It's that time of year in Chicago. The lights twinkle on Michigan Avenue, and the color show continues down Erie Street. The aura of wealth and exclusivity abounds in River North. The Murphy Auditorium, part of the Richard H. Driehaus Museum, was the perfect venue for A Nativity Tribute, adapted by TaRon Patton from Langston Hughes's A Black Nativity. Patton is the executive director of the African-American Museum of Performing Arts (AAMPA) and co-director of A Nativity Tribute with Kelvin Roston Jr., whose talent has graced stages across the country.
Roston leads a cast of top-tier musicians and singers from Chicago churches and stages. Rolston plays the Archangel Gabriel, who is considered God's Messenger. The Catholic girl in me must report that archangels are the celestial beings closest to God and have different attributes in the service of safeguarding the faithful from sin. A Nativity Tribute features the seven Archangels mentioned in the Bible, all with special powers and duties. Michael is the warrior defending the faith and fending off Satan. Raphael is considered God's doctor and heals through grace. They get together with Ariel, Jermiel, Raquel, Haniel, and Uriel to introduce a new angel, Saraphena, to the story of the Messiah.
The story is well-known, and this version has some hilarious moments that may have gone unnoticed by some people. Raquel (Robin DeSilva), Uriel (Qiana McNary), and Ariel (Candace Edwards) play the innkeepers who say no to Mary and Joseph. "No Room at the Inn" is done harmoniously in Andrews Sisters' style. The addition of EBT to the currency taken at the fine inns of Bethlehem got a great laugh. EBT was called food stamps in the olden days of analog.
Jon Pierce does double duty as Archangel Michael and as pompous King Herod, who mocks the Three Kings. Herod is often played as a spoiled and arrogant character. In Jesus Christ Superstar, he challenges Jesus to "walk across my swimming pool." Pierce makes the most of the glorious costumes by the latstages-e Michael Stein and Congo Square Theatre. All of the costumes are beautifully tailored in rich fabrics laden with embroidery. Stein's costumes are the visual flourish that reminds the audience that this is a play about a holy event.
Jaret Landon adapted and arranged the music for A Nativity Tribute. These holiday classics are given a dose of gospel and sung to reach the rafters. Candice Edwards (Ariel) blows the roof off with "O Holy Night." Rashawn Thompson, Levi Stewart, and Kalind Haynes take the dirge out of "We Three Kings" and make it a solid jam. I have heard many takes on "Go Tell It on the Mountain," including the great Mahalia Jackson's, but this version gets the church treatment. The choir interjects a riff on the lyrics in the background of the melody that rocked the Murphy Auditorium.
The Douglas Park Dancers perform for A Nativity Tribute. Two of the troupe members play Mary and Joseph. I got a bit teary knowing that the dance troupe came from the park around the corner from my grandparents' house. I am thrilled that art and culture are alive on the West Side. Some of the dancers are young children who are poised and lovely. That felt like the bow on a beautiful gift.
Special kudos to the band for A Nativity Tribute. Hank Fullerton on keyboards punctuated the organ like a Sunday morning in a Baptist church. Tyrone Land kept a steady drum beat that never overpowered the melodies. Kory Nero kept the bass lines to a smooth rumble. The trio was perfection. There were some minor glitches with the sound, but nothing was egregious.
The Murphy Auditorium, adjacent to the Driehaus Museum, is a character itself. A line of high-backed seats line the stage area, backed by a stunning stained glass window, making it resemble a church. The Murphy Auditorium, built by Chicago architects Marshall and Fox for the American College of Surgeons in the 1920s, became part of the Driehaus property in 2022.
I highly recommend making A Nativity Tribute part of your holiday celebrations. It's beautiful and heartfelt music sung with soul and fervor. The singers transcend mere roles. This music and performance is a gift for everyone to share.
A Nativity Tribute is performed for two shows only, December 4 and 5, at the Murphy Auditorium, 50 East Erie Street. For more information on the show and other holiday festivities, please visit driehausmuseum.org. For more information on the African American Museum of Performing Arts (AAMPA), visit https://www.aampamuseum.org/
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