“The Lion” a new reading from ABT as seen by Julia W. Rath

The storming of the U.S. Capitol Building by domestic insurgents on January 6th struck at the heart of our democracy. It painfully brought to mind whether our current political crisis is, in large part, a vestige of old divisions and cleavages having to do with slavery, freedom, and racism dating from the antebellum era. The incendiary rhetoric of the mob was no more clearly evinced by the Confederate flag prominently displayed inside the Capitol Building, thus desecrating an important symbol of our nation’s ideals of liberty and justice for all, regardless of race, creed, or color.

With this coming Monday being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, it was not a coincidence that playwright and actor Manny Buckley chose this weekend to debut his one-man show “The Lion”, where he highlights the biography of 19th century abolitionist and civil rights leader Frederick Douglass. What is coincidental, however, is that this show happened to occur just as Washington, D.C. is in a state of lockdown, and there are viable threats of domestic terrorism in the days preceding the January 20th inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris.

In the course of his thoughtful and educational dramatic reading, Buckley changes his voice and demeanor to mimic Fred (a/k/a Douglass) and other characters, including President Abraham Lincoln and his wife Anna Murray Douglass. We journey with him from his humble beginnings as a black slave in Maryland “to become a self-taught writer, publisher, orator, abolitionist, and politician.” Douglass’s accomplishments are too many to name; they include serving for twenty years on the board of Howard University, one of the nation’s leading historically black colleges and universities. So Buckley’s hook was this: “What would Douglass have told (African American) students about his life story had he been given the opportunity to address all of them directly?”

For the purpose of delivering this performance, Buckley surrounded himself with photographs of the U.S. Capitol Building in various stages of construction. Looking at these added to his stirring rendition, considering recent national events, the existing political divide in our country, and unresolved issues having to do with race and social justice as evinced by the protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd this past summer. The show was also very timely on a local level, considering that this past September, the Chicago Park District approved the renaming of Douglas Park (named after slaveholder Stephen A. Douglas) to Anna and Frederick Douglass Park.

“The Lion” is currently a work-in-progress and was brought to its audience on Friday night, January 15th on Zoom as part of The Room Reading Series, sponsored by American Blues Theater. For more information about this show, the reading series, and how you can support the work of the theater company and other organizations (such as Black Lives Matter (BLM), the DuSable Museum of African American History, and the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Scholarship Program), please go to www.americanbluestheater.com. American Blues Theater is a 501(c)3 organization and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

The next show in The Room series is “Dead Ringer” by Zachary Simpson on Friday, January 22nd. Visit www.americanbluestheater.com for more information and to get tickets for this and other performances.