Musical Review: “Amazing Grace”

When the lights go down at the Nederlander Theatre, Thomas (Chuck Cooper) takes the stage. Thomas, a former slave, tells the audience that they may be familiar with the song “Amazing Grace,” but they probably don’t know the story behind it’s creation. Not to worry: Thomas was there and he is going to tell us all about how John Newton came to write the lyrics to the famous anthem.

I was quite intrigued at this point. How interesting to get a black slave’s perspective on a story often only told from a white man’s point of view! Unfortunately, Amazing Grace doesn’t live up to this potential. After the opening narration, the musical promptly switches back to the white perspective and is more concerned with telling a love story between the leads. John Newton (Josh Young, perpetually shirtless) works for his father (Tom Hewitt, giving his all to a mostly thankless role), auctioning slaves as soon as they arrive in Chatham, England. His would be love Mary Catlett (Erin Mackey) witnesses the horrors of the slave auction for herself. She takes up with abolitionists, putting herself in direct conflict with her well to do family, John Newton, and aggressive suitor Major Gray (Chris Hoch). In order to have Mary to himself, Major Gray sends John Newton and his servant Thomas into the Navy, on a ship bound for Africa.

This continent and decade spanning story should be compelling, and some of the history is indeed revelatory. But composer Christopher Smith has broken a cardinal rule of musical theatre: the songs rarely ever move the plot forward or further character development. In any place where a song should be, there is instead a long (usually boring) book scene. Laiona Michelle’s Nana speaks at length to Mary on her horrifying capture at the hands of slavers and resulting loss of her daughter. It’s a powerful story, and one that should have been set to music as emotions reach their fever pitch (thankfully, the actress gets to show off her robust, passionate vocals later in the show). Much of the score consists of nondescript love ballads where the characters ruminate on the action that just took place. So not only does the show fail Musical Theatre 101, but putting the personal love lives of it’s white protagonists ahead of the plight facing its black characters is downright insulting. There’s a whole lot of “white savior” complex going on here.

To further complicate matters, director Gabriel Barre appears to have coaxed his actors into embodying stereotypical archetypes. For much of the show John Newton is too broadly drawn to really care about, and even Mr. Young’s sterling tenor can’t save the character. Erin Mackey is able to utilize the full range of her impressive singing voice. She has a deep well of emotion to draw from, but most of the ballads she is saddled with have no dramatic oomph. Chuck Cooper provides the performance highlight of the evening with a stirring song “Nowhere Left to Run,” demanding a change of conscience from his master. Cooper’s rich baritone booms through the theatre and demands attention. If only the rest of the songs had this weight.

On the design front, Toni-Leslie James has created vibrant period gowns and coats that pop off the stage. There are also some striking uses of lighting and silhouette throughout, though I’m unclear as to why so many scenes take place before an ugly, brown plank wall. Given how much of the musical takes place aboard a ship, I give the team credit for many of their stylistic choices (though the “action” scenes with ship battles and fights don’t fare well). There is also a crowd-pleasing underwater effect that closes act one quite impressively…even if we saw the exact same effect in The Little Mermaid.

The musical does have one ace up it’s sleeve: the title song. The eponymous anthem closes the show and the choral arrangement is so astoundingly beautiful that it almost made me forget how bland the rest of the show was. Amazing Grace desperately wants to join the ranks of previous hit historical epics. But it has neither the sweeping grandness of Les Miserables or the musical complexity of 1776.

John Newton’s journey from England to Africa and back, and the resulting change of heart towards slavery could make for a compelling tale (though I could really do without this musical’s preachy atheist: bad and Christian: good” conclusion). And there is certainly potential here to explore a complicated part of history from more than a typical white perspective. Unfortunately, this stage incarnation misses the mark as to why the story is compelling and ignores the basics of musical composition itself.

Amazing Grace
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st St., Manhattan
Music and Lyrics: Christopher Smith, Book: Christoper Smith and Arthur Giron
Directed by: Gabriel Barre
Choreographer: Christopher Gattelli
Starring: Josh Young, Erin Mackey, and Chuck Cooper
Run Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (w/ 1 intermission)