Editor : Jeannie Lieberman |
Submit an Article |
Contact Us | 
For Email Marketing you can trust
Amazing Grace
By Eugene Paul Every play that manages to get on its feet and actually presented before the public is the result of many acts of faith, love and magical thinking. It’s enough to keep Tinker Bell whizzing around the globe forever more. Amazing Grace is all of that laced with a rousing shot of evangelism. In your program you’ll see a full listing of all the true believer neophyte theatrical angels of the show, every one of them carried away by the gut wrenching drama of the amazing back story, itself worthy of a silo full of oohs and aahs. And it’s all true. Well, as true as you can get in a musical, a Broadway musical. John Newton? Never heard of him? He was an early 18th century British slave trader, sea captain, the possessor of the foulest mouth in British naval history, even to making up his own words for oaths, an absolute gift for words. He wrote “Amazing Grace”. The hymn that moves all people, no matter their religious adherences. Bizarre? If only the show were so arresting. It’s been cleaned up, beautified for all ages, totally fitting for the transformed John Newton who saw the light, reformed, gave up the sea, several years later gave up slave trading, finally gave up vituperation and became a pastor for the rest of his life, writing two hundred or more hymns, none that compare with this single, soul saving song. It’s been sung to more than twenty melodies but only this one, a version of “New Britain”, has sustained in popularity. Remarkable playwright/ composer/ lyricist Christopher Smith makes his theatrical bow with this would-be spine tingling show,(with a strong assist from Arthur Giron on the book), having come across a biography of John Newton that virtually set him afire. He quit his job as a police officer and devoted his life to bringing Newton’s life story to the stage. Talk about faith, love and magical thinking. And incredibly hard work. He actually taught himself. This happily married police officer, father of three children, pursued his inspired, impossible dream, and here it is, his testament, earnestly performed in Toni-Leslie James’s sumptuously rich 18th century costumes, handsomely redolent with 21st century shocking effects and wonders for its early 18th century little known tale. In our tale, young John Newton (dashing, fresh voiced Josh Young) has made it a point to disobey his father, Captain Newton (splendid Tom Hewitt) to rebel as often as possible in every way he can think of as punishment for the way his father treated his mother, who died when John was 7 years old. John even takes over and runs his father’s slave auction—Captain Newton was a slave trader –against strict instruction not to interfere at all. Of course, he disobeys. The auction is disrupted and raided by abolitionists, a slave is lost, and Captain Newton has reached his limit. When John is captured by recruiters and press ganged into service in the navy, Captain Newton refuses to have him released. John’s service is harrowing; he resists all the way.
The ship is wrecked on the coast of Africa with all hands lost save two, John and another.John is rescued by the soldiers of brutal slave trader Princess Peyai (wonderful Harriet. D. Foy) only to become her slave. She has done business with John’s father, and realizes that John could be more valuable as a hostage. She holds him for ransom and puts him to work running her slave enterprise.
So much for biographical fact and a measured hand of musical shaping. Subplot is another story. John and Mary Catlett (lovely, striving Erin Mackey) , a childhood friend who is as musical as he have grown up together and fallen in love in spite of the fact that she cannot stand his stubborn wrong headedness and background as a slave trader, destined to take over his father’s business and John cannot abide her abolitionist sympathies. We all see where this is heading. So does director Gabriel Barre who does his best with song, scenic effects from proscenium to proscenium (thank you, Eugene Lee and Edward Pierce) sound effects, (thank you, John Weston) and thank you unknown provider of battle smoke, general vapors and mystic foggery, especially when John sees the light (thank you Ken Billington and Paul Miller).But gee whiz, we are not children. John’s “seeing the light” is not nearly as interesting as dealing with the antic fancies of cold blooded slave trader Princess Peyai. Christopher Smith’s lyrics and music are earnestly, devoutly performed but are not what we are waiting for.
In spite of strong performances by Chuck Cooper, Chris Hoch and Laiona Michelle, they do not bind us to a story which seems not connected at all to our beacon of a title. Christopher Gattelli’s choreography is called on again and again to stir us up a bit, a losing battle. We are waiting to see, to hear, to discover “Amazing Grace”, the undoubted lure for all of us. When it comes, beautifully performed, it’s too late, even though half the audience is singing along. Farewell, Amazing Grace, smooth seas and safe harbor, but I’m not aboard. Amazing Grace. At the Nederlander Theatre, 208 West 41st Street. Tickets: $65-$139. 212-921-8000. 2hr.30min. Open run. 
|
