Shouts, moans and finger snaps were heard at a weekend performance of "Party People" held at the Public Theater. Commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for its "American Revolution" cycle which is developed by the director Liesl Tommy and was written by the spoken-word collective Universes. This semi-documentary work is a disjointed exploration of two 1960's groups, The Black Panther Party and The Young Lords Party.
'Party People' begins as a young African-American man in a beret, Malik (Christopher Livingston) who also uses the name Mk Ultra, bluffs a tough speech for a camera. He is also a contemporary artist, riffing on the macho bravado of the Panthers, an organization to which his father, now serving a lifetime sentence once belonged.
'Party People' was written by the spouses Steven Sapp and Mildred Ruiz-Sapp and by Mr. Ruiz who is the brother of Ms. Ruiz-Sapp derives its language, vibrant and volatile from some actual interviews but still he story telling is less than cohesive.
This piece had a slow beginning, a terrific middle and an ambiguous ending. There are also some conflicting impulses that shifts 'Party People' towards drama at some moments, also towards some history lesson to others, and towards agitprop occasionally.
Distraught and enraged people filled the room by the election of Donald Trump's presidency which they all had felt heartbreakingly timely and intensely necessary. Many in the audience had a visceral responses to the piece which was asked to them to confront a 20th century history of civil disobedience and to then contemplate what resistance they might be offering in the 21st century.
The Black Panthers at this point did not end police brutality or obviate the need for Black Lives Matter. On the other hand, efforts of the Young Lords did not give Puerto Rico self-determination.
Using a variety of methods, some troubling could have a striking impact on politics and culture. They could get garbage collected and children fed and sick people treated. They can also make young men and women feel pride and power in their ethnicity and inheritance achievements Malik and Jimmy admired.
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