Through the presence of the chorus, director and choreographer Marcela Lorca creates a balletic landscape on which the action unspools, with additional choreography by Brian Bose. Movement becomes as powerful as speech in bringing meaning to the piece. JD Steele’s musical compositions are jazz inflected with hints of blues and in the latter moments, glorious gospel, and played with vibrancy by Billy Steele on a keyboard able to create the sound of multiple instruments. The chorus, in its various permutations, harmonizes beautifully, guided by JD Steele’s work as music director – and what a coup, to have two members of the extraordinarily talented Steele family on board for this production. To add to the lush sound and sense of epic proportions, at select moments a mass of the audience rises as one – a community choir joining in, the voice of the people extolling the passion of on stage.
Talkin Broadway – 2022