Anne L. Thompson-Scretching’s Poignant and Essential Reminder of a People Destroyed by Hate

Everyone in the District of Greenwood in Tulsa Oklahoma is dead—brutally murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. The White Supremacists in the area took advantage of a lie to justify destroying the town and everyone in it. This is not fiction—this was the reality on the days of May 31^st and June 1, 2021, in what came to be known as the Tulsa Race Massacre. It is widely considered to be the worst incident of racial violence in Unites States history. But this atrocity has been often relegated to a footnote in the decades that followed, out of shame; and to perpetuate the often-false narrative of progressive unity and equality in 20^th Century America and beyond.

Anne L. Thompson-Scretching’s Resurrection is a fictional account based on the very real massacre, taking place during and after that horrific 48 hours of bloodshed. We meet the people of Greenwood in a limbo world after they have perished, furious that their lives have been extinguished over a lie, prejudice, and envy. A white woman’s claims of rape by a man of color were dismissed from court after her testimony held no merit—prompting the KKK to seek revenge by murdering everyone in the town. But the incident was merely an excuse to do what they always wanted—the supremacists of Tulsa were jealous of the prosperous district, which Booker T. Washington had nicknamed “Negro Wall Street.” As many of the white characters freely admit, they couldn’t tolerate the possibility of people of color doing better in life than they were.

In this afterlife we meet Alan (Courtney Everette), the town doctor who treated many of his white neighbors, only to be shot and killed by one of them; Bess (Sabyne Santiago), who was doused in gasoline and set on fire, her baby still in her arms—what happened next will stay with you forever. Kevin Leonard is charming and heartbreaking as the mash liquor salesman Pete, humiliated and slaughtered by one of his own customers, the revolting yet pathetic Blue (Travis Bergmann). Dave Hummel is Percy, an amiable townsman of mixed parentage brutally attacked by the Klansmen’s dogs in his own school. Ron (Moses Sesay) is the man falsely accused of rape simply because he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time; although charges were dismissed—or in truth, because they were—he is mutilated and hanged.

Each person in the doomed town gets an Aria to tell the harrowing story of what happened to them on those tragic two days. Thompson-Scretching makes sure that we remember that these were human beings with hopes and dreams, and the impact is appropriately devastating. We get to know and love these people over the course of the play, which makes their graphic, horrific murders all the more heartbreaking. No detail is spared, nor should it be. If we forget we repeat, an undeniable fact that looms ominously just a century later.

The cast’s performance is individually and collectively stunning, from Everette’s Alan, who also narrates from beginning to end; to Katie Trubetsky as Lula Noble, the desperate girl we meet in the closing moments, whose panicked false accusation brought death to an entire town. Santiago as Bess and Sesay as Ron will have you in tears as they describe how they died. Rommell Sermons is the cigar-puffing, stoic and steely lawyer Oliver Porter; Daniel Kornegay is the entrepreneur Marcus, furious that his dream to have a successful restaurant ended in getting shot to death. “Am I supposed to be thankful that I didn’t suffer?” he protests after hearing the stories of the others. Dan Brown is Carl, whose affair and ultimate rejection of elevator operator Lula was the catalyst for her heinous lie. Andrew Boszhardt is Alan’s murderer Ethan, whose jealous father basically ordered him to murder the town doctor; Harry Cooke is Poke, Blue’s associate who was in love with a woman of color; and Ashley Vigo is Bird in Flight, also known as Molly Brightwater, the Native-American teen who just wanted to be loved and seen. Boszhardt returns in Act II as Wille Poole, another companion of Blue who ends up dying and asking for help from the person of color he himself had just shot.

Every character gets a chance to tell their story, even the “villains.” Every actor shines, bringing so much emotion and anguish to their performances it’s as if they are guided by the spirits of the doomed people of a century ago. It is a triumph of Thompson-Scretching’s magnificent writing to incorporate such complexity and nuance to every single character—we get to know each and every one of them, and leave with the reminder that everyone we have met and will meet was someone’s child, parent, lover, friend; and that they all deserve to be seen and heard.

Resurrection is a masterpiece—a suitably uncomfortable, disturbing, heartbreaking, and rewarding watch; one that demands we face a reality that we simply must not turn away from. The play is must-see that goes a long way in reminding us that we have a lot of work to do and a lot of life to live, in honor of those who never got the chance.

Resurrection runs at the John Cullum Theatre at the American Theatre of Actors through Oct. 27, 2024.

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.