THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS - Ebony Repertory Theatre

EBONY REPS’ COLONUS Last evening I was in the theatre and witnessed an adaptation of Sophocles’ tragic figure, Oedipus, get baptized by black hands in an ocean of black gospel music – some of the strongest voices I’ve heard in a long time. Roger Robinson, the preacher, claimed my attention as he gave his text and told of the man, repulsed by his own life, who had torn out his eye balls to avoid ever seeing his reflection again. Kim Staunton, Oedipus’ daughter, had been his eyes and often his voice as they roamed the land seeking and pleading for mercy and redemption. Andi Chapman, the visionary, remains invisible as she allows the cast to move without restraint to fill in all those spaces that needed filling and to empty those that needed emptying. Chapman’s way allowed a synergy to emerge that flowed into a seamless vision of gospel and story. I suggest you witness it for yourself.