Full Article Text
FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2018
THEATER: "SANCHO: AN ACT OF
REMEMBRANCE"
SANCHO: AN ACT OF REMEMBRANCE ** 1/2 out of ****
THE CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM
On the silly and enjoyable NBC show Timeless , actor Paterson Joseph
plays the owner of a company that built a time machine. But before
that show debuted in 2016, Joseph had already constructed his ownway of traveling through history: a one-man show about "the
extraordinary Negro" Ignatius Sancho, the first Briton of African
descent to cast a vote. Joseph has performed the piece all over theworld (including BAM in December of 2015) and brings it back to NewYork for another run at the newly refurbished National Black Theatreon Fifth Avenue, home of the Classical Theatre Of Harlem.
Aptly subtitled "An Act Of Remembrance," Joseph's play about a little-
known historical figure is typical of the genre -- it is gentlyinformative, genially entertaining and offers only a modest dollop ofdrama. Happily, it has two key elements that allow Sancho to be
worthy of your time rather than just worthy. Ignatius Sancho is afascinating, quirky hero and Joseph is an exceptional actor who bringsthis man to life with the command and ease of a charismatic performerwho has been showcased in London by the RSC, the National and wasonce the favorite to become the next Doctor. (Doctor who? If you have
to ask....)
Joseph yearned to explore British history and find himself in it. Yet the
very aspect of Sancho's life that made him intriguing to Joseph isperhaps what keeps the play earthbound. This life does not lack for
excitement of a sort, but the journey from a child of enslaved people to
a man of letters and ultimately a greengrocer who dies of gout is morecurious than compelling.MICHAEL GILTZ AT WORK
Michael Giltz is a freelance writer
based in NYC and can be reached atmgiltz@pipeline.com
FAVORITE LINKS
Americablog
Five O'Clock Lightning baseball blogDeep Pop -- Lori Lakin's Blog
The Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPN
Radio
Cine-Blog -- George Robinson's Blog
Documents On Art & Cinema - Daryl
Chin's Blog
Brucie G's Wondrous Blog Of
Adventure and Mystery -- Bruce
Greenspan's Blog
BLOG ARCHIVE
▼ 2018 (18)
► June (1)
► May (6)
▼ April (6)
(Photo © by Robert Day)
Thanks to Joseph's skill, the 80 minute work flits by with ease. We see
Sancho born on a ship during the horrific era of the Middle Passage,
bought as a pet for a household run by three stern women, escape into
a world of letters and music, become the most prominent black Britonto speak out on the evils of slavery, befriend everyone from actorDavid Garrick to novelist Laurence Sterne and ultimately turn into a
man of property who has earned the legal right to vote. (Even white
men without property could not vote at the time.)
This mounting includes co-direction by Simon Godwin, minimal but
effective sets by Michael Vale, unfussy costumes by Linda Haysman
and a subtle sound design by Ben Park that adds atmosphere at keymoments without calling attention to itself. It is no discredit to theirefforts that Joseph is what one remembers.
A one-person show can become exhausting but, as writer, Joseph has
wisely employed the usual devices to break up the evening. He beginsby addressing the audience, sharing why he wrote this piece, casually
tucking his pants into leggings -- thus transforming before our eyesinto a man from the 18th century -- and then explaining his choice of amodest lisp to portray his main character.
Joseph also smartly incorporates the work of others for flavor, such as
the famous letters on slavery exchanged between Sancho and Sterne, apassage from that writer's hilarious masterpiece Tristram Shandy (a
novel so meta and modern I wouldn't be the least surprised if Sternewas actually from the future himself) and an engaging chunk of Don
Quixote . At one point Joseph even brings a woman out of the audience
to dance with him, addressing her throughout the rest of the show tokeep us alive to the moment.THEATER: "HENRY V"
CONQUERS ACCENTS, NOT
AUDIENCES...
THEATER: METROMANIACS,
DISCO-MANIACS ANDDYPSOMANI...
THEATER: "SANCHO: AN ACT
OF REMEMBRANCE"
THEATER: "MLIMA'S TALE"
OF SHAME; "CHILDREN OFA L...
THEATER: "MEAN GIRLS"
PLAY NICE; O, HARRY
CONNICK,...
THEATER: WRESTLING WITH
"ANGELS IN AMERICA"
► March (4)
► February (1)
► 2017 (6)
► 2016 (2)
► 2015 (14)
► 2014 (2)
► 2013 (5)
► 2012 (18)
► 2011 (15)
► 2010 (10)
► 2009 (43)
► 2008 (86)
► 2007 (781)
► 2006 (2412)
► 2005 (5)
If Sancho does not transcend its genre as a piece of writing the way
Sancho transcended his time, one is happy to see it delivered by
Joseph. The lisp, the mildly foppish manner reveal a man of social
standing. But Joseph also shows the small boy abandoned by theworld, the young man thirsting for knowledge and the adult whotempers his righteous anger with a keen intellect. Tilting his head,Joseph becomes the love of Sancho's life; dripping with disdain, he is
the public official all too eager to deny Joseph his dignity and rights at
the climactic election. If the handsome Joseph never quite suggeststhe jelly-like physique of the real Sancho, well, it would take a lot morepadding than this production could afford.
Like me, you will be drawn to the historical exhibit in the lobby (and
accessible to the public.) You will search out some of the letters andmusic penned by this richly talented artist, a clip of which I'veembedded here. And sadly, you will find parallels in today's world,
where the poor, the elderly, women, college students and people ofcolor face roadblocks to exercising their right to vote by a demand for
this or that piece of paper which white adult men of means need not
provide or can easily afford.
A typo in the program states the action of the play takes place from
1968 to 1980. They meant 1768 to 1780, but for a moment, I was
brought up short. Surely black people had the vote in the UK before
1968? I knew this was true. But since black people were effectively
denied the vote until right about that time in the former slave states ofthe US, it didn't seem so absurd and, briefly, I wondered. How sad.
How telling. And thus how essential to share Sancho's story again and
again until it is a permanent part of history rather than also a pointedcommentary on today.
THEATER OF 2018
Homelife/The Zoo Story (at Signature) *** out of ****
Escape To Margaritaville **
Broadway By The Year: 1947 and 1966 ***
Lobby Hero ***
Frozen **
Rocktopia *
Angels in America ** 1/2
Mean Girls ** 1/2
The Sting **
Mlima's Tale ** 1/2
Children Of A Lesser God ** 1/2
Sancho: An Act Of Remembrance ** 1/2
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the creator of BookFilter, a book lover’s
to BookFilter! Need a smart and easy gift? Head to BookFilter? Wondering w
categories, like cookbooks and mystery and more? Head to BookFilter! It’s a w
you do in a physical bookstore, provides comprehensive info on new releases e
personal recommendations every step of the way. It’s like a fall book preview
category. He’s also the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop culture podc
of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It’s avail
website. Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also
iTunes.
Note: Michael Giltz is provided with free tickets to shows with the understan
are in New York City unless otherwise indicated.
POSTED BY MICHAEL GILTZ AT 12:08 PM
4 COMMENTS:
Laxman said...
Great to see you posting theater reviews frequently again, Michael! My
wife & I followed your recommendations on Huff Post religiously andloved all of them. Look forward to more here.
8:14 PM
Michael Giltz said...
You just made my day! Hope to have a more high profile platform
again soon but thanks for following me here. Now tell me which show
I was completely wrong about -- always good to know when people of
taste disagree. Big week next week w David Ives play "TheMetromaniacs," Matthew Broderick in "The Seafarer," the Stoppardrevival "Travesties," a "Henry V" at the Public and to top it off "My
Fair Lady!"
11:55 PM
Laxman said...
I can't think of that many that we didn't love. In fact, I can only think
of one we didn't like in the past couple of years - The Glass Menagerie.
I don't remember all the reasons why we didn't like it - but I
remember we chalked it up as an exception rather than the rule :-)
Looking forward to your review this week!
4:03 PM
Michael Giltz said...
Ah, well the vast majority of critics and fans agreed with you! I was
fairly alone on that one. So in general, we have good taste! :) And if
you like reading about theater, I do a regular roundup for BroadwayDirect which has a nifty email newsletter.
https://broadwaydirect.com/bookfilters-spring-book-guide-theater-
buffs/
4:42 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Newer Post Older Post Home
THEATER: "SANCHO: AN ACT OF
REMEMBRANCE"
SANCHO: AN ACT OF REMEMBRANCE ** 1/2 out of ****
THE CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM
On the silly and enjoyable NBC show Timeless , actor Paterson Joseph
plays the owner of a company that built a time machine. But before
that show debuted in 2016, Joseph had already constructed his ownway of traveling through history: a one-man show about "the
extraordinary Negro" Ignatius Sancho, the first Briton of African
descent to cast a vote. Joseph has performed the piece all over theworld (including BAM in December of 2015) and brings it back to NewYork for another run at the newly refurbished National Black Theatreon Fifth Avenue, home of the Classical Theatre Of Harlem.
Aptly subtitled "An Act Of Remembrance," Joseph's play about a little-
known historical figure is typical of the genre -- it is gentlyinformative, genially entertaining and offers only a modest dollop ofdrama. Happily, it has two key elements that allow Sancho to be
worthy of your time rather than just worthy. Ignatius Sancho is afascinating, quirky hero and Joseph is an exceptional actor who bringsthis man to life with the command and ease of a charismatic performerwho has been showcased in London by the RSC, the National and wasonce the favorite to become the next Doctor. (Doctor who? If you have
to ask....)
Joseph yearned to explore British history and find himself in it. Yet the
very aspect of Sancho's life that made him intriguing to Joseph isperhaps what keeps the play earthbound. This life does not lack for
excitement of a sort, but the journey from a child of enslaved people to
a man of letters and ultimately a greengrocer who dies of gout is morecurious than compelling.MICHAEL GILTZ AT WORK
Michael Giltz is a freelance writer
based in NYC and can be reached atmgiltz@pipeline.com
FAVORITE LINKS
Americablog
Five O'Clock Lightning baseball blogDeep Pop -- Lori Lakin's Blog
The Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPN
Radio
Cine-Blog -- George Robinson's Blog
Documents On Art & Cinema - Daryl
Chin's Blog
Brucie G's Wondrous Blog Of
Adventure and Mystery -- Bruce
Greenspan's Blog
BLOG ARCHIVE
▼ 2018 (18)
► June (1)
► May (6)
▼ April (6)
(Photo © by Robert Day)
Thanks to Joseph's skill, the 80 minute work flits by with ease. We see
Sancho born on a ship during the horrific era of the Middle Passage,
bought as a pet for a household run by three stern women, escape into
a world of letters and music, become the most prominent black Britonto speak out on the evils of slavery, befriend everyone from actorDavid Garrick to novelist Laurence Sterne and ultimately turn into a
man of property who has earned the legal right to vote. (Even white
men without property could not vote at the time.)
This mounting includes co-direction by Simon Godwin, minimal but
effective sets by Michael Vale, unfussy costumes by Linda Haysman
and a subtle sound design by Ben Park that adds atmosphere at keymoments without calling attention to itself. It is no discredit to theirefforts that Joseph is what one remembers.
A one-person show can become exhausting but, as writer, Joseph has
wisely employed the usual devices to break up the evening. He beginsby addressing the audience, sharing why he wrote this piece, casually
tucking his pants into leggings -- thus transforming before our eyesinto a man from the 18th century -- and then explaining his choice of amodest lisp to portray his main character.
Joseph also smartly incorporates the work of others for flavor, such as
the famous letters on slavery exchanged between Sancho and Sterne, apassage from that writer's hilarious masterpiece Tristram Shandy (a
novel so meta and modern I wouldn't be the least surprised if Sternewas actually from the future himself) and an engaging chunk of Don
Quixote . At one point Joseph even brings a woman out of the audience
to dance with him, addressing her throughout the rest of the show tokeep us alive to the moment.THEATER: "HENRY V"
CONQUERS ACCENTS, NOT
AUDIENCES...
THEATER: METROMANIACS,
DISCO-MANIACS ANDDYPSOMANI...
THEATER: "SANCHO: AN ACT
OF REMEMBRANCE"
THEATER: "MLIMA'S TALE"
OF SHAME; "CHILDREN OFA L...
THEATER: "MEAN GIRLS"
PLAY NICE; O, HARRY
CONNICK,...
THEATER: WRESTLING WITH
"ANGELS IN AMERICA"
► March (4)
► February (1)
► 2017 (6)
► 2016 (2)
► 2015 (14)
► 2014 (2)
► 2013 (5)
► 2012 (18)
► 2011 (15)
► 2010 (10)
► 2009 (43)
► 2008 (86)
► 2007 (781)
► 2006 (2412)
► 2005 (5)
If Sancho does not transcend its genre as a piece of writing the way
Sancho transcended his time, one is happy to see it delivered by
Joseph. The lisp, the mildly foppish manner reveal a man of social
standing. But Joseph also shows the small boy abandoned by theworld, the young man thirsting for knowledge and the adult whotempers his righteous anger with a keen intellect. Tilting his head,Joseph becomes the love of Sancho's life; dripping with disdain, he is
the public official all too eager to deny Joseph his dignity and rights at
the climactic election. If the handsome Joseph never quite suggeststhe jelly-like physique of the real Sancho, well, it would take a lot morepadding than this production could afford.
Like me, you will be drawn to the historical exhibit in the lobby (and
accessible to the public.) You will search out some of the letters andmusic penned by this richly talented artist, a clip of which I'veembedded here. And sadly, you will find parallels in today's world,
where the poor, the elderly, women, college students and people ofcolor face roadblocks to exercising their right to vote by a demand for
this or that piece of paper which white adult men of means need not
provide or can easily afford.
A typo in the program states the action of the play takes place from
1968 to 1980. They meant 1768 to 1780, but for a moment, I was
brought up short. Surely black people had the vote in the UK before
1968? I knew this was true. But since black people were effectively
denied the vote until right about that time in the former slave states ofthe US, it didn't seem so absurd and, briefly, I wondered. How sad.
How telling. And thus how essential to share Sancho's story again and
again until it is a permanent part of history rather than also a pointedcommentary on today.
THEATER OF 2018
Homelife/The Zoo Story (at Signature) *** out of ****
Escape To Margaritaville **
Broadway By The Year: 1947 and 1966 ***
Lobby Hero ***
Frozen **
Rocktopia *
Angels in America ** 1/2
Mean Girls ** 1/2
The Sting **
Mlima's Tale ** 1/2
Children Of A Lesser God ** 1/2
Sancho: An Act Of Remembrance ** 1/2
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the creator of BookFilter, a book lover’s
to BookFilter! Need a smart and easy gift? Head to BookFilter? Wondering w
categories, like cookbooks and mystery and more? Head to BookFilter! It’s a w
you do in a physical bookstore, provides comprehensive info on new releases e
personal recommendations every step of the way. It’s like a fall book preview
category. He’s also the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop culture podc
of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It’s avail
website. Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also
iTunes.
Note: Michael Giltz is provided with free tickets to shows with the understan
are in New York City unless otherwise indicated.
POSTED BY MICHAEL GILTZ AT 12:08 PM
4 COMMENTS:
Laxman said...
Great to see you posting theater reviews frequently again, Michael! My
wife & I followed your recommendations on Huff Post religiously andloved all of them. Look forward to more here.
8:14 PM
Michael Giltz said...
You just made my day! Hope to have a more high profile platform
again soon but thanks for following me here. Now tell me which show
I was completely wrong about -- always good to know when people of
taste disagree. Big week next week w David Ives play "TheMetromaniacs," Matthew Broderick in "The Seafarer," the Stoppardrevival "Travesties," a "Henry V" at the Public and to top it off "My
Fair Lady!"
11:55 PM
Laxman said...
I can't think of that many that we didn't love. In fact, I can only think
of one we didn't like in the past couple of years - The Glass Menagerie.
I don't remember all the reasons why we didn't like it - but I
remember we chalked it up as an exception rather than the rule :-)
Looking forward to your review this week!
4:03 PM
Michael Giltz said...
Ah, well the vast majority of critics and fans agreed with you! I was
fairly alone on that one. So in general, we have good taste! :) And if
you like reading about theater, I do a regular roundup for BroadwayDirect which has a nifty email newsletter.
https://broadwaydirect.com/bookfilters-spring-book-guide-theater-
buffs/
4:42 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Newer Post Older Post Home