Written by Emeka Agada, The Last Black Messiah is a two-hander performed by Emeka and Kenneth Butler. It originally debuted last year at the Etcetera Theatre.
Set in 90s America, The Last Black Messiah is directed by Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller in the small and intimate Brockley Jack Studio Theatre.
Agada plays an astute journalist, Asante, and Kenneth Butler plays ex-Howard University professor, Dr Oko, a revolutionary leader facing the death penalty.
The set is simple. A red carpet, a desk with paperwork and two chairs for Asante and Dr Oko as they reason and debate. Asante wears a black suit and white shirt, Dr Oko, wears a beige linen suit as they relay a series of monologues about the plight and fight of African-Americans. During the flashbacks, they wear leather jackets and black berets in tune with the attire of the Black Panther Party movement.
However, they are not on the same page as Asante is no longer the revolutionary of his student days, whereas the ex-professor is still very much wanting Asante to continue with the mission.
We quickly learn that Asante, who hasn’t seen his family for two weeks, is actually undercover, and there is a lot at stake for him unless he gets Dr Oko to confess to plotting to kill the president through Project Juvenile, which Asante is leading on, and in turn betraying his former mentor.
Although Asante is on a very different mission of his own and without giving too much away, it’s apparent that he is likely working undercover for the FBI via a cold and threatening voiceover relaying threats on what will happen if he doesn’t get Dr Oko to confess.
Through these fictional characters, the 70-minute show covers a lot of ground, and, as insightful as it is, we felt it could have been trimmed down with fewer monologues and a tighter script, which would have helped the play maintain its pace.
The play is filled with historical references and the impact of colonisation to this day, making us pause for thought and reflect on the ongoing legacy and toll this has taken on the African Diaspora and the lives lost from Malcolm X and Emmett Till to Patrice Lumumba.
The Last Black Messiah is an intense and thought-provoking piece of theatre that will leave you contemplative and reflective of what it means to be an African-American male both now and then and the journey to justice.
NEED TO KNOW: The Last Black Messiah is at the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre until 16 May 2026
