Circle of relatives-friendly play combines Black tradition, Maya Angelou and track

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If shadows at the wall and noises down the corridor don’t frighten you, “Lifestyles Doesn’t Frighten Me” could be value seeing. Charlotte is one in every of simply 4 towns the place the play will also be observed, and it made its premiere at Youngsters’s Theater over the weekend.

With parts of making a song, hip-hop and spoken phrase, the family-friendly play is acceptable for adults and little ones alike.

In regards to the display

“Lifestyles Doesn’t Frighten Me” is in large part according to the Maya Angelou poem of the similar identify. Playwright, choreographer, director, and performer Paige Hernandez tailored the play from Angelou’s paintings.

With only one act, a 60-minute runtime, and simply 4 forged individuals, the display incorporates 4 tales that play at the subject matters of bravery in Angelou’s poem. One tale follows a boxer making ready for a difficult fit, one trips with a dancer strolling house at evening, every other follows a tender guy afraid to swim, and one facilities on a gamer suffering to finish a troublesome stage.

All the way through the display, the forged individuals ask the target audience to sing and dance at the side of them, making for an interactive revel in.

Opting for a favourite

Of the tales, my favourite used to be “Tale 2,” a couple of lone dancer strolling house by myself who’s compelled to stand her concern of the darkish. As well as, she has a difficult time becoming in in school and discovering pals who respect her dancing.

Footage courtesy of The Rose Theater – Omaha. Images through Audrey Wardian.

Her tale coincides with the 8th stanza of Angelou’s poem, “Panthers within the park, strangers in the dead of night, they don’t frighten me in any respect.”

This phase has numerous allure, from the snippets of humor to the hip-hop choreography to the background sounds of the streets of New York.

What stunned me

In spite of being carried out for a miles more youthful target audience — Youngsters’s Theater rated the display for ages 5 and up — the teachings aren’t watered down and will also be really useful for the adults within the target audience as neatly.

This particularly stands within the 3rd tale a couple of Black guy and his concern of swimming, which one of the crucial different characters refers to as “daddy fears,” or an apprehension handed down from father to son.

The play did a perfect task enforcing heavier subject matters of generational trauma and racism in some way its more youthful target audience may perceive whilst additionally sharing classes and recommendation that have been simple to digest.

What I want used to be other

As every tale is presented, the forged individuals recite strains from Angelou’s poem. It really works neatly so that you could transition from scene to scene and assist transfer the tale ahead.

On the other hand, I didn’t in finding it as efficient when the stanzas have been recited right through every tale.

It felt a little bit misplaced a number of the characters’ captivating banter and catchy tunes that subtly put across the theme of the tale.

Ultimate verdict

“Lifestyles Doesn’t Frighten Me,” does a perfect task of paying tribute to Maya Angelou’s paintings and Black tradition. For some target audience individuals, it’s going to even introduce them to her paintings for the primary time.

The characters’ mannerisms, like dapping every different up and hyping every different up, really feel authentically and deliberately Black. The similar is going for the track, which has an overly jazzy theme to it.

The display’s subject matters are delicate sufficient for babies to grasp however now not so simplified that adults could be bored. The adults in my target audience, even those that got here with out youngsters, all appeared to benefit from the display up to the little ones.