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Exuberant cast of Hattiloo’s Black Odyssey. photo by Don Mooney
by Don Mooney 1-24-2025
Memphis, TN—Black Odyssey kicked of the 2nd half of their 2024-25 season at Hattiloo Theatre located in Midtown Memphis, TN Friday night. The theater troupe took to task the challenging work of Marcus Gardley’s…Black Odyssey. The brilliant reimagined version Homer classic Odyssey is posited in a modern-day setting with updated themes that ring a familiar frame in the African-American experience.
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Hattiloo patron(l) Sherica Donelson (c) and Roman Kyle strike a pose during after performance celebration of Black Odyssey. photo by Don Mooney
Black Odyssey is the saga of Ulysses Lincoln, a U.S. Iraqi soldier, whose chance incident with an Iraqi civilian launches him into a traumatic ‘Twilight Zone’-like journey, back and forth through time. During which Ulysses played by (P-Valley star, Bertram Williams Jr) connects the dots of his past and in the same resolves his future.
From the moment the lights are lowered the sound of a vessel crossing the open seas transports the audience on a passioned filled journey with Ulysses. Appearing randomly adrift, captained by will and hope, Ulysses, who by the way coughs better than he sings, appears lost and confused. Subconsciously navigated by the GPS of his rich ancestral history the play follows Ulysses Lincoln, a Black American soldier who travels through his bloodline to return and reunite with his family. Pulling the strings of course, as in the original lliad & The Odyssey, the mythical gods, at odds with each other, are found meddling in human affairs.
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Co-directors Maya Robinson and Ekundayo Bandele offer cheers to cast and patrons after opening night of Black Odyssey. photo by Don Mooney
Like his mythological counterpart, Ulysses is trying to get home to his wife, Nella—the focused Dee Lisa Cothran—and her son Malachi— Lucien White. But the god of the sea, Paw Siden, played with wicked delight by Roman Kyle, has other plans in mind. The play begins grandly and becomes quite personal and real to the very end.
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Co-director Maya Robinson (l) and Deus character Delvyn Brown(c) joyously celebrate opening night. photo by Don Mooney
Ulysses searches for home while also searching for his past. As he travels through African American history, the rest of the ensemble adopts myriad characters with aplomb. You can see the minutia of gestures when the actors are singing acappella in black outfits. Be careful not to blink as puns mundane to Black culture come fast and unexpected. The ladies in black put in work pacing the play. Singing acappella, rowing through scenes and even play a seductive hand in distracting Ulysses path at times.
Spoiler Alert: Ulysses navigates his way home. While fate may seem in control of Ulysses’ destiny, his ancestors and their buried history help a brother find his way home.
Black Odyssey runs through Feb. 16, 2025