Kander and Ebb’s Scottsboro Boys was a gutty, heart-wrenching, laughter-ensuing conglomeration of a performance dealing with the prejudiced climate of the American South in the early 20th century. The story centered around a group of young black men who were falsely accused rape, leading to an uphill battle which could only be ended with death.
Aside from the quite scene with a woman on a park bench, the production starts off with an energetic, in–your-face vigor as 11 black actors enthusiastically engage the audience from the side aisles as they bounce around on to the stage. The music was powerful and the choreography was intensely sharp, while preserving its element of swagger. The introductory sequence foreshadowed what looked like was going to be a fun and wild ride. And while the ride was wild and fun, the show gradually adopted darker elements, which incarnated into a prevailing grim undercurrent that ran parallel to the performance’s surface-level showbiz flair. The contrast translated into such a divisive, emotional tone in the end, that one is not sure whether to laugh or sit there catatonically trying to comprehend it all. The greatness of this gap was brilliantly demonstrated in a moment where one of the characters said, “I finally got a gun… and I shot myself,” which took place amidst happy, energetic melodies and animated cheery-eyed dancers. The implications of this social commentary were very profound.
As a whole, the cast showed masterful levels of skill variety. The fact that they exhibited so much stamina as they went from one athletic dance sequence to another, interrupted or accompanied by full body vocals, was phenomenal. The actors were all virtually on the same level, which contributed to a very cohesive and uniform style of performance. As far as vocals though, Christian Dante-White, who played as both one of the black men and the tall white woman, had superior technique and his clearly expressed tenor sound was pleasing to the ear, whether supporting a choral framework through harmony or shining on its own through a solo piece. Kyle Scatliffe, who played the lead character gave a tremendous performance in terms of acting, where it was easy for a member of the audience to believe he was feeling real emotions. However, his vocal quality was a tad brassy, leaving one hoping for more at times, though his powerful acting and choreography more than made up for it. The two lead showmen, James T Lane and Forrest McClendon, proved to be the most dynamic in terms of acting and were constantly entertaining, whether they exemplified this in direct, apparent ways, or in subtle manners as reflected by their nuanced facial expressions. Their gradual shift from comical and goofy characters, to darker and more capricious character was well played. The lighting of the set was picturesque and backed by a lot of power. In the introductory and concluding portions of the show, the lights were on full blast and one could realistically see the pores on the actors’ faces, which were often emitting goblets of sweat. Something about that lighting was like the difference between a 1080 high definition television and an old standard definition television from the eighties. Not only was the quality and intensity of the lighting effective, but it also accomplished a broad range of moods through the use of various lighting angles, which would cast intentionally placed shadows in complementary parts of the stage. The set in general was interesting, as it used a minimalist framework of only using chairs. Some might criticize this as not being engaging or having enough variety, however through the guidance of the stage managers, the actors made it work—from a train, to a prison cell, to solitary confinement, to a courthouse, the set was very convincing. The sound was also fantastic, and not much else is need to be said about it. The Scottsboro Boys was a brilliant show, and were it not for the success of the Book of Mormon, one would be hard-pressed to find a legitimate reason not to grant the show top notch awards. With great acting, dancing, singing, production elements, and a profound message, it is a complete musical worthy of any serious theatre aficionado.