Review: “Party People” and its deep history of activism from half a century ago resonates today
By Elizabeth Kramer
“I wish you would just try to see that the world is shifting again.”
In the musical docudrama, “Party People” at Actors Theatre of Louisville, this appeal comes from Helita to her niece. In her youth, Helita was active in the Young Lords, a group founded in 1969 that launched campaigns for community organizing and self-determination for Puerto Rico, Latinos, and populations in colonized areas. She has tired to explain the conditions and her motivations for her actions back then.
The cast of “Party People” by Universes. Photo by John Cherry. Courtesy Actors Theatre of Louisville.
This work by the theater troupe Universes gives intimate glimpses into the interconnected lives of the veteran members of the Young Lords as well as the organization that inspired it, the Black Panther Party, through individuals like Helita (Mildred Ruiz-Sapp). They are portrayed by a powerful 12-member ensemble.
On opening night Friday in the Pamela Brown Auditorium, the complexities of those relations and their legacies— integrated with music and dance — came into a dynamic view. The story, created by Universes’ Steven Sapp, Mildred Ruiz-Sapp and William Ruiz (a.k.a. Ninja) based on interviews with members of the Black Panther Party and the Young Lords, spans decades and generations to offer this up-close telling of history.
This staging of “Party People” marks the fourth production since Oregon Shakespeare Festival commissioned the piece for a premiere at a 2012 festival. In 2014, Berkeley Repertory Theatre produced the piece, with New York’s Public Theater following two years later. The current Actors Theatre run marks the first production of “Party People” since the pandemic and the political unrest of more recent years.
Robin McGee (right) and Nate John Mark (left) in “Party People” by Universes. Photo by John Cherry. Courtesy Actors Theatre of Louisville.
“Party People” also marks Universes’ return to Actors Theatre 13 years after it premiered its “Ameriville” at the 2009 Humana Festival of New American Plays and the first production in the Pamela Brown Auditorium since 2020’s “Once Upon an Island.”
Two young artists, descendants of activists in both groups, spark the profiles in this story on stage: video artist Malika (Asia Mark) and a rapper named Jimmy who has the stage name of Primo (William Ruiz, a.k.a. Ninja). (Malika’s father, once active with the Black Panthers, is now in prison for actions related to his activism. Jimmy’s uncle was an active member of the Young Lords.) These young artist-activists are combining interviews they have conducted with their forebears into an art experience in a warehouse gallery. Their subjects are first introduced via video snippets from their interviews that flash onto screens on the stage’s edges. Now, they have invited the elder activists to the party.
Asia Mark in “Party People” by Universes. Photo by John Cherry. Courtesy Actors Theatre of Louisville.
The protest slogans came regularly and with rapid fire. “The people united will never be divided,” and more. But “Party People” digs deeper to understand better the meaning of activism with accounts of its necessity, costs that can be incurred if it isn’t pursued, and the price it can extract when practiced.
The story’s lens gives a wide shot of the purposes and platforms of both the Black Panther party and the Young Lords, then zooms in to emphasize snippets of personal narratives. These often evolve into intimate close-ups.
Audience members Friday gasped at the recounting of some personal histories and snapped their fingers in favor of some characters’ philosophies and assessments of the power structure they faced that left them vulnerable to injustice, violence from police and law enforcement agencies and betrayals even from the least likely of places.
FBI agents under J. Edgar Hoover (Patrick Noonan) populate these narratives. But there also are infiltrators who these seasoned activists once considered friends.
Nate John Mark in “Party People” by Universes. Photo by John Cherry. Courtesy Actors Theatre of Louisville.
The forces give rise to the detainment and torture of Omar (Nate John Mark). His powerful retort, “Omar’s Rant,” is a percussive musical tornado that swells with grief, passion and burning rage. Omar’s rhythmic spoken word outcry combines with propulsive beats and is heightened by step-dance choreography performed by male cast members. Mark, with the support of the cast and the music, escalates into a frenzied state, easily bringing any viewer close to his state of mind.
“Omar’s Rant,” which Universes created through a collaboration with Broken Chord, demands full attention. Other music rises to paint the time and profiles of the characters by incorporating Blues, Hip Hop, Gospel and Salsa. These genres paired with some cast members’ exceptional vocals pack a punch. The voices of Mildred Ruiz-Sapp (Helita) and Michael A. Shepperd (Blue) pierce the air as they sing about their experiences and resonate with an embodiment of their struggles.
Millicent Johnnie’s choreography, much of it using step or marching qualities, amplify emotions and relationships by buoying interaction among characters who represent both parties and generations. In doing this, Johnnie incorporates other moves, including salsa and hip hop, befitting to the characters and their backgrounds.
The cast of “Party People” by Universes. Photo by John Cherry. Courtesy Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Director Steven Sapp keeps the action moving and the cast upholds the story’s intensity between the interviews and present-day and flashback vignettes. Nonetheless, all the voices of these characters sometimes become excessive — presenting so many stories that the “Party People” loses focus and the chance to be powerfully intimate on a sustained level. Once the spotlight is finished focusing on one character, it moves quickly to another crushing story. It also takes about two and a half hours to impart the heavy weight of this history.
But the boldness of “Party People” holds valuable weight — particularly with its arrival in the spring of 2023. This production also comes after the prominent deaths of Black people, including Breonna Taylor, who is named in the production among others.
Mildred Ruiz-Sapp (center) and fellow cast members in “Party People” by Universes. Photo by John Cherry. Courtesy Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Opening night arrived the same day two young and Black lawmakers were expelled from Tennessee’s House of Representatives. The Republican-controlled House ousted Justin Jones, 28, representing a district of Nashville, and Justin Pearson 27, representing a district of Memphis, after they led chants among protesters made up largely of young people who called for gun reform after a school shooting.
That came nearly a week after protesters, including hundreds of teenagers from across Kentucky, went to Frankfort to object to extensive anti-trans legislation that was up for a vote that day in Kentucky’s General Assembly. That bill became law.
Clearly, we don’t need Helita from “Party People” to alert us that the world is shifting again. But Americans can look at history to more clearly see and understand where they stand and find purpose in using their voices to chart a way forward.
Elizabeth Kramer is on Twitter @arts_bureau and on Facebook at Elizabeth Kramer – Arts Writer.
Through April 16
Actors Theatre of Louisville, Pamela Brown Auditorium
316 W. Main Street
For more information: www.actorstheatre.org