Fetch Clay,
Make Man
UNCSA's
Gerald Freedman
Theatre
Tues, Aug. 4 3 p.m.
Tues, Aug. 4 8 p.m.
Wed, Aug. 5 3 p.m.
Wed, Aug. 5 8 p.m. I
$43 I
Roscoe Orman and Eddie Ray Jackson in "Fetch Clay, Make Man."
One of this year's festivals most memorable performances will be delivered by
a familiar face. Roscoe Orman is known and loved by millions for his timeless
role as Gordon on "Sesame Street," but in "Fetch Gay, Make Man," he sheds
all traces of the fun-loving science teacher whom he has played since 1974.
The play came from the creative mind ofWill Power after he saw a photo from the 1960s
of a young Cassius Gay (Muhammad Ali) posing ringside with Lincoln Theodore
Monroe Andrew Perry, the black Hollywood star known by the stage name Stepin
Fetchit. The two were improbable friends. Ali was the paradigm of black cultural pride,
joining the Nation of Islam and changing his name. Fetchit was despised by many in
the black community for his buffoonish characters and accused of fostering negative,
racist stereotypes.
The pair's odd friendship is explored in this engaging story, which takes place in 1965
as Ali is preparing for his rematch with Sonny Liston. The bond between the boxer and
actoriscomplex,as theirideologiesonmanysubjects are contrary. There aresub-themes
in the play as well. Sonji, Ali's wife, is finding it hard to let go of her worldly ways in order
to coniform to the Muslim way of life. Brother Rashid has been tasked by the Nation of
Islam to watch over its most famous convert and to keep him and Sonji on the straight
and narrow. There are also flashbacks revealing Fetchit's rise and fall in Hollywood^
He made more than 50 films between the 1920s and 1970s, becoming Hollywood's
first black millionaire in the process, but he struggled financially at several times
during his life.
Orman, whose Edgewater, N.J.-based RH Orman Productions is presenting the play,
stars as Stepin Fetchit, displaying a range that may surprise those who know him only
from "Sesame Street." (Washington)
DC Metro Theatre Arts raved, "What
[Roscoe Orman] does on stage is a
Master Class performance."
Ormans career began on stage when he
made his acting debut while a student
at tne tamed nign icnoot ot Arts ana Design in New torK. A rounding member
of NYC's New Lafayette Theatre, Orman never left the stage. He earned
an AUDELCO Award just last year for Best Lead Actor for his performance in Ed
Bullins' "The Fabulous Miss Marie." His film credits include "F/X," "Striking Distance" and
"New Jersey Driver His other television credits include "The Wire," "Alpha House" and
"Law and Order1
Eddie Ray Jackson plays Ali. Jackson, who earned a MFA from Columbia in 2012,
has a long list of stage credits, including "Two Trains Running" (at the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival), "Pen/Man/Ship" (at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco) and
"X's and O's: A Football Love Story" (at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre).
The other cast members are Jefferson A. Russell, Robert Sicular and Katherine
Renee Turner. Derrick Sanders directs. Sanders, the founder and artistic director of
Chicago's Congo Square Theatre Company, is often mentioned alongside esteemed
directors like Kenny Leon and Marion McClinton. Power, who is also a performer,
has earned a trophy case full of awards for his work, including a Jury Award for Best
Theatre Performance at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and the Trailblazer
Award from The National Black Theater Network. ?
Sii
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Derrick Sanders