This is a great year for solo performance at T:BA. It’s weak on women, but the men they’ve got are telling important stories, and telling them well. Daniel Beaty’s Resurrection is a perfect counterpoint to Lemon Andersen’s County of Kings. While Lemon told his own story of trying to fulfill his potential when the odds were stacked against him, Beaty weaves the story of six interconnected black men, each looking for another chance.
Beaty is a powerful performer, and he holds the audience rapt from the moment the show begins. He inhabits each of his characters completely, transforming from a 10-year-old boy to a 20-year-old student to a 40-year-old shop owner and back, each with just a small shift in voice, the shrug of a shoulder, a glint in his eye. Each character is facing a turning point, looking back in order to look forward, and hoping for the chance to make the right choice.
Beaty creates a symphony of voices, rising to a riveting crescendo and resolving beautifully. He draws on poetry and song, sometimes preaching and sometimes praying but always staying true to the characters he’s created. Check him out. His straightforward but utterly artful storytelling is a refreshing change from some of the more bizarre and conceptual pieces in this year’s festival. That isn’t to say that one form is better than another–just that each allows the other to shine more intensely.
I’ve seen two performances at TBA ’08 now, this one and Mike Daisey. So far I’ve been impressed with the sincerity this year. Both these guys are complete and utter hams who make not even the slightest attempt to be hip, elusive, or mysterious. They both wear their hearts on their sleeves and it’s pretty refreshing. In Beaty’s case I could have done without the lilting orchestral score to cap things off, and the baby-talk kid voice. Also, the dude cried way too much. (I actually started to think something was wrong with him, like maybe the lights were bothering him and making his nose run and his eyes water… but in retrospect I’m pretty sure the dude just cries a lot. Crying’s fine and all… I’d just like a little moderation with it, just like with anything else) But I admired his flair for melodrama and his big, goofy characterizations. I miss performers that just tell damn good stories and don’t worry about how cool they seem. TBA needs more of guys like Beaty and Daisey in general.