‘Black Nativity’ a holiday tradition in Atlanta

The show itself has a long history dating back to the first New York production in 1961. Originally written by renowned poet Langston Hughes during the civil rights movement, the retelling of the Biblical Nativity story with gospel music was one of the first plays by a black writer with an all-black cast to be staged off-Broadway.

“It was about creating a Christmas classic that represented our contributions,” said Robert John Connor, producer and director of the Atlanta production, which is entering its third year. “My feeling is that Langston Hughes was affirming the African-American contribution in all aspects of the American experience.”

The original show was a hit with audiences, resulting in a European tour and subsequent productions in other cities. Atlanta’s Jomandi Productions staged a popular version in the 1990s, and Kenny Leon’s True Colors produced its version from 2008 to 2010.

Each company tends to put its spin on the tale, often supplementing Hughes’ retelling of the birth of Jesus with its own second-act story set in contemporary times.

“The show really took a hold of me in terms of what it did for me as a performer and how I responded to it,” said Connor, who performed as one of the wise men in the Jomandi production of “Black Nativity” in the early 1990s. “When a friend told me that True Colors wouldn’t be doing it again, I said, ‘I have to produce this show.’ And it just grew like wildfire.”

Dominion first produced its version of “Black Nativity” in 2013 at the Viola Turner Theater in East Point before moving to Southwest Arts Center last year. The Dominion “Black Nativity” is a 90-minute one-act version, starting in the modern-day church as a framing device before flashing back to the traditional Nativity story.

The show features 28 performers and a band of five musicians performing a range of songs, from traditional spirituals to contemporary gospel. Connor’s production also invites local churches in the community to participate by having their choirs sing in the show.

“The churches are a vital tributary to what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We wanted them to feel more connected to the show by allowing some of their select church singers to perform onstage with the professional singers, actors and dancers.”

Small chorales from various Atlanta churches, including Cascade Methodist Church, Ben Hill United Methodist Church and historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, take turns performing in the show’s opening number on different nights.

Connor said response to the show has been incredibly enthusiastic. “Our audiences are very engaged and very vocal,” he said. “They tend to respond as if they are in church. People come back three and four times to see the show.”

“People go off into praise,” said actress Margo Moorer, who performs as the Pastor in the modern-day segment of the show and as the Griot, or narrator, of the Biblical story. “Sometimes, I just have to stand there until they’re finished and then we move forward. It’s unbelievable. It’s like a major church service.”

Moorer said she usually doesn’t like to perform in the same show more than once because she gets bored easily, but “Black Nativity” is one she has returned to throughout her career. “This time of year, I don’t want to be anywhere else,” she said.

Although the show connects to many long-standing traditions, Connor admitted with a laugh there’s one tradition that his own production doesn’t observe. In many cities, local politicians and community leaders are asked to appear onstage in the roles of the three wise men. “Me? Philosophically, I want politicians to be politicians,” Connor said. “We’ll let the performers be performers.”