadi
August 29, 2013 [Excerpt]
What was presented on Tuesday night in the beautiful sanctuary of D.
C. 's historic Metropolitan A. M. E. Church was more in the manner of
informally dramatic reenactments that relied heavily on the audience's
participation rather than the individual talents of the guest
performers.
In his introductory remarks, the producer Alan Marshall shared that
the work evolved into a multi-media project. One could only wonder what
the original direction and intent of the work was. In terms of
personnel, there seemed not to be the inclusion of any familiar artists
that make up the rich fabric of the Washington arts circuit. Billed as a
'Civil Rights Opera'-Prelude to A Dream was more or less devoid of any
rich solid musical material or delivery from the performers. Instead,
by instinct or perhaps by design, the familiarity of the interpolated
congregational spirituals certainly provided the core nucleus of the
performance with the principal actors only having to offering commentary
to what previously occurred from the audience's perspective. The
program itself was difficult to follow in part to the fact that there
was no real context for the setting nor was there a libretto that
brought the presentation together in a collective fashion.The spirit of
the evening's performance did show great potential. It was evident that a
lot of effort and sacrifices were made to honor the story. Those
moments really were conveyed by powerhouse singer Jo Ann Clark, who in
essence was the musical nucleus of the production. Jeronique Bartley
was a sterling standout in her portrayal of Civil Rights Activist Joyce
Ladner, who was present. Alan Marshall doubled as the producer and in
the pivotal role of Bayard Rustin.
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