Seen at Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the 17^th of August 2023

5 stars – Extremely engaging

A lawyer in his free time, a singer by career, and a civil rights activist for his mission. Paul Robeson’s incredible biography can only get more and more interesting by digging deeper into it.

A famous singer in the 30s, Paul Robeson’s musical practice was always courageous and political, advocating for equal rights for black people in the US and for a fairer, socialist society. Having expressed some sympathy for the USSR, he was obstructed by the US government, in spite of his fame, to carry on singing, taking actions that culminated in the suspension of his passport. Paul Robeson kept being an advocate for equality and fighting his battles all ways he could.

Call Mr. Robeson is written and performed by Tayo Aluko. The accuracy of historical and biographical research is combined with a stunning delivery and live songs with piano accompaniment by Samuel Howley. The right amount of humour balances the tragic moments of this life’s story, in its private as well as in its political dimension.

The stage setting (designed by Phil Newman) is untidy and crowded with objects of a lifetime, including photographs of some of the quoted characters that provide some visual support to storytelling. The large majority of objects is not used, but the atmosphere they create sets the play back in time. Some of Olusola Oyeleye’s direction choices are imaginative, others strictly functional, but the play succeeds in conveying its fundamental messages in a surprisingly smooth way.

Tayo Aluko is a great performer, energetic and engaging. His singing conveys the struggles of black people and the aspiration to a socialist society in the use of the tonalities of his voice. Call Mr. Robeson is now presented at the Edinburgh Fringe for the 16^th consecutive year, with an updated introduction in the show’s programme that insists on the importance of this sort of political theatre in an age where heads of states more and more often hide in their past actions that are, to various extents, criminal.

Despite very brief, less convincing moments, the whole play keeps sparking the interest throughout its 85 minute and is an unforgettable piece of political theatre that tells an underrepresented yet fundamental story.

Tickets and Info: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/call-mr-robeson-a-life-with-songs

Company Website: https://www.tayoalukoandfriends.com/robeson/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CallMrRobeson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/callmrrobeson/