Wednesday, 5/14/97 One-man show celebrates American heroes
THEATER: ‘Power On Earth’ includes portrayals of Malcolm X, Nat
Turner
By Kathleen Rhames Daily Bruin Staff Actor Darryl Van Leer isn’t
afraid of taking on more than one role at a time. Playing different
characters is what he does best, especially when they’re in the
same show. Beginning May 16th at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, Van
Leer’s one-man production, "Power On Earth," will take audiences on
a journey through time in a celebration of some of the heroes who
shaped and defined two centuries of American history. The audience
is guided through the play by Van Leer’s angelic narrator Gabriel,
who introduces vivid portrayals of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King
Jr., Frederick Douglass, slave revolt leader Nat Turner and Chief
Justice Thurgood Marshall. Van Leer adapts and performs each
character, giving the stories of these great men renewed life and a
chance to be seen in ways not normally studied. "The play was
created to be entertaining as well as informative," Van Leer says.
"All of the scenes from these great persons’ lives are those that
people very seldom hear or read about. I wanted to grab people out
of history that everyone could relate to regardless of gender,
culture or nationality." Van Leer takes the life of orator and
African-American rights activist Frederick Douglass and reveals the
struggle behind his rise to success. Intended to show the making of
this great man, Van Leer enacts the early life of Douglass as an
unruly boy caught in a slave-training camp. An atypical portrayal
of the man who would later be known for his bold speeches regarding
slavery, audiences see Douglass as a confrontational youth who
picks a fight with his slave master and wins. The entire show runs
one hour and fifteen minutes and during that time, Van Leer never
leaves the stage. He changes costumes, characters and time periods
all in front of the audience with perfectly timed precision. "It
was extremely difficult putting this piece together. I worked two
and a half years writing it and perfecting the costumes and sound
effects," Van Leer says. "There can’t be any thought put to it. It
all has to be memorized and spontaneous and I can’t think about
which coat rack I go to or which piece of clothing I take off. It
has to be a part of me, otherwise it will slow the production
down." Throughout the show, Van Leer wears a basic pair of black
pants and a button-down white shirt, which he uses as the
foundation for each historical figure. A plain tinker’s smock
characterizes the narrator, Gabriel. Under this is another shirt
and a sash that define slave revolt leader Nat Turner. To change
into the character of Turner, Van Leer removes the smock and dons a
military hat. Perhaps his precision stems from years of practice.
Van Leer has performed these characters individually for a long
time and has toured with similar but separate versions of Malcolm
X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Frederick Douglass. His need to
revive and unite these figures on stage represents a duty that Van
Leer feels a moral imperative to do. "I want audiences to to
realize that the past is still something we have to be aware of.
Knowing where we’ve been helps us to plot a path for the future,"
he says. "This is what I’m here to do. It’s the voice of God within
me. The inspiration I get from these great men is my true
motivation. These men were my heroes." Van Leer received
inspiration from other sources as well. Growing up, he was
influenced by his mother, a gospel soloist and his father, a
preacher. He recalls his parents taking a great interest in the
cultural, racial revolution of the ’60s and exposing him to many of
the ideas he now uses in his work. Van Leer first began performing
excerpts from the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1988 in a
production titled "A Message to the World." The success of this
work inspired him to write a series of one-man performances that
featured the lives of other influential African Americans,
eventually culminating in the creation of "Power On Earth." "I
think some of the amazement results from my ability to transform
into these great historical figures and do it effectively without
tremendous amounts of makeup and costumes," he says. "It’s an
extraordinary gift to be able to take the audience through these
hundred or so many years without ever having to leave the stage."
"Power On Earth" is now in it’s second year of performances and has
toured approximately 60 universities nationwide. This weekend’s
opening will be the show’s debut in Los Angeles. Van Leer says,
"Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that if you have a credible piece of
work, the world will make a pathway to your doorstep. If I know
I’ve touched just one person through my work, then I know my job
has been done." THEATER: "Power On Earth," written and performed by
Darryl Van Leer. Performances begin May 16 at 8 p.m., Fridays and
Saturdays at 2 p.m. at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Tickets are
$20. For more information call (213) 930-1691. Beverly Hills
Playhouse Darryl Van Leer plays various historical figures in
"Power On Earth." Previous Daily Bruin stories: Theater Arts
graduate program gives four actors time to shine