Summary
Dulé Hill stars as Nat King Cole in this play that imagines the final broadcast of his groundbreaking variety show. A look at the man behind the music and the racial tensions of the 1950s.
Saturday, May 24, 2025 May 24, 2025
I was expecting a boring jukebox, but wow, yeah, welcome to the fever dream. Throw out the historicity for a second - this is 90 minutes of really pretty sophisticated exploration of minority stress, the way it damages your psyche, and the different ways you can navigate it. There’s nothing in life quite like the feeling of being undercut by someone who thinks they’re being an ally, and fake-smiling back at them because you’re worried about their feelings (or, worse, someone who knows they are not being one, and what they might do to you if you push back), other than, of course, doing it all over again the next day. I found it very timely, resonant, and never patronizing, and that is a rare combination indeed. Also, the tap dancing rocks.