You’ve got two more chances to see Art Forms and Theatre Concepts contribution to this year’s MOJA festival: the Langston Hughes’ play Tambourines to Glory. Read William Bryan’s review to see help you decide if it’s worth attending.

Tambourines to Glory
Poetic performances of classic Langston Hughes
BY WILLIAM BRYAN

Tambourines to Glory
Presented by the Arts Forms & Theatre Concepts, Inc
Oct. 5, 8 p.m.
Oct. 6, 3 p.m.
Footlight Players Theatre
20 Queen St., Charleston
$15-$20

Langston Hughes wrote a little, wrote a lot, and wrote a little more. He was most famous as a poet, be he also wrote novels, short stories, and, every now and then, a play. Art Forms and Theatre Concepts tackled his Tambourines to Glory last week as part of MOJA, taking us back to the heady days of Harlem in the ’50s.
Tambourines tells the story of Essie, a woman devoted to God, and Laura, a woman devoted to the money God’s name can bring. Essie gets evicted from her apartment and together the two women set up a small street corner church. Their church grows, along with its monetary income, with some lofty preaching and some fancy tambourine playing, and, oh yeah, with help from the devil himself.
AFTC’s Artistic Director Art Gilliard directed the gospel musical with assistance from musical director Howard Nathan Brown, Sr. The combination resulted in a performance that featured some noteworthy performances, more than a few laughs, and even a decent musical number or two, but for a gospel musical, this was the weakest part of the show.
De’ja Dee as the money hungry Laura Reed and Berita Martin in the role of the devout Essie Johnson worked well together, forming a palpable on-stage relationship. The loud and overbearing Dee is the kind of woman who wants to be able to live in the style to which she would like to become accustomed. Martin was diminutive beside her, strong in her faith in the Lord but unable to stand up to her commanding friend.
Perhaps the best actor of the production is Delvin Williams as Big-Eyed Buddy Lomax, the devil incarnate. From his first monologue, which is delivered before the curtain goes up, Williams had the audience laughing. He embodied the likable rogue, at least until partway through act two when his actions took a darker turn. A 10-time veteran of the AFTC stage, his experience showed, and he seemed to be having as much fun onstage as his character.
Lesa Annette Johnson as Gloria Dawn, a bluesy barroom singer, and her numbers give credit to her musical family and church choir background. Also making an impression is Trelony Ta’naia Frasier playing the innocent daughter of Essie. She sings with a simple sweetness and purity, seeming earnest and sincere during her hymnal of praise to God.
There were numerous technical issues with the show. The actors did not seem to be familiar with their microphones, resulting in varying vocal volumes and the sounds of scratching and thumping. Gilliard also chose to close the curtain for almost all scene changes, which, due to their unusually long length, left the audience with nothing to do but stare at the frescos on the wall or wonder if it was the end of the act. The scenes revealed after such long pauses in the action did not seem to merit the time they took to accomplish.
The worst part was the weak choir. Charleston Stage’s Gullah chorus from last month’s Gershwin at Folly production would have fit in perfectly here. The tambourine work was superb at parts, with multiple players meshing, however due to the volume problems, the singers were often drowned out during these numbers.
The MOJA Festival is a celebration of African-American and Caribbean arts, and while there may be little Caribbean to this show, the pride that Hughes felt for his heritage comes across strongly in his prose as presented by the AFTC cast. Technical problems aside, this show allowed the audience to visit a truly historic era in the history of Harlem, and let them do it with a laugh.