BIG GOSPEL ON LITTLE ISLAND

Greek religion and Christianity had very different views on the nature of God and salvation, but the current revival of The Gospel at Colonus still manages to turn Little Island into a Pentecostal revival meeting. The show is based on an adaptation of Robert Fitgerald’s version of Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus, with additional passages from the playwright’s Oedipus Rex and Antigone.

The Company of The Gospel at Colonus

Oedipus at Colonus is the second of Sophocles three Theban plays, coming between Oedipus Rex and Antigone, although it was the last of the Theban plays to be written. Oedipus, who has been banished from his native Thebes, wanders into Colonus with his daughter, Antigone. He is reunited with his other daughter, Ismene, and learns about the civil war caused by his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who both want the throne of Thebes.

Davóne Tines

As Oedipus is near death, it is of utmost importance where he is buried. Both sons believe his burial site will determine who wins the war. Creon, the ruler of Thebes, wants Oedipus buried outside Thebes to neutralize the power of his grave. The chorus, the old men of the village, fear he will pollute their land and want him to leave. It’s easy to understand why Lee Breuer, who conceived and co-adapted The Gospel at Colonus—with original music and adapted lyrics by Bob Telson—could see how a play about guilt and redemption could be turned into a Christian myth.

The Company

The production has a large cast directed by Shayok Misha Chowdhury. The actors and choir sometimes sit in the front row and sometimes descend the steps of the outdoor amphitheater and sometimes stand on an elevated platform (scenic design is by David Zinn). This creates an immersive atmosphere but also causes some confusion about which characters the actors are playing, especially since Oedipus is portrayed by two actors: veteran blues singer Frank Senior and operatic bass-baritone Davóne Tines.

Kim Burrell as Theseus with Company

The tone is oratory throughout. It is frequently poetic. Oedipus is sometimes a preacher. Antigone can be an evangelist. As preachers refer to chapter and verse, we are often told what page of the play’s text we are watching. But some of the power of the dialogue is reduced by actors who have not yet completely mastered their lines.

Antigone (Samantha Howard) leading her blind father,
Oedipus Davóne Tines and Frank Senior) and Preacher (Stephanie Berry)

The New York City skyline is an impressive backdrop for this production and lighting designer Stacey Derosier has improved on nature and architecture with her own dramatic lighting. One gets the feeling Montana Levi Blanco’s flowing costumes might be appropriate for ancient Greece and a contemporary Black church. But the main reason for seeing this  production is the thrilling choral music that has many in the audience standing for the last fifteen minutes of the show, and the moving solos that teach us we are all in God’s hands.

Stephanie Berry

Members from James Hall’s Worship & Praise from Flatbush play the Greek chorus. They are Trenise Y. Bullock, Schanel Crawford, Jaquetta Fayton, Angie Goshea, Robyn McLeod, Niyoka Morgan, TJ Riddick, Vischon Robinson, Lenny VanCooten, Eugene Marcus Walker, and Darlene Nikki Washington.

Original The Gospel at Colonus organist Butch Heyward leads the band. Musicians are Bobby Bryan, Jackie Coleman, Clayton Craddock, Isaiah Johnson, Booker King, Taja Graves-Parker, Jason Marshall, Dionne McClain-Freeney and Kelvin Walters.

photos by Julieta Cervantes

The Gospel at Colonus
The Amph at Little Island
90 minutes
ends on July 26, 2025
for tickets, visit Little Island