1) Fahamu Pecou leads the 15 Project at Atlanta Contemporary Art Center.
2) Mark Farina performs at the Mark Ultralounge.
3) Downtown Decatur hosts the Decatur Beach Party.
4) Reed Dorty celebrates Juneteenth with a Langston Hughes recitation at A Cappella Books.
5) A Flood of Pictures opens at Saltworks Gallery.
(Photo courtesy Fahamu Pecou)
FELLOWSHIP OF THE SING: Shay Latte as an angel (left), Galen Williams as Joseph, Kelly Young as Mary, Sam Collier as an angel
Audiences could be forgiven for worrying that True Colors Theatre Company’s Black Nativity might evoke a high school’s annual birth of Jesus holiday pageant. The perennial musical’s first half takes place “When Christ was born” and hits all the requisite beats of the first Christmas: angels, shepherds, Magi, etc. Plus, True Colors follows a similar approach as its recent holiday productions of The Wiz by casting primarily high school and college students as well as some recent graduates.
Fortunately, Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity resembles a revue more than a plot-and-character-driven musical. The material turns out to be an ideal vehicle for the young ensemble, since director/choreographer Patdro Harris and music director J. Michael can cast to the performers’ individual strengths, while acting never really becomes an issue. (more…)
