Advertisement

Culture Theatre

Freedom Singer feels flat

FREEDOM SINGER by Khari Wendell McClelland and Andrew Kushnir (Project: Humanity/Crows Theatre/Urban Ink). At Streetcar Crowsnest Studio (345 Carlaw). Runs to February 11. $20-$40. crowstheatre.com. See listing. Rating: NN

On paper, Freedom Singer sounds promising. Unfortunately, it stumbles in its execution.

Detroit-born, Vancouver-based singer/songwriter Khari Wendell McClellands great-great-great-grandmother Kizzy escaped slavery in the U.S. to come to Canada via the Underground Railroad.

What, wondered McClelland, if he recreated her journey through songs she may have heard or even sung herself?

Turns out thats easier said than done. McClelland, who talked to historians, museum curators and descendants of slaves, cant figure out which songs are real or fake.

Still, in between head-scratching, sloppily constructed scenes, he and musicians Tanika Charles and Noah Walker sing any number of tunes, some obviously contemporary, most whose provenance we dont know.

Whats disappointing especially with the experienced Andrew Kushnir as director and playwright is how unclear things are from the start. Were never sure where we are in time or space. Kizzy, apart from the fact that she somehow lost her legs during a Canadian winter, is a vague figure. And McClelland himself remains a cipher, hiding behind his annoying verbal tic, Um… yeah.

Confounding things is the fact that McClellands journey was recorded for a CBC documentary, so we hear audio from some of his interviews and then see him and/or Charles morphing into his interview subjects.

Occasionally the performers use big over-the-ear headphones. At first I thought this prop was supposed to indicate McClelland and co. were recreating a scene from the CBC broadcast soon, however, I assumed it must be that the actors were getting line prompts.

Im not criticizing McClellands inability to unearth the songs he was hoping to find. But why not integrate that dilemma into a compelling storyline?

He just doesnt dig deep enough or connect anything: his Detroit upbringing, his busking in Vancouver. Speaking of Detroit, doesnt that city have its own musical legacy? Wouldnt that have been a novel jumping-off point?

The most moving section centres on a visit to the Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. But its power comes less from McClellands insights than the recounting of atrocities against slaves.

If the show were being presented as a concert, fine. McClelland is a soulful singer but a frustratingly soft-spoken and uncharismatic storyteller.

When the three performers are harmonizing or getting the audience to join in on a number, it creates a kind of drama thats lacking in the script.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted