Opera Grand Rapids brings Douglas Tappin’s “I Dream“ to community for one night only
Performed free as part of the MLK Day Celebration at Fountain Street Church, the powerful artistic recounting of Martin Luther King Jr.’s last 36 hours comes in the form of “rhythm and blues opera.”
When we dream there is nothing we cannot do. Our hearts are free and our imaginations? Filled with wonder and whimsy. But our minds tend to ground us. Our minds at times can hinder the free flowing process of creating surreal thoughts.
In Opera Grand Rapids’ production of Douglas Tappin’s “I Dream,” we are introduced to the very conscious and at times conflicted mind of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We are invited to journey through what might have been his thought processes as we are taken along for the ride, set in the 36 hours before his untimely demise.
Caebre Baty (young Martin) and Darnell Abraham (adult Martin) take us along on this incredible ride. Baty and Abraham will reveal themselves as they discover dimensions of Dr. King that we may have never entertained. What is it like to be in their roles?
Grand Rapid’s own Caebre Baty (young Martin), approached auditioning for “I Dream” with an enthusiastic, confident gait, not knowing what was in store. His first thought was hey, there’s a show coming and I want to be in it! He auditioned. He got it. Little did Baty know the stakes would be higher than he had imagined.
“I thought there were other parts that I would have ended up playing but I’m playing him,” Baty admits. “I wasn’t expecting that.” Surprised but not shaken, Baty focuses on what to do to meet the challenges of portraying an icon in his boyhood. “I researched about how he would act in situations.”
Baty listens for dynamics and emotion in his signature song, “Sunday’s Best.” Inevitably, Baty acquaints himself with this unfamiliar version of MLK’s dream until he understands that his role is surely that of a larger portrait yet to be painted.
“Now that I know,” he says, “it helps me build up to something.” Baty is convicted and elaborates on the matter. “[Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.] had a lot of emphasis in his life in his adulthood instead of his childhood. He had a great impact on our society today. I will do what I can to represent him. I will try to become that.” What is that? An inspiration, says Baty.
“Having a dream for me means I believe that I can become an inspiration to others when I grow up,” he says. This young opera talent has a desire to inspire the audience and his peers to join him, to be involved in the world of opera and theatre. He is challenging all of us to find opportunities to volunteer or even dream boldly enough to create our own productions around things that we may see in the community.
“I really didn’t even have any idea of what opera would be like,” young Baty exclaims. “That’s one of the reasons I tried it out: because anybody can do anything!”
Baty reflects upon one of Dr. King’s many famous speeches.
“‘I Have a Dream’ gives me inspiration that we can have hope for the future; that there are things that can bring all people together,” he says.
Darnell Abraham, playing the adult Martin Luther King, Jr., says he’s working to “tell the story” of the man.
“This is a story about an uncommon black man that rose to the occasion to do uncommon things,” Abraham explains. He’s working to peel back the complex layers of a human being who has become so iconic we may see a single-layer hero. Abraham draws fiercely on his faith and strong ties with family as he works to fill such an iconic role.
Tappin also focused on the iconic figure that King has become.
“If you look at someone and they appear to be an icon and perfect and super-human, then a presumption can be that I cannot do anything like that,” says Tappin. “It’s to make it clear to every one of us who comes that this is a man who did something extraordinary—and anyone can do something extraordinary.”
Tappin brings into this operatic performance much more than what those only familiar with traditional opera may be expecting.
“It’s a rhythm and blues opera,” Tappin says. “That is a term that is defining—it is not one thing. it’s rhythm, blues, jazz, gospel…with opera, twinned. so there are big operatic sections and there are sections that would be more familiar to people who would be in a gospel community church on a Sunday morning. Because I think that’s an important part of telling this story.”
In this performance of “I Dream,” we will find fear, joy, peace, conflict, confidence, and insecurities. We will discover what Abraham has discovered in exploring his role working to play Dr. King.
“Love is the answer. It takes a great deal of strength and courage to love,” Abraham says. “This is about getting our hands dirty, leading with love. In light of all that’s happening now in our country: the work is not yet done. We’re all God’s children. It’s up to us to live in harmony.”
“I Dream”
Fountain Street Church
Monday, January 15
7:30 p.m.
More MLK Day Celebration events preceding “I Dream” including keynote speaker April Reign, #OscarsSoWhite creator.
All events are free to attend.
