About Time You Saw: The Scottsboro BoysBy Gilly Hopper
The Scottsboro Boys, residing at the Garrick Theatre for a strictly limited season (having transferred to the West End following a sell out run at The Young Vic), challenges the stereotypical ‘dinner and a show’ experience. It’s musical theatre, but with a side of heavy. One of the last collaborations between legendary composing duo Kander and Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret, Kiss of the Spiderwoman), The Scottsboro Boys‘ hard-hitting subject matter tells the true story of the nine young African-American men (one aged just 12) who were wrongfully accused, in 1931, of raping two white women on an Alabama freight train.
Image credit – Johan Persson
Presented in the format once used by minstrel shows – a form of nineteenth century light entertainment in which performers in blackface used comedy, slapstick and dance to peddle stereotypes about African-American culture – the production journeys from entertainment to reflection. Playing on conventions of gospel and Southern music, soulful serenades accompany audiences through the performance, leaving you lost in confliction somewhere between the jaunty toe-tapping tunes and the subverted message of the production.
Image credit – Johan Persson
Under the direction of Susan Stroman, we are swept up in the spectacle of the show – reflecting the media circus that surrounded the famed case in its early years. Despite the showbiz characterisation, complete with tattooed stage-kid smiles, the backdrop is knowingly sparse; a minimal set is predominantly constructed of chairs. Through the jaded views of American jurisprudence, the courtroom is depicted as a natural stage for scam artists, and the comic byplay of ‘Mr Bones’ and ‘Mr Tambo’ (Colman Domingo and Forrest McClendon) is spot on.
Image credit – Johan Persson
Kander and Ebb weave a complex and challenging narrative, unleashing the histrionics of politicians and lawyers of the South for a modern audience. The case, which was only acquitted in 2013, narrows in on those on the margins of society and retains its poignancy today. Easier to accept a lie than believe the truth, it’s our word against yours… best to go and decide for yourself.
Image credit – Johan Persson
Until 21st February, scottsboromusicallondon.com
