The Scottsboro Boys

I booked tickets to see The Scottsboro Boys as soon as I’d read all the rave reviews, and was not at all disappointed.  At two hours long with no interval it could have dragged but with stunning dance routines, amazing vocals and a captivating story I was engrossed from start to finish.

The Scottsboro Boys
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I wasn’t aware of the real life story of the Scottsboro Boys before this show but won’t ever forget it.  For those of you who don’t know, the Scottsboro Boys were nine African American teenagers who were arrested on a train after fights broke out between white and black men.  The teenagers were on their way to find work and start new lives.  They were wrongly accused of raping two white women and this accusation affected the rest of their lives.  The following trials and legal complications lasted years without a happy ending for any of the boys. The Scottsboro Boys Act was only just signed this year by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, posthumously exonerating the last eight Scottsboro Boys (Clarence Norris, the last of the nine to survive, was declared not guilty in 1976).  How nine innocent lives could be destroyed because of one lie, and the judicial systems refusal to accept the truth, is a heart-breaking story but one that needs to be told and this show is an excellent platform.

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The show is presented as though a minstrel show, an uncomfortable format to watch especially considering the fact that four of the freed Scottsboro Boys appeared in minstrel shows themselves in Harlem, New York in 1937.  In the programme it describes how journalists referred to the trials as a minstrel show or describes how the nine boys were paraded around as if in a show. This show has turned the original format of a minstrel show on its head to tell the Scottsboro Boys story, perhaps a risky move however one that adds impact to the show leaving a bitter taste in your mouth. 

Traditionally minstrel shows used white actors to portray African Americans in disrespectful ways but in this show the nine actors who play the Scottsboro Boys also play the parts of white prison guards, sheriffs and judges.  Other elements of minstrel shows that featured were the semicircle of chairs, however in this show the chairs are also used to portray all the buildings and objects in the set including the train, jail cell and courtroom.  At the end the actors “visibly deconstruct this stilted and offensive form of performance”, in the words of director Susan Stroman, they “literally deconstruct that minstrel form and walk away from it”. Spike Lees film ‘Bamboozled’ also tackles the subject of the minstrel show. While studying African American music at University I watched this film and despite watching it over a year ago it still haunts me.  Its premise is similar to that of The Scottsboro Boys, with black actors wearing blackface make up. But this film takes it one step further by creating modern minstrel shows that become a hit. The violence resulting from this and the horrific end of the film is gritty and tough to watch, and I couldn’t help but think of this while watching The Scottsboro Boys.

Mr Tambo and Mr Bones
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 As the show is presented as a form of entertainment, with the traditional minstrel show characters Mr Tambo, Mr Bones (comic prankster characters) and The Interlocuter (the “master of ceremonies”) it could be easy to forget the severity of the story.   However there are some powerful moments. The one that sticks in my mind is a tap dance sequence representing one of the youngest boys, Eugene Williams’ nightmares about the looming threat of the electric chair.  It is an amazing routine, with stunning choreography yet a dark undertone, making me question whether I should be smiling at the impressive performance or grimacing at what it implies.  A particularly powerful moment is when the boys are despairing as to why they are still seen as guilty, even after one of the women who originally accused the boys of rape has retracted her accusation.  Their lawyer shouts “It’s because of the way you look”.  There are so many moments that left an impact with me I could go on for hours, but I wouldn’t want to spoil the show to anyone that wants to go so I’ll leave it at that. 

"Commencing in Chattanooga"

The Scottsboro Boys is a fantastic show that sensitively, occasionally humorously and powerfully tells the story of nine innocent boys whose lives were forever changed, and in turn whose lives and experiences with the U.S. judicial system “helped to inspire and solidify the American Civil Rights Movement”.  It’s shows like this that make me convinced theatre is the most powerful and moving art form out there, truly storytelling at its best.

(All quotes taken from The Scottsboro Boys Programme – Young Vic)

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