The world premiere of Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution appears as America must be reminded that the power of a dedicated group can cause significant changes. It is also a reminder of how complacency leads to backlash and a return to the old ways. Playwright Nambi E. Kelley's world-premiere play at Court Theatre wends through Stokely Carmichael's life, leading to the Black Power movement and his evolution into Kwame Ture. Tasia A. Jones directs a cast that connects Ture's journey and encounters with legends of the Civil Rights Movement.
Anthony Irons does a star turn as Carmichael/Ture from his childhood in Port of Spain, Trinidad/Tobago to his last years in Conakry, Guinea. Irons is heartbreaking as a child longing for his mother to an adult confronting the mother who left him behind when she went to make a life in America. He is also remarkable in recreating some of Carmichael's iconic speeches that birthed the term Black Power. I saw Kwame Ture at Mundelein College in 1980, long after he had changed his name from Stokely Carmichael. Irons has the gestures and fiery gaze that I remember. It is not an imitation but an embodiment of a flesh-and-blood man who gave his life for the cause of Black empowerment and Pan-Africanism.
Wandachristine is luminous as Stokely's mother who faces down her son's anger, earns his forgiveness, and endures the pain of shepherding him toward death. It is a remarkable performance that is layered with the defiance and anguish of a mother being embraced and rejected by her son at the end of his life. Wandachristine has the perfect lilt to her West Indian accent and uses it for some comic zingers.
Kelvin Roston Jr., a Chicago treasure, plays Stokely's father Adolphus, Bayard Rustin, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., without missing a beat. I last saw him at the Court Theatre as Oedipus in The Gospel at Colonus. His performance in Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution showcases his versatility and charisma. We also hear him sing with the cast "When I Get to Heaven, I'm Gonna Tell Jesus What You Did".
Melanie Brezzil is good as several characters, changing accents and physicality in a snap. She plays Stokely's Tante (aunt) Elaine, civil rights icons Fannie Lou Hamer, and Diane Nash. She drew laughs from the audience calling Stokley out on a sexist remark that women belong in a prone position. It was a reminder that Black women built and sustained the Civil Rights Movement. Brezzil is briefly seen as Miriam Makeba with snippets of "Pata Pata," which became a hit in America. Her character gets the short shrift with Stokely telling the story of how she was exiled from America with her records being banned from airplay. I would have liked to see that relationship more fleshed out. Once again, a Black woman's sacrifices are being used to boost a man's profile and power.
Rounding out the ensemble is Dee Dee Batteast as Stokley's grandmother Cecilia Carmichael. She gives a warm and loving performance helping Stokely recover from an asthma attack. Cecilia wills him to breathe and tells him that the bitter herbal remedy will help him heal. Batteast also has firepower in her performance telling Stokely's mother that she is a bad mother for leaving him behind to go to the Bronx. In turn, she is a wise and down-to-earth Ella Baker, the woman responsible for organizing the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which catapulted Stokely's profile as a firebrand speaker and leader.
I like that Kelley's script shows the influence of Black women and uses Ture's speeches and quotes verbatim. As a kid growing up in the '60s and '70s, Ture was a polarizing figure in some Black households including mine. Some felt that he was too revolutionary and would cause white backlash—which he did, but there is no greatness to be had by being complacent. Kelley gave full voice to an almost-forgotten figure that deserves more prominence today. Ture spoke of getting policemen's knees off of our necks and in light of George Floyd's death and other injustices, it is time to shine a new light on the sacrifices made to demand that violence against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) is a poison in a first world society.
The lighting design by Daphne Agosin and the sound design by Willow James are subtle but important elements of the production. Each episode in Ture's remembrances is introduced by light and sound effects from a handheld tape recorder. Yeagi Kim's set design is a marvel that turns from Ture's lifetime of newspaper clippings, speech transcripts, and files to a Southern lunch counter where people get food poured on them before the cattle prods and attack dogs.
Playwright Kelley is also an actor (Joe Turner's Come and Gone) and the author of Native Son, which premiered at Court Theatre in 2014 and is now on stage at Timeline Theatre.
Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution is a fine production that I highly recommend in light of the current political climate and divisiveness that still plagues the world. Kwame Ture's call to power seemed prescient in retrospect because not much has changed from the battered body of Emmet Till to the video-streamed death of George Floyd. You should see it and take someone along who perhaps needs a wake-up call.
Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution runs 90 minutes with no intermission and is playing through June 16 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis in the Hyde Park neighborhood. For times and ticket information please visit www.CourtTheatre.org.
For more information on this and other plays, see theatreinchicago.com.
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