A&E
Photo courtesy of T. Charles Erickson
X: The remarkable portrayal of an American legend
By Edgar Otero ’20
April 6, 2017
Tags a+e
On Saturday, April 1, the Acting Company presented X, or Betty Shabazz V. The Nation in Wellin Hall. The play, written by award-winning writer Marcus Gardley, examines the life of Malcolm X, one of our nation’s most multifaceted and intriguing historical figures, and illuminates the seldom-heard story behind his assassination through the framework of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
Members of the Hamilton community were introduced to a vivid portrayal of the evolution of a national leader during the era of activism of the 1960s, and the side of him that was hidden from the public eye.
X, played by Jimonn Cole, was depicted as a man struggling to balance the weight of the world and his obligations to those who molded him as an influencial poltical figure during an age of rampant injustice and uncertainty in the nation. Aside from chronicling critical moments in X’s public and private life, the court case of Betty Shabazz, his widowed wife, versus the Nation of Islam, the religious community that welcomed him as a protégé, provided an intriguing subplot throughout the show. Both sides of the story attempted to untangle a series of falsehoods and cover-ups to reveal the truth behind the plot that resulted in X’s assassination.
Nonetheless, a sense of humor was ever-present throughout the production, which added to its vivacity. The play was highly interactive with the audience, as the characters were constantly addressing and involving the crowd in the on-stage series of events that unfolded, whether it was clapping at key moments on cue or rising from their seats as the fictional jury in the story.
X depicted themes such as trust and family as each character was interconnected in a web that challenged them in the face of adversity. While Malcolm X fought for the advancement of his people in a time of racial turmoil, he was also fighting to solidify his devotion to loved ones and finding a balance between following his convictions and surrendering to the will of those who took him under their wing and turned him into an icon.
X had difficulty finding a channel of communication with his beloved, and his character was tested on several occasions when it came to preserving his identity and acting in the face of opposition from those within his circle of trust and from outside forces threatening to overthrow his rise to power and influence.
The play was unique in its overall presentation of the life and legacy of Malcolm X. From the commitment to realistic portrayals of the past to the stunning visual and auditory effects with lighting and sound, X was pleasing to the senses and kept viewers on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
The characters dazzled the audience with their vibrant personalities and the gripping plot that unraveled. It served to shed light on the truth behind one of history’s most enigmatic figures and filled in the gaps to complete a holistic picture of the man, the myth and the legend that is Malcolm X.