THE PLAY: The life and leadership of Martin Luther King is presented thru historical highlights.

 

THE PRODUCTION: Any production that revolves around a great personality depends on the actor’s portrayal to make it come to life. Mike Brown has successfully captured King’s speech patterns and commanding presence. His impassioned recreation of the titular speech is a truly stirring moment. The rest of the cast does a good job in portraying a variety of characters with Jim Bynum’s enthusiastic sermon providing one of the few lighter moments. This play is more Informational than theatrical (you can almost hear them checking off the SOLs). As a result, director Forster Solomon has mounted it in a formal, often presentational style. The un-credited set design echoes the marble and columns of the Lincoln Memorial and employs subtle, unobtrusive projections of historical photos.

 

THE POINT: This is theatre at its most educational. Younger audience members may not be ready to appreciate King’s legacy.

 

(3.5 / 5)

 

At Virginia Rep Children’s Theatre at Willow Lawn thru 2/14