I have always likened “the one-man” show to “the memoir”. My idea is that both tend to be autobiographical, drowning in self-pity, egotistical, and far too abundant. And so, with such in mind, I wasn’t exactly biting the bit to see Daniel Beaty’s show titled Resurrection. But, rather than the endless walk through someone’s murky life that I expected, I was so happy to take a journey with a number of likeable characters through a wonderfully uplifting performance. I think I was immediately won over at the show’s start with the refreshing optimism expressed through the character of a 10 year-old child.
In the course of the work, the audience learns more about the child, who fancies himself a scientist, and his father, owner of a failing health food store. We meet a teenager from the projects on his way to college thanks to his mentor, Isaac. We meet Isaac’s father, the bishop of a mega church, and finally, an ex-con trying to go straight and about to bring a child into the world. Each character tries desperately to find personal success and to create happiness for those he cares most about. Daniel Beaty, intricately entwines the connections between his characters, yet manages to breathe a distinctively different life into each role. With such moving and emotionally separated performances, my memory tricks me into believing that I saw six different people on that stage.
Through Beaty’s use of masterfully crafted dialogue, heartrending song, and thought provoking poetry, Resurrection depicts the struggle of those who have undertaken the nearly impossible task of trying to fix broken lives – their own and those of others. This work grounds itself in the uplifting belief that, despite moments of doubt, such a monumental undertaking is possible. The audience sees a teenage boy hoping to end the cycle of fatherless children and learns that broken people need to love each other. We cry at the birth of a baby born free of his parent’s disease. All feel the anguish of a near perfect son willing to throw after failing to please the unpleasable. I revel in a little boy’s belief in simplistic answers to difficult questions. All of this in one seamless hour.
Like one of the spirituals that Beaty sings during the performance, Resurrection is heartbreaking, hopeful, and hauntingly resonant. While in the audience, I found myself lost in the show and find that even now, there are moments of it still with me. I can say nothing more than, “Beautifully done.”
Elizabeth Cowin
