Good art serves as an escape, great art serves as a mirror into our own world. Donald Byrd’s scathing The Minstrel Show Revisited should be listed under the second category. Using a troupe of extremely talented dancers, Mr. Byrd has choreographed a dance show where dance is the thing that matters the least. Not to say that the performers aren’t great, in fact they’re astonishing, but that through their agile movements, and the way they at times defy gravity, Mr. Byrd is posing a very important question: what is the meaning of technical flawlessness in a society where injustices are committed against people of color every single day?
Divided into several segments, each of which is performed by dancers in blackface, Mr. Byrd reminds us of truly embarrassing episodes in American history, from the glorification of the Mammy figure, to the disgraceful murders of Michael Brown and 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, each of the segments is injected with anger and the dance moves reflect that need to challenge the status quo. They are aggressive movements, made all the more surreal by the otherworldly nature of the blackface makeup. It’s as if Byrd wants us to look away, perhaps to become introspective, which in itself is a powerful element because artists usually demand our attention, they don’t want us to look away from it.
During several occasions, Mr. Byrd appears onstage to provide commentary and invite audience participation. His steely expression, sly smile and enchanting voice all becoming very significant statements within themselves. During one of the show’s most affecting moments, Mr. Byrd invites audience members to tell racist jokes onstage, after a few volunteers arrive to do the terrible task, Mr. Byrd doesn’t let the rest of us go unscathed, and asks us to write our jokes and submit them before the second act begins. To say the number of jokes submitted is disgraceful would be an understatement, but it also makes for a moment that should force us to have conversations or start having them. Few theatrical experiences presented in the New York stage this year have been this affecting, shocking and essential. Bravo, Donald Byrd!
