The Rise of Josephine Baker by Shani Gray - ★★★★☆
Paul Colin’s painting of Josephine Baker from his infamous “Le Tumulte Noir” has the ability to halt your breathing for just a moment, as you contemplate its beauty, its uniqueness and its power. In it, she’s dressed solely in the controversial but conic “banana skirt” that catapulted her to global fame, making her the definitive image of The Roaring Twenties Jazz Age of the 1920s. Her face, name, art and legacy persists a century after her time on earth, but we only know so much about the smaller details of her life. What did Josephine Baker’s life look like on a micro-level? What words were exchanged in the conversations that shifted her trajectory from St Louis to Paris? Shani Gray’sThe Rise of Josephine Baker, starring Gray as Baker, takes us there. A lively, tender and vitalising telling of Josephine Baker’s journey, Gray, and the cast and creatives take us to the club nights of 1920s Paris, and find the beating hearts that made them.
The play’s set is a dressing room that could be from anywhere, at any time. On one side, a dressing table adorned in miscellany and on the other, posters and canvases from an artist at work. The overall feel is nostalgic, but gives the impression that there is life and soul living in the space. Centre stage became both a stage for Baker’s performances, and also for the story of her life that we are about to embark on. The play starts with Baker receiving news from the manager of the show she had been working on in New York, that her talents had been requested in France. Gray, the very image of Baker, enters the stage with a vibrancy that can be felt from the back of the room. With every scene partner, Gray maintains an energy that feels fitting for Baker; she sets the tone for every room she enters, soft but steadfast, charming, unassuming but resilient. Gray’s characterisation allows her talent to shine through, without losing the essence of the character.
Under Jordi M. Carter’s direction, the play has a feel to it that reminds me of an old-fashioned steam train. We are moving steadily, but with excitement and captivating views that force you to hold their gaze. Considering the play’s short run time, a depth is achieved that feels like a full length biopic. As we weave in and out of Baker’s life, stopping at pivotal moments such as Baker's first encounter with Paul Colin (Christoph L. Dorocant), or her decision to end her working relationship with André Daven (Philip Bayntun) and embark on an all-consuming love affair turned business partnership with the wily Pepito Abatino (Robert de Domenici). The show’s attention to detail in the crafting of its script, staging and direction creates a level of authenticity and excitement that Ryan Calais Cameron achieves in Retrograde. While the show doesn’t touch on some of the more controversial aspects of Baker’s life, it doesn’t sensationalise or pedestalise her. Instead it humanises her, and hones in on a period of her life that is potentially overshadowed by her celebrity.
The cast is simply electric together. As Gray leads as Baker, Dorocrant, Bayntun and de Domenici rise to every occasion and create a crew of characters that each bring out a different part of Baker. Her complex relationship with Paul Colin is portrayed beautifully and thoughtfully, as Dorocrant as Colin moves between Baker’s friend, admirer, provocateur, doubter, and perhaps the only artist who turned her into the muse she wanted to be. The play’s set consisted of posters of Josephine Baker which plunged us further into this world from the past, and the overall commitment to creating this atmosphere is a testament to the cast and crew.
The Rise of Josephine Baker is not a full length play, and so there are limitations on resources that restricted some of the play’s action, particularly the scenes portraying Baker’s actual performances which felt disappointing given the strength of the show’s script and performances. Its one hour run time reduces its ability to stretch the full creative capacity of the show’s creators, but the play still manages to touch the soul, in the true spirit of an artist whose life work was dedicated to expressing hers, and making sure it left a mark. Gray’s play is spectacular, and leaves the audience with the image of Josephine Baker, exactly how she wanted her memory to be held.
★★★★☆
By Melody Adebisi