“Ghost of King” at the Oakland Theater Project is engaging, significant, and well executed. On the other hand, it seems to be more of an educational presentation rather than a theatrical production.
Actor/Playwright Michael Wayne Turner III has taken an historically significant speech by Dr. King and recreated it as a theatrical performance. He does this with impressive sincerity and delivers an excellent impersonation of King. The idea is that the audience should feel we are seeing the ghost of King returning to the theatre to deliver again a speech which is still resonant today.
The problem is that King’s speech was not intended as a theatrical presentation, but was a sermon preached in a church. And although that setting is recreated, we know we are not in a church, and, somehow this doesn’t work as theatre, in my opinion.
Turner is aware of the difficulties, and has therefore added a second character to the mix. A ghostly preacher (identified only as Reverend Ghost) who introduces the ghost of Dr. King. Reverend Ghost, the hip-hop jiving Pastor of Mount Pilgrim Zion Plymouth Rock Missionary Baptist Church is much more theatrical: he’s fun, exciting, challenging, and charismatic, a real delight.
Unfortunately, the two characters do not interact during the play. When the ghost of Dr. King takes over, the Reverend Ghost melt
s away into the ectoplasmic void, except for an occasional momentary reappearance. It is not enough. A one man show about Dr. King is an excellent idea. But reducing that concept into a word-for-word theatrical recreation of a speech is not, I think, interesting theatre. My impression is that this piece is extremely well-executed, and interesting as a history lesson. But I also think it isn’t quite theatrical enough to be stage worthy.
But there is enormous potential here. A fuller and more exciting play could be developed, and Turner certainly has the ability to bring Dr. King to life. And his second character of Reverend Ghost could be presented in more meaningful relationship to King which could make this piece truly snap, crackle and pop.
Perhaps the ghost of Dr. King could encounter a contemporary leader, and enter into back and forth dialogue. His words could still be taken from his speeches, but the experience would be more appropriately theatrical.
There is no question that the audience on opening night were deeply moved, as was I. But I was moved more by the evocation of the memory of this great man, rather than by the theatricality of this event, which did not live up to its potential.
I like to imagine that, going forward, Michael Wayne Turner III will take his fine work with these two characters (Reverend Ghost and Dr. King) and put them into the hands of an experienced dramaturg. All the ingredients are there, but this incarnation of the material just doesn’t gel.
“Ghost of King” plays at the Oakland Theater Project through June 23, 2024. For further information, click here.
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Rating: **1/2 (For an explanation of TheatreStorm’s rating scale, click here)
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