The Parchman Hour

I tend to be a little wary of documentary theater, just as I'm reticent about historical novels. I often find myself thinking, well why don't I read a nonfiction account about this historic issue or topic? But lately I've been pleasantly reminded of how and why dramatizations of actual historic events can illuminate the characters in history and what motivated their actions and made them significant. This time it's the Guthrie Theater's excellent production of Mike Wiley's play with Music, The Parchman Hour, that won me over. The story centers on some of the key players among the Freedom Riders who bussed into the Deep South to oppose segregation and often ended up threatened, abused and jailed --at the notorious Mississippi State Penitentiary known as Parchman Farm. In song and story, the actors remind the audience just how much physical and mental menace and brutality the freedom marchers faced on their journey to try to force state and local governments enforce the court mandated integration of schools and public facilities. The fact that this all occurred fairly recently, in the early 1960s, reminded me that the racial tension and systemic racism that continue to plague our society today (the play incorporates references to the Black Lives Matter movement.)
The title of the play refers to the variety show that the freedom marcher inmates at Parchman Farm performed for each other to entertain themselves and keep up their spirits during the time they were in jail. It always interest me to see how, even under extremely dire circumstances, people rely upon humor to salve their woulds and sustain their spirits. (And what better tool than farce to highlight government hypocrisy.
Director Patricia McGregor and musical director Sanford Moore (of Moore by Four fame here in the Twin Cities) lead an outstanding cast that includes Sam Bardwell, Nathan Barlow, Cat Brindisi, Whitney Maris Brown, David Darrow, Kevin R. Free, Katherine Fried, Terry Templeman, Jared Joseph, Zonya Love (whose incredible voice gives ballast to many of the musical numbers) Stephen Conrad Moore, and Kory LaQuess Pullman.