Why “Amazing Grace” on Broadway Can’t Save Itself

Recently I saw the musical “Amazing Grace” on Broadway. The play is marketed as “the story behind the world’s most beloved song.”

But it isn’t that.

It is a coming of age story loosely built on the life of human trafficker turned abolitionist, John Newton, the writer of the hymn,”Amazing Grace.” The play doesn’t really deal with the song at all, except for presenting a flute instrumental of the familiar melody in the beginning as we see an African woman silhouette dance and then chained (presumably by enslavers) and then at the end as an ensemble performance. In his review of the show, New York Times theatre critic, Charles Isherwood writes,

Unfortunately, while aspects of Newton’s tale are indeed noteworthy, maybe even amazing, the musical itself unfolds as an overstuffed history lesson trimmed in melodrama, with a standard-issue romantic subplot and some dutiful attempts to explore the lives of the slaves (although the focus remains squarely and maybe a little uncomfortably on the British characters).

He’s right.

And the heavy emphasis on the redemption narratives of the British characters feels out of sync in a world where The President of the United States (who happens to be a Black man) just sang “Amazing Grace” at the conclusion of his eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney, one of the nine people murdered by a terrorist in Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, SC in June 2015. It felt frivolous to watch a fictionlized John Newton (Josh Young) compete with an pompous military major for the affections of his childhood sweetheart against the backdrop of stereotypical Black enslaved characters.

Yet, it is from one of these characters, Pekuteh/Thomas, played by Tony Award winning Chuck Cooper, that we get a startling moment of truth. It comes after John sells his “beloved” slave, Thomas off to Barbados, has a lightning fast spiritual conversion, and then goes on a TransAtlantic boat chase to find Thomas. The now contrite John asks Thomas for forgiveness and Thomas, who by now reclaimed his birth name, “Pekuteh.”

Pekuteh flatly refuses.

I heard muted cheers throughout the house.

The most intriguing character was, Princess Peyai (Harriet Foy), a Sierra Leonean woman who, according to narratives, did enslave John during his trafficking career. In the play, she is a badass woman who expertly wields a knife and is motivated chiefly by profit, power, and lust. Her presence is complicated and deserves more nuance than the script gives her.

Overall, the play is beautifully staged, particularly a the breathtaking underwater scene, and beautifully sung. But I left still not knowing the history of the composition itself and thinking that I’d get a better emotional resonance by listening to the Queen of Soul have her way with John Newton’s tune.

Fredara M. Hadley (@fredaraMareva)

Managing Editor, Musiqology