Flying on Angel Wings 

The Powerful, Poignant The Buffalo Hero of WWI: The Wayne Minor Story Is Revisited and Reimagined at the ATA

Playwright and Director Kenthedo Robinson’s masterwork telling the story of the African American Buffalo Soldiers of the Great War has had several acclaimed NY runs over the years. Its latest incarnation at the John Cullen theatre might well be the definitive version.

Alton Ray returns to his signature role of Private Wayne Minor of Kansas City, imbuing the doomed legend with dignity and depth. He is re-joined by Nicholas Dodge as the revolting, over-the-top but still true to reality Captain Blu. Zsay Moore and the returning Ms D. alternate as Mama Minor, the emotional heart of the show. Wayne and Mama exchange letters throughout, and thus we get to know her, building up to a heart-shattering moment of stoicism and strength late in the story. Sharrell Williams is the effervescent and aptly named Angelica, the Florence Nightingale figure by day and singer/dancer by night, who provides needed lightheartedness but also displays flashes of steel. She is Red Cross “adjacent”, as she is not allowed official membership due to her skin color. Angelica dispenses the protective Angel Wing necklaces that all the men hold tight. The two women symbolize warmth and hope in the face of horror, both in war and at home, where other battles await. 

The mistreatment of the soldiers is portrayed even more sharply in this production, mirroring the suppression and degradation of people of color that has been perpetuated for centuries in civilian life. They get no training, no proper uniforms, no decent food; when the dismissive Blu finally acquiesces, he gives them out-of-date training manuals with pages torn out. The racist Blu is obsessed with delusions of grandeur and notions of glory, and freely admits that all he cares is about to ascending to the rank of major. He openly mourns the “social structures that are crumbling before my eyes” and the norms of yesteryear (i.e. white supremacy). Blu is the enemy for most of the story, until the men go to France and are faced with a new nightmare that they were deliberately sabotaged from being prepared for. 

The differing personalities and approaches of the three soldiers are vivid in this production, deftly realized by the incredible actors. Ray’s Wayne is doing his best in a horrific situation, wanting to do right by his Mama, by his partner Belle and by the version of himself he aspires to be. He is dedicated to fighting for the America he wants to see emerge. “Deeds not words” is the mantra he upholds to his dying breath. Shatique E. Brown returns as the heartbreaking Rucker. Missing his family and humiliated by Blu, the sensitive Rucker’s monologue about the fate of his beloved daddy is utterly devastating. James Oliver provides intensity as the justifiably raging Seymoure, a Howard University graduate who lost his whole family in the Camp Logan tragedy of 1917. His conflicts with Blu are electrifyingly depicted. Christopher W. Clayton is their firm but compassionate leader Lieutenant Clark, and his devotion to the men is particularly moving in this rendition, as he is torn between getting them under control and putting their monster of a Captain in his place. A sequence where Blu goes too far by surprising the men with a tear gas attack as a “training” is harrowingly staged, and one can feel the anger and disgust across the entire theatre. 

Blu’s treatment of the men has tragic consequences when the regiment finally ships out to France after a year of essentially no preparation. Minor’s climactic moment of fateful heroism in the face of everything collapsing around him is beautifully depicted and leaves very few dry eyes in the house. It’s a magnificent tribute to a man and a time that should never be forgotten. Because over a century later, many of the same battles are still being fought.