Emergence-See!, July 28, 2007, Woodruff Arts Center

I had the good fortune to hear Daniel Beaty, the writer and actor for this one-man show, be interviewed on NPR a few days before he came to Atlanta to perform. How often does that happen? Anyway, the show sounded so fascinating, I bought tickets as soon as I could.

The story revolves around a slave ship that mysteriously appears in the water next to the Statue of Liberty in the present day. The ship is deserted, but people are drawn to the island to take a closer look. The cast of characters include a TV reporter, a man suffering from schizophrenia after the death of his wife, the man's two sons, a homeless man, and a transvestite. The show explores the questions (as stated on Mr. Beaty's website) "What does centuries of slavery do to the psyche of humanity? And how free are we really at the dawn of the 21st Century?"

Mr. Beaty does an excellent job infusing each character with a distinct personality. He switches from one to another in a heartbeat, but the viewer is never left behind. Part of the action is a poetry slam, and we heard four amazing poems. Oh yeah, and he's also an opera singer.