On March 10, I attended a rehearsal event for director Nancy Medina’s acclaimed production of Choir Boy at Stratford East. Written by Academy Award-winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight, The Brother/ Sister Plays) and co-directed by Tatenda Shamiso.
The London transfer follows an award-winning run at Bristol Old Vic, where the production won three Black British Theatre Awards, including Best Production and Best Director. Several performers are reprising their roles, including Terique Jarrett as Pharus, alongside Michael Ahomka-Lindsay, Daon Broni, Khalid Daley and Martin Turner. Rabi Kondé and Freddie MacBruce join the company.
Choir Boy seeks to take the audience on a journey as a group of boys navigate spirituality, sexuality, race, identity, and brotherhood in their journey to becoming men. It follows lead, Pharus, a confident and gifted singer who has risen to be a soloist and asks us, what does it mean to be a young, Black, queer man – and to be one at the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys?
In the scene, we were privy to the camaraderie of these boys, and the dynamic of the group is established deftly, hinting at the potential pressure points.
Speaking to cast members Michael Ahomka-Lindsay and Daon Broni about what the play means to them personally, they spoke about identity and the forming of the same being central to the play. The exploration of finding out who you are and your place in the world, in the face of challenges and varied influences.
Co-Director Tatenda Shamiso echoed these sentiments. He is moved by the way characters deal with the pressures of black legacy and excellence, particularly given the current climate where Western politics is actively shrinking space for marginalised people of all kinds. What does it mean to be forming your identity within this context? He spoke of the importance of music throughout, about tenderness, of softness, in the context of how the play is delivered and the ways it shows a breadth of coming-of-age experiences for this group of black boys.
There is still often a stereotypical, reductive framing of this. Certainly, this softness, the rousing power of music and the fellowship it brings the boys was felt when they took to their knees, holding each other’s hands, to sing. Between this, and the three words Tatenda chose to describe the play; transcendent, goofy, and proud, why wouldn’t you feel compelled to go and see it?
Choir Boy is presented by Stratford East and originally produced by Bristol Old Vic. It opens on March 26 and runs until April 25
