“Black Ensemble Theater’s world premiere production of ‘My Brother Langston’ tells the story of Harlem Renaissance luminary Langston Hughes through poetry, music and autobiographical narration, with uneven results,” writes Emily McClanathan.
Chris Taylor as Langston Hughes in"My Brother Langston" at Black Ensemble Theater. - Original Credit:
Written and directed by Rueben D. Echoles, “My Brother Langston” focuses on Hughes’ early life and the portion of his career when he was part of the Harlem Renaissance — the vibrant era of Black artistic, musical and literary output from the late 1910s to mid-1930s that centered around the eponymous Manhattan neighborhood. Best known for his poetry, Hughes also wrote essays, plays, short stories and novels.
Echoles’ script succeeds in conveying many key ideas from Hughes’ body of work, such as taking pride in African American culture, writing about the full spectrum of the Black experience and refusing to sacrifice authenticity to cater to white audiences. The show also examines the racism that he faced in high school, as a student at Columbia University and throughout his career.
However, the projections by Dre Robinson, while aesthetically pleasing, do not mesh well with the other design elements. Ten poems by Hughes are performed throughout the show, and many are illustrated by projections that range from historical photos of Black Americans to modern video footage of African landscapes. This pairing of images and poetry feels didactic and distracts from the actors’ performances.
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