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Saturday Church
With music and songs by Grammy-nominated pop star Sia and additional music by Grammy-winning DJ and producer Honey Dijon, Saturday Church soars. The excitement and joy are bountiful. The music and songs are a combination of house, pop, and gospel, spun into electrifying arrangements by Jason Michael Webb and Luke Solomon, also responsible for music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements.
While the music crowns Saturday Church with glory, the show’s emotional poignance and heartfelt questions about acceptance, identity and self-love can apply to every human being, regardless of their orientation and gender identity.
Saturday Church has extended its run at New York Theatre Workshop until October 24. If you like rocking with Sia’s music, that along with Darrell Grand and Moultrie’s choreography and Qween Jean’s vibrant, glittering costumes will insure you’ll have a blast. The spectacle is ballroom fabulous. As J. Harrison Ghee’s Black Jesus master of ceremonies says at the conclusion, “It’s a Queen thing.”
A few caveats: Some of the narrative revisits old, tired ground. The music doesn’t spring organically from the characters’ emotions; sometimes it feels imposed upon their stories. Perhaps a few songs might have been trimmed. And as enjoyable as it is, the musical runs long.
Incisive direction steers the performers
Under the acute direction by Whitney White (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding), the performances are captivating and on target. One easily gets caught up in the pageantry, choreography and humor which help to mitigate the predictable storyline and the irregular integration of the songs into the narrative.
The show was based on the Spring Pictures movie written and directed by Damon Cardasis. With book and additional lyrics by Damon Cardasis and James Ijames, Saturday Church focuses on Ulysses’ journey toward self-love. Ulysses (the golden Bryson Battle) lost his father recently. This forces his mother Amara (Kristolyn Lloyd) to work overtime as a nurse. Her work schedule doesn’t allow her to see her son regularly.
Though prickly Aunt Rose (an exceptional Joaquina Kalukango) fills in as a parental figure, the grieving teenager can’t confide in her. Even though he lives in New York City, one of the most nonjudgmental places on the planet, with its myriad types of people from different races, creeds and gender identities, Ulysses feels isolated and unconnected.
Judgmental aunt and pastor
His problem arises from Aunt Rose and Pastor Lewis (J. Harrison Ghee). (Ghee also does double duty as the master of ceremonies, the fantastic Black Jesus.) Though Ulysses enjoys expressing himself in song with his exceptional vocal instrument, Aunt Rose and Pastor Lewis prevent him from joining the choir until he “calms down.” In effect, they negate his personhood.
Negotiating their criticisms, Ulysses tries to develop his faith at St. Matthew’s Church. Bur Pastor Lewis and Aunt Rose steal his peace. As pillars of the church, both dislike his flamboyance. They find his effeminacy and what it suggests offensive. With no guidance, Ulysses doesn’t understand, nor can he admit, that he is gay. Besides, why would he? For the pastor, his aunt and mother, the tenets of their religion prohibit LGBTQ Christianity, leaving him out in the cold.
During a subway ride home, Ulysses meets Raymond (the excellent Jackson Kanawha Perry). Raymond invites Ulysses to Saturday Church and discusses how the sanctuary runs an LGBTQ program. With trepidation Ulysses says, “I’m not like that.” Raymond’s humorous reply brings audience laughter: “Oh, you still figuring things out.” Raymond suggests that whatever his persuasion is, Saturday Church is a place where different gender identities find acceptance.
Inspired by a real West Village church
Inspired by the real-life St. Luke in the Fields Church in Manhattan’s West Village, the show’s Saturday Church provides a safe environment where Christianity flourishes for all. When Ulysses visits to scout out Raymond, with whom he feels an attachment, the motherly program leader Ebony (B. Noel Thomas) and her riotous and talented assistants Dijon (Caleb Quezon) and Heaven (Anania) adopt Ulysses into their family. In a side plot, Ebony’s loss of a partner, overwork with running activities for the church with little help, and life stresses bring her to a crisis point, which dissolves conveniently by the conclusion.
The book writers attempt to draw parallels between Ulysses’ family and Ebony, but these remain undeveloped. She is a wonderful character unto herself, but the subplot might not have been necessary.
Intensifying conflicts at home
As Ulysses enjoys his newfound persona and develops his relationship with Raymond, his conflicts with his mother and aunt increase. From Raymond he learns the trauma of turning tricks to survive after family rejection. Also, Ulysses personally experiences physical and sexual assault. Finally, he understands that for some, suicide provides a viable choice to end the misery and torment of a queer lifestyle without the safety net of Saturday Church.
But all’s well that ends well. Ghee’s uplifting and humorous Black Jesus redirects Ulysses and effects a miraculous bringing-together of the alienated to a more inclusive family of Christ. And as in a cotillion or debutante ball, Ulysses makes his debut. He appears in Qween Jean’s extraordinary white gown for a shining ballroom scene, partnering with Raymond dressed in a white tux. As the two churches come together, and each of the principals struts their stuff in beautiful array, Ghee’s Jesus shows love’s answer.
Affirmations
In these treacherous times the message and themes of Saturday Church affirm more than ever the necessity of unity over division, and flexibility in understanding another person’s viewpoint. With its humor, great good will, musical freedom, and prodigious creative talent, Saturday Church presents the message of Christ’s love and truth against a pulsating backdrop of frolic with a point.
Saturday Church runs at New York Theatre Workshop until October 24.
