The Acclaimed Choir Boy comes to Boston

 

  

Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy, as its title implies is a musical theatre piece. It deals with a boys’ boarding school, the Charles R. Drew Prep School, whose students are African-Americans, many of whom will be the first in their family to attend college. Life at the school is difficult for some of the boys particularly the talented Pharus Jonathan Young (Isaiah Reynolds) who is often mocked for his effeminacy. Despite the mockery, his classmates voted him the leader of the school choir, a position of honor. The prep school focusses heavily on music, religion, and good behavior. The latter, as noted above, is sometimes missing. 

 At the opening, Pharus (then a junior) is singing the school’s anthem “Trust and Obey,” at the seniors’ graduation while behind him two choir boys Bobby (Malik Mitchell)) and Junior (Aaron Patterson) are giggling and calling him names. Pharus stops singing, and is later rebuked by the Headmaster (J. Jerome Rogers) for not carrying out his duty, thereby ruining the occasion.  

Between scenes the cast effectively performs step-dancing choreographed by Yewande Odetoyinbo and Ruka White. In step-dancing, the steps and their rhythm are generally more important than anything the upper body might do.  

 In the second scene the students have returned to school after their summer vacation. Bobby and Junior are angry with Pharus because they think that he told the headmaster how they behaved at the graduation. Junior apologizes, but Bobby is thrown out of the choir although he is the headmaster’s nephew. Pharus is in charge of the choir and plans to change the music and modernize the spirituals to some extent.    

Because most of the senior class is intractable, the headmaster brings in a white man (Richard Snee) who  had been a teacher at the prep school before his retirement.  Although the headmaster introduces him as Dr. Pendleton, the teacher insists he be called Mr. Pendleton. Unfortunately, despite his good intentions, Mr. Pendleton is something of a racist who makes jokes at his students’ expense.  

The students have very little time to spend on their own. Once a week they are allowed to call their parents, but the time allotted to them is short. Leaving the campus alone is forbidden. Individuality is frowned on. The school uniform consists of a red jacket, white shirt, red tie, and beige pants.   

Pharus is not the only student with problems at the school. Junior has been hiding the fact that he cannot read. Fortunately, Pharus has found a friend in his roommate “AJ” James (Jaimar Brown) who likes him and accepts him as he is.   

In general, the play is well acted particularly by Isaiah Reynolds. Maurice Emmanuel Parent has directed Choir Boy competently. 

 

Choir Boy has been extended to October 19, 2019.