![]() ![]() In lyrical language and preacher-man wit, he believably exerts his powerful influence, without remorse, yet likable charm and missionary zeal upon both Thomas Gray, a local lawyer who, along with the jailer, revisit Nat Turner in his jail cell on the night before his hanging. Jon Hudson Odom’s compelling charismatic characterization of Nat Turner is that of a fearless prophet. Sarah O’Halloran’s moving sound design projected Negro Spirituals and spiritual vibrations that captured the visions in Nat Turner’s mind. He had visions and saw signs that legitimized in his mind the brutal attack on whites in Southampton, VA that led to other slave revolts and the loss of many white and black lives. Nat Turner was a slave but also an educated preacher to the enslaved. And his trial for death by hanging took place in Jerusalem, VA (now Courtland). He thought he was chosen by God to lead his people to the salvation of being free. Messianic symbolism, superbly captured in Nathan Alan Davis’ elegant script, seemed ironically profound because Nat Turner didn’t lead the slave revolt for political reasons rather, spurred by his belief that he had a spiritual calling. ![]() ![]() Poetic language gives this production a richly nuanced loftiness despite its stark, static jail cell set design by Tony Cisek. Hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that.” The minimal lighting made MLK’s message a visceral experience through Nat Turner in Jerusalem. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that. The subtle lighting design by William D’Eugenio deepened the serious tone of the play and greatly enhanced its dramatic edge, bringing to my mind the words of Rev. Sitting for an entire production where both the stage and the house are almost in total darkness is an experience in itself. Sometimes the whale lamp is blown out and the moon’s glow is imperceptible. The theater is very dark and the stage upon which the story unfolds is only barely lit by the oil of a whale lamp and a bit of brightness shining through the prison window. Light plays an important part in shaping the themes in Nat Turner in Jerusalem. It examines the fears that can stoke the frightening fires of social division and questions what is justice in light of our common humanity. Nat Turner in Jerusalem is an important work that keeps the dialogue alive. His fearless revolt against injustice and demagoguery still provoke conversations today that resonate in the current context of American history and politics. Nat Turner’s Rebellion of 1831 continues to draw interest about the ugly realities of slavery in the movies and in theaters. Jon Hudson Odom as Nat Turner in Nat Turner in Jerusalem. The unsettling sight of a young man in shackles sitting on a bare, plank-wood floor a glimmer of night sky piercing the darkness through the barred window of a simple jail cell and the tense, disturbing sounds of an angry mob in the distance immediately grip the senses upon entering Nathan Alan Davis’ Nat Turner in Jerusalem. Director Jose Carrasquillo draws the audience straightaway into an imagined last night on earth in the jail cell of Nat Turner, the leader of the bloodiest slave revolt in US history, in this riveting production at Forum Theatre. ![]()
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