Marcus Naylor stars as Langston Hughes in MetroStage's production of "Are You Now, Or Have You Ever Been." Photo contributed
MetroStage in Alexandria is staging "Are You Now, Or Have You Ever Been" now through Nov. 5. The drama with music is a fictional account of the demons and dilemmas faced by Langston Hughes while attempting to write a poem on the eve of his appearance before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations led by U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Directed by Thomas W. Jones II with music by William Knowles, it will be performed against the backdrop of the blues and the poetic hues of Hughes.
According to Carolyn Griffin, producing artistic director: “In choosing the 2017 fall season of plays, one of my goals as the artistic director at MetroStage was to find something that touched on politics. Since the last presidential campaign, politics has increasingly becoming a part of our lives and to proceed with business as usual seemed to be ignoring this reality. But with the 24-hour news cycle, did we really need anything further about the current situation, especially since there is breaking news on a daily basis?"
She found the play about Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes being called before the subcommittee during the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s, being questioned by Senators McCarthy and Dirksen, being counseled by lawyer Roy Cohn and others. "I thought I had found the perfect mix of politics and the arts, conceived and written by Minneapolis playwright Carlyle Brown," she said.
The drama had had only one production, she said, so this was an opportunity to put Director Thomas W. Jones' and composer William Knowles' touches directorially and musically to this evening in Harlem with Hughes facing accusations that many artists during that era had to face followed by a day in the Senate Chambers.
"Poetry by Hughes, musical underscoring of Langston’s evocative poetry, and the politics of the early 1950s — with accusations flying about un-American activities all felt like something I would like to present on stage to our patrons," she said.
Marcus Naylor plays the role of Langston Hughes, who he describes as a poet, writer and artist. He called him: "A man who found his calling in life, and lived life to fullest. … A man who found liberation in poetry inspiring generations of artists to follow."
He said his challenge with the role was managing the energy required to navigate the world of a poet's mind and pressing reality in going up before the Senate Committee on charges of being un-American.
"The idea of being private in public and public in private adds to the challenge," he said. "Time also becomes a factor in playing the role of an historical figure, and how to find the balance to honor what the record is and exercising the poetic freedom of the actor to create truthfully under imaginary circumstances."
He continued: "This play is a journey with many elements including music, images, sound, song, dance, poetry and acting. It is at one and the same time working within an ensemble framework while walking alone on a tightrope and your net is my fellow actors, the creative and producing team behind the scenes, and my director that guided me along the way."
Wood Vanmeter plays the role of David Schine, one of the members of McCarthy's subcommittee. "His journey to the committee was quite interesting," he said. "He wrote a very anti-communist publication that had several errors, and it made its way to Roy Cohn, McCarthy’s lead prosecutor. Cohn brought Schine on board as an unpaid 'volunteer' committee member."
He added that it's difficult to not judge your character when you disagree with him. "Additionally, it's hard to not let the events in his future cloud him. This story shows Schine at the beginning of his career, before several of his more notorious accomplishments. You can only focus on the moment in front of you," he said.
Marni Penning Coleman is playing two different roles. In the first half of the play, she plays a Marilyn-Monroe-ish-type member of the Blues Chorus in Langston Hughes' mind. In the second half, she plays a 26-year-old Roy Cohn, the special prosecutor for the McCarthy Senate Subcommittee on Un-American Activities in 1953.
"It's a nice balance, because I get to sing and dance and have fun for half the show, then I turn into a prosecutorial pit-bull and go after Langston Hughes in the second half," she said.
She said the biggest challenge was portraying Roy Cohn, this well-known, real life character about whom so much is now known. "I have to suppress all my femininity, don a suit, and attack Langston Hughes (played by Marcus Naylor, who is really sweet) to interrogate him about his communist affiliations," she said. "It's also the most fun, because I thrive in intense roles, and Cohn is a steam train who doesn't let up."
She added: "It's also been a long time since I danced in a show, so I'm really getting my steps in! In our first dance rehearsal, my Fitbit buzzed to celebrate 10,000 steps when we weren't even halfway through the day."
MetroStage in Alexandria is staging "Are You Now, Or Have You Ever Been" now through Nov. 5. Showtimes are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m.; Sundays at 7 p.m. Cost is $55 to $60. The venue is located at 1201 North Royal St., Alexandria. Visit www.metrostage.org or call the Box Office at 703-548-9044.