Singing, poetry are gospel of 'Trombones'

Singing, poetry are gospel of 'Trombones'

Musical adaptation of praise poems is imperfect but stirring

Put trombones and musical theater together and what might first come to mind is “The Music Man.”

But “God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse” doesn’t feature even one of those jaunty brass instruments (much less 76 of them).

What it does have, in the Ira Aldridge Repertory Players’ sprawling and stirring musical adaptation of James Weldon Johnson’s “song sermons,” is seven preachers, 11 dancers, dozens of singers and a whole lot of soul.

DETAILS

“God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse”

Ira Aldridge Repertory Players

When: 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Through March 11.

Where: Educational Cultural Complex, 4343 Ocean View Blvd., Mountain View.

Tickets: $25 (discounts available)

Phone: (619) 283-4574

Online: iarpplayers.org

Although IARP founder and artistic director Calvin Manson’s performance troupe might be best-known for its stage meditations on the lives of such artists as Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and Ruth Brown, “God’s Trombones” is less a play than a loosely connected collection of biblical storytelling, poetry and praise music.

Manson, who adapted and directed the piece, incorporates eight works from the influential scholar, artist and activist Johnson’s 1927 book of poems. (The “trombones” in the title refers to Johnson’s likening of folk preachers’ rhetorical style to the wide-ranging sound of the instrument.)

But Manson also salts in some numbers of his own, such as the blues-infused “Welcome to Babylon,” a cautionary tale about the temptation of a Prodigal Son (played by the silky-voiced Benjamin Roy). The show, produced in partnership with the Educational Cultural Complex, is filled out with some familiar gospel tunes and spirituals — “Amazing Grace” and “Were You There They Crucified My Lord?” among them.

It’s a huge undertaking (hard to imagine that Manson rehearsed much of the show in his own cozy living room), and while some of it could be tightened and made more cohesive, it still serves as a rich sampling of songs and stories from the African-American tradition.

Much of the show’s vocal power comes from the San Diego County Gospel Music of America Choir, which delivers “We Come to Praise the Lord,” “The Fire Next Time” and others in vivid, revival-meeting style. (The latter incorporates a catchy refrain from Ohio Players’ “Fire” as well as a bass line that evokes LTD’s ‘77 R&B hit “Back in Love.”)

The Bayview Baptist Church Gospel Dance Troupe and CAC Dance Theatre contribute some gracefully choreographed visual accompaniment, and the vocal quintet Redeemed weighs in with a taste of doo-wop.

One drawback of the show’s venue: The gospel singers are set so far back from the edge of the stage (at least in the first act) that it takes some doing for them to connect with the audience, and get them where this music is best enjoyed — out of the seats and on the feet.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/feb/27/singing-poetry-is-gospel-of-trombones/