The piece imagines a slave ship emerging, ghost-like, from the Hudson River at the foot of the Statute of Liberty in 2003--a sight giving rise to host of responses from 43 characters who witness it and share their thoughts and emotions. In doing so, Beaty deftly presents a broad range of perspectives, including those of an 11 year old girl and a 400 year old chieftain lamenting African complicity in the international slave trade.
Beaty's ability to move seamlessly from one character to another (evocative of, and perhaps an homage to, the work of Anna Devere Smith) is, in and of itself, a sight to behold. Some speak in verse; others in prose; and then, there is song. This should come as no surprise, of course, since a poetry cafe provides the basic architecture for the play.
Although Variety marks Emergence-See! as a fitting perfomance for Black History month celebrations, The New York Theater Experience views Daniel Beaty's work for what it is: "an exploration of our shared humanity and what it means to be free."
Accordingly, Mr. Beaty's work is urgently needed in this place, at this time given the stakes. Catch it while you can!
