HISTORY

 

Black Nativity is a retelling of the classic Nativity story with an entirely black cast. Traditional Christmas carols are sung in gospel style, with a few songs created specifically for the show. Originally written by Langston Hughes, the show was first performed on Broadway on December 11, 1961, and was one of the first plays written by an African-American to do so. It has been performed in Boston, Massachusetts at Tremont Temple since 1969. The 160 singers are arranged by age group and vocal range, with an assortment of soloists, along with the narrator, and Mary and Joseph, who are both mute.

 

The original name for this play was Wasn’t It a Mighty Day? Alvin Ailey was a part of the original Off Broadway cast, but he and Carmen de Lavallade departed from the show prior to opening in a dispute over changing the title to Black Nativity.

 

 

 

ABOUT the PLAYWRIGHT

 

James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was an American novelist, playwright, short story writer, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best-known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance. He famously wrote about the Harlem Renaissance, saying that "Harlem was in vogue".

 

Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman were Hughes primary literary influences. He is known for his insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties. He wrote novels, short stories and plays, as well as poetry, and is also known for his engagement with the world of jazz and the influence it had on his writing, as in montage of a dream deferred.

 

His life and work were influential in the shaping of what came to be known as the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Unlike Claude McKay, Jean Toomer, and Countee Cullen, Hughes identified fiercely his personal experience with that of the common experiences of the American Negro. He wanted to tell their stories that reflected their dignity, humor, suffering, and language.

 

Langston died of complications from prostate cancer May 22, 1967, in New York. In his memory, his residence at 20 East 127th Street in Harlem, New York City, has been given landmark status by the New York City Preservation Commission, and east 127th Street was renamed "Langston Hughes Place."