“Spirituals” is on for two nights only at the Lowry’s Quays Theatre. It recreates, and indeed reimagines, Sing Spirituals, performed by Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall way back in 1990. According to the online programme notes it is reinterpreted through Le Gateau Chocolat’s own experiences of faith, identity, and Black queer culture. Joining him on stage were Allyson Devenish, an excellent pianist and musical director, and the acclaimed vocalist David McAlmont.
Did it work? Partially.
The evening was structured around an Order of Service, listing the musical and spoken items under headings such as Homily, Reflection, Lament, Sermon, Communion, and Offering, amongst others. It proved an effective framework for what followed.
We opened with a striking rendition of I Feel Love. Rather than the familiar Donna Summer version, it drew on Bronski Beat’s interpretation and was delivered in Le Gateau Chocolat’s magnificent basso profundo voice. The song returned several times during the evening and worked well as a recurring motif.
From there we moved through a mixture of spirituals and other material. Some selections sat comfortably within the theme, while others were less obvious choices. Ol’ Man River made an appearance, with its more problematic language carefully negotiated – although the online notes employ another “N” word* which is just as taboo and modern audiences might find equally uncomfortable. The notes also touched on the difficulties of presenting historical material today, something that remains a challenge whenever works like this are revived.
There’s a Place for Us from West Side Story also featured, alongside a number of readings. The one that stayed with me came from the Song of Songs, delivered by David McAlmont. Hearing those verses spoken by a male voice gave a fresh perspective to a text traditionally understood as an exchange between a young woman and a man celebrating desire, beauty, and devotion
Towards the end, however, the evening lost some of its focus. Audience participation can be very effective, but here it felt somewhat contrived, as though we were about to be invited to testify. Audience members were asked to tear off part of the Order of Service, write a message on it, and hand it in. Mercifully, only a selection of the responses was read aloud, but the exercise felt awkward rather than illuminating.
Overall, it was an entertaining and thought-provoking evening and, at just over an hour, exactly the right length for any service. Yet I left feeling that the individual elements were stronger than the whole. There were some excellent moments, but the production never quite succeeded in bringing them together into a fully satisfying experience.
* The subtext for the evening was “A Homily of Black Queer Excellence through Negro Spirituals”
Paul Schofield for Canal Street Online
We were able to use the new app version of the Canal Street Card at the bar before the performance