Filed under: Interviews, Theater
'A Season in the Congo', written by the late Aime Cesaire and produced by Jackie Jeffries and Rico Speight, explores the nation's first year of independence and the rise and fall of Patrice Lumumba. Through archival footage, music, and magnetic performances, the play unfolds in such a beautifully honest and heart-wrenching way.
To know the story of the Congo is to know the scars left by acts of inhumanity. It can leave one to ponder why some among us harbor the murderous motivation to control as many of the earth's natural resources as possible, and to wonder for how long. But, pain is not the only story.
There is also the story of resilience, often untold, but nevertheless present.
'A Season in the Congo', which opened Sept. 30, has received rave reviews. The family of Cesaire provided their own stamp of approval, saying, that the "actors worked very hard to make the work come alive on stage" and calling the actors' performances "excellent and striking".
Mabengeza spoke exclusively with BlackVoices.com about how he prepared for his role as Lumumba, what he hopes audiences take away from the play, and his thoughts on the new generation of Africans at home and abroad. Excerpts of the conversation are below.
How did this role come about for you?
That conversation really impacted me. And the last thing she told me was to remember who I was playing and consider the legacy of this man. As a performer myself, understanding the context of this play, I certainly wanted to make sure that I did that. I didn't want to really play myself. As an African, you know that we are very spiritual. This is a man's family. He comes from a certain tribe, a certain people. And I can't just go in there and think it's me. I said a prayer to his family to thank them for this opportunity and ask for their guidance in terms of portraying their representative, their father, their brother, their cousin. I asked God to help me to be this person with integrity and dignity, and to also maintain the strength and the power and the unshakable confidence that he had in what we could do as a people.
What do you hope people take away from this play?
Where do you see the new generation of Africans?
Black Stars on Broadway
Black Stars Light Up The Great White Way
On Nov. 17, Kerry Washington made her Broadway debut with David Mamet's newest play 'Race' at New York City's Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The acclaimed actress, who wowed mainstream movie audiences in the Academy Award winning 2005 Ray Charles biopic, said she is "thrilled" about this latest career move. The show also stars James Spader, David Alan Grier and Richard Thomas.
Robert J. Saferstein
Black Stars Light Up The Great White Way
Fans of the hit ABC medical drama 'Grey's Anatomy' know that Chandra Wilson has a knack for playing tough broads. This summer, the award-winning actress returns to her theater roots with a role in the legendary Broadway musical, 'Chicago.' From June 8 through July 5, the woman known to many as Dr. Miranda Bailey on the Shonda Rhimes-produced series will take on the celebrated role of reigning cellblock diva Matron "Mama" Morton at Broadway's Ambassador Theatre. The Houston native and three time Emmy Award nominated thespian's previous Broadway credits include 'Caroline, or Change,' 'Avenue Q' and 'On the Town.'
Joan Marcus
Black Stars Light Up the Great White Way
Phylicia Rashad, who warmed millions of TV viewers' hearts in the 1980s as Clair Huxtable on the groundbreaking NBC sitcom 'The Cosby Show,' has taken on a role like none other. Making a triumphant return to Broadway this spring, the Tony Award-winning star of plays such as 'A Raisin in the Sun,' 'Gem of the Ocean' and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' exposes an emotional depth and acting range that is unparalleled. In the Pulitzer prize-winning play 'August: Osage County,' Rashad portrays Violet Weston, the pill-popping, acid-tongued, no-holds-barred central figure of a dysfunctional clan experiencing the sudden loss of its patriarch.
Robert J. Saferstein/Jeffrey Richards Associates
Black Stars Light Up The Great White Way
After years of toiling on TV shows and films, acclaimed actors Ernie Hudson (of 'Oz' fame) and LaTanya Richardson Jackson (previously seen in 'The Fighting Temptations') made their Broadway debuts in the critically acclaimed revival of the August Wilson play 'Joe Turner's Come And Gone,' which opened at the Belasco Theatre on April 16, 2009. The story is set in a Pittsburgh boarding house circa 1911 and features a colorful cast of characters played by Chad L. Coleman, Roger Robinson, Aunjanue Ellis, Andre Holland, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Arliss Howard, Danai Gurira, Michael Cummings and Amari Rose Leigh.
Black Stars Light Up The Great White Way
Hollywood heavyweight Cedric The Entertainer joined Tony Award nominee John Leguizamo and Academy Award nominee Hayley Joel Osment in a November 2008 revival of David Mamet's classic play, 'American Buffalo,' which played a short riun at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway. Following three small-time crooks who wax philosophically about society while conspiring to steal a rare and valuable coin from a neighborhood collector, the Oscar Joyner produced production marked the funnyman's debut on The Great White Way.
Black Stars Light Up The Great White Way
'American Idol' Season 1 finalist Tamyra Gray blazed a new trail on Broadway when she revamped the look of lead character Mimi, a drug addicted HIV positive spitfire in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical 'Rent.' It wasn't the first time around the track for the former Georgia pageant queen; she previously starred in the Indian inspired outing, 'Bombay Dreams.'
Black Stars Light Up The Great White Way
Academy Award winning film veteran Morgan Freeman made a return to The Great White Way in April 2008. The last time the 'Million Dollar Baby' actor appeared on the Broadway stage before: 1988's 'The Gospel at Colonus.' As Frank Elgin, the Memphis native took on a roll traditionally played by a white actor in the Mike Nichols-directed revival.
Black Stars Light Up The Great White Way
Hip-hop superstar Sean "Diddy" Combs won rave reviews as Walter Lee Younger in the 2002 revival of the classic play 'A Raisin in the Sun.'
Black Stars Light Up The Great White Way
Sexy 'Soul Food' star Boris Kodjoe stepped up his acting game by filling in for Terrence Howard during a break in production of the sell-out, all-black version of Tennessee Williams' play 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.' Though it was only two weeks, the former fashion model turned pin-up hunk received high marks for taking on the lead role as sexually tormented jock, Brick. He held his own alongside Tony Award winning thespians James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Anika Noni Rose.
Black Stars Light Up The Great White Way
'Law & Order' powerhouse S. Epatha Merkerson returned to her theater roots with her critically acclaimed turn in 'Come Back, Little Sheba.'