Karamu’s ‘Choir Boy’ examines Black life in a rarefied atmosphere

Occasionally a show comes around that carries with it a bit of a surprise. Such is the case of the Karamu production of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s “Choir Boy”. The special element in this particular show is the choral singing and choreography. It alone is worth the price of the ticket.

The show premiered in 2012 at the Royal Court Theatre in London, England followed by stints in the Manhattan Theater Club at City Center, Stage 1 in New York City, The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, California and eventually the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway on January 8, 2019 where it was nominated for five Tony Awards winning two (Best Sound Design For A Play and a Special Tony Award For Jason Michael Webb).

The main cast of characters consist of:

Pharus Jonathan Young (Christian Hall): A young precocious male teen of color who is a Junior at the prestigious Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys. He has been appointed to lead the Boys Choir. Sexually ambiguous he roomed with David Heard Freshman year then with Justin “AJ” James since his Sophomore year.

David Heard (Isaiah Betts): A young teen of color and a Junior at the school and also a member of the boys choir. Although a school legacy he is there on a scholarship. Deeply religious he dreams of becoming a minister.

Bobby Marrow (Drew Pope): A young teen of color and a Junior at the school and member of the boys choir as well. Nephew of Headmaster Marrow and a school legacy. He is homophobic and prone to profanity at times.

Junior Davis (Kodee Williams): A young teen of color and a Junior at the school and part of the boys choir. He is a legacy but at school on a scholarship. He is Bobby’s cohort in crime often sharing in the punishment.

Anthony Justin “AJ” James (Justin Lee-Price): A young teen of color and a Senior at the school. He rooms with Pharus.

Ensemble Member (Bradford Terrence Eason): A young man of color and member of the choir.

Ensemble Member (Marvis Stevens): A young man of color and member of the choir.

Headmaster Stephen Marrow: A young man of color in his mid-thirties being the new headmaster at the school. He is Bobby Marrow’s uncle and tasked with bringing the young man under control.

Mr. Pendelton: A white male professor with tenure with the school. He has been brought back to teach a required class on “Critical Thinking” to the students. In his youth he was deeply involved in the civil rights movement.

For fifty years the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys has been renowned as an institution dedicated to helping students grow into “strong, ethical Black men”. The school has a code of honor which is drilled into each student from the first day of their Freshman year as they are encouraged to be “Drew Men”.

It is the graduation ceremony for the Seniors at the prestigious school with Pharus being called upon to sing an A Capella rendition of the school anthem. Behind Pharus, Bobby is making racial and homophobic slurs towards the young singer causing Pharus to pause. Later in his office, Headmaster Marrow scolds Pharus for freezing up during an important song and asks what his reason was for pausing. Due to an unwritten school code, Pharus refuses to snitch on his peers. Summer passes and the boys return to the school in the fall.

With the boys returning, Bobby and Junior are being punished for disturbing the ceremony the previous spring. Bobby accuses Pharus of snitching but in truth, the Headmaster found out from other sources. As head of the choir Pharus calls a vote and has Bobby kicked out of the choir for his lack of cooperation, homophobic attitude and language. This angers Bobby.

Pharus, Junior, David, AJ and the two other students continue rehearsing as a choir when Headmaster Marrow threatens to remove Pharus as the choir lead for his inability to get along with Bobby. Pharus threatens to take his dismissal to the school board suggesting that it has come about because he is thought to be gay. Marrow takes back the threat but forces Pharus to allow Bobby back in the choir.

Enter Professor Pendelton whose class on “Critical Thinking” stirs up the youths even more as they argue over their personally held feelings on various subjects. The animosity carries over past class time as Pharus picks a fight with AJ in the shower room. Later in the shower room Pharus is caught by Junior in the act with David who repeatedly punches Pharus to make it look like it was Pharus who initiated the situation against David’s will.

This intermission free just over 90 minute production packs a lot of punch. The choral singing that features spirituals as well as contemporary hits is superb along with the exceptional choreography. The vocal harmonies are truly exceptional as the audience enthusiastically applauded each choral number. This is promoted not as a musical but as a play with music.

Christian Hall as baffled and baffling young Pharus plays the role in a nicely balanced manner. Drew Pope as Bobby is perfect as the antagonistic foil to Pharus who is not afraid to let his unfiltered mouth fly. Isaiah Betts as David plays a youth who is caught up in the emotion of the times and unable to sort out his feelings. Abraham McNeil Adams as Professor Pendelton is a white peg trying to fit in a black square. His attempts to come off as hip and cool but instead coming off as a bit lame are perfectly acted. Corin B. Self as Headmaster Marrow plays the frustrated educator with dignity and poise. The rest of the cast truly shine during the singing segments.

Nathan Henry directs this gem of a play with a superb cast who are a triple threat of acting, voice and dance. He manages to illustrate the fragile life of a Black teenager at a prominent Prep School. Inda Blatch-Geib costumes truly sell the show with the Blazers (with sewn on school crest) down to the casual wear of the “students”. Val Kozlenko’s stark “granite” walls and church like windows sets the mood for the “no nonsense” school. Adam Ditzel uses various lighting tricks to add depth to the stage. Richard B. Ingraham’s sound design is perfect as not a spoken or sung word was lost. Aseelah Shareef does a superb job as the choreographer adding an entirely new element to the musical numbers. Dr. David M. Thomas is the power behind the choir.

This show carries an R Rating (restricted to ages 17+) for strong language, homophobic slurs and sexual suggestions.

This is a show that is full of surprises that encourages audiences to participate in their own way. It is a musical play that uses this tool to advance an idea of diversity, equity and inclusion...a lesson still in need of being taught more than ever.

The Karamu House production of “Choir Boy” will be on stage at 2355 East 89th Street in Cleveland, Ohio through May 18, 2025. For more information go to http://www.karamuhouse.org or call (216) 795-7077.