[NEohioPAL] What Critics Are Saying About THE GREAT WHITE HOPE at Karamu House thru March 14th

[performingarts at karamu.com]

What Critics Are Saying About THE GREAT WHITE HOPE

Karamu House thru March 14th In Collaboration with Weathervane Playhouse  
                                                                          
                                and Ensemble Theatre
Please Call 216-795-7077 for Tickets and Group Sales

Director Terrence Spivey draws insightful performances from his leading
players...As Jefferson, Anthony Elfonzia Nickerson-El exhibits a boxer’s
ripped physique and the calm assurance of a man who knows exactly who he
is. He and an excellent Ursula Cataan have great chemistry on stage,
giving their relationship the depth it needs to keep Sackler’s script
grounded.

In the role of Jefferson’s trainer Tick, Peter Lawson Jones is solid, as
is Colston (Skip) Corris as Cap’n Dan, a man who doesn’t believe a black
man should be champ. And Rodney Freeman is eerily indomitable as the U.S.
attorney who is Jefferson’s primary pursuer.
...And the fascinating tale of this singular man rings true and poignant.
-Christine Howey, RAVE AND PAN
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Although a greatly treasured slice of American dramaturgy, the work is
rarely produced due to the sheer logistics associated with mounting such a
large cast play: even with double-casting in some roles it still calls for
a contingency of 40 thespians to do justice to the production ... which is
exactly what Karamu's Artistic Director, Terrance Spivey, does to the
work: Justice. ... the production was as tight as a drum and resonated
with the excitement, sense of immediacy, and up-close intimacy only live
theatre can create.

The main character, Jack Jefferson (the playwright elected to use another
name to allow himself more literary license with the facts of Johnson's
life), is played brilliantly by Anthony Elforzia Nickerson-El, and his
paramour, Eleanor Bachman, is portrayed just as brilliantly by Ursula
Cataan, in her Karamu debut. However, this finely-crafted play has
numerous other meaty roles, and Skip Corris makes you hate him as Cap n'
Dan, the character who represents all of the bigotry and hatred in the
world at the time. Rodney Freeman, who plays three characters, is smugly
despicable as the federal prosecutor who twists the law to his own ends,
and Tina Thompson's portrayal of Clara (Jefferson's spurned former
girlfriend) is full of fire, venom and spite.

Sir Laurence Olivier once stated that until a performer is ready to go on
stage and willingly risks making a complete fool of them self ... they are
not yet a first-rate thespian. By that measure, Peter Lawson Jones has
become first-rate due to his performance as Tick, the champ's trainer. For
most of the evening the role is straightforward and uncomplicated, but
then, it takes a sharp, madcap turn. - Mansfield Frazier,
COOLCLEVELAND.COM
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...the production has many unexpected little pleasures to help us make it
through the night. The giddiest is the sight of Cuyahoga County
Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones in gingham and a bonnet enacting Topsy in
a lunatic staging of Uncle Tom's Cabin. When not so dressed, he displays
an amiable intensity — as the trainer — that portends a theatrical career
even beyond politics.

Ursula Cataan is what would once have been referred to as a looker. As
Ellie, the white object of Jefferson's self-destructive desire, she is
radiant under a picture hat, deliciously fills a bustle and conveys a
gracious resolve that makes the fighter's passion understandable.  As
Jefferson, Anthony Nickerson-El has the beefy charisma to suggest both a
star athlete and a mercurial rebel. - Keith A. Joseph, SCENE