The Collegian

Issue date: 9/19/06 Section: News

Byron Motley preforms in the LeFevre Theatre Saturday Night. His one man show included interviews with former Negro League baseball players.

In a part of the Bay Area not known for racial diversity, Moraga was treated this past weekend to a performance that highlighted two aspects of African American culture during an era that most Americans would like to forget.

The multi-faceted filmmaker, singer, actor, and producer Byron Motley performed his one-man show Hits and Homeruns this past Saturday for a large audience at the Leferve Theater. The performance was a musical look at the parallel histories of jazz music and Negro League baseball.

The show consisted of Motley performing a wide variety of jazz, blues, and even Ziegfeld folly songs from as early as 1901. Accompanied by a single pianist, Motley donned various costume pieces of each era and imitated the performance style of the individual artist he was paying homage to.

At times the audience was taken aback by the incredible ignorance that once permeated America. One of the most poignant scenes on the entire performance was Motley's portrayal of the extremely demeaning and overly-generalized "Blackface," a Vaudevillian performance style that forced African-American performers to emphasize their dark skin in a way that likened their appearance to that of a clown.

Despite the grim realities of the subject matter, the show didn't remain depressing and dry for long. The informalities of the small Leferve Theater atmosphere allowed the audience members to sing and interact with Motley during his performance, all of which was encouraged. The presentation was so profound for some audience members that they related some of their own stories of segregated baseball with one another.

While the vocal aspects of the performance were Byron's strong points, the video interviews with former Negro League players seemed to hit home for him the most. At the outset of the show, Motley explained that his father, Bob Motley, was his inspiration for this presentation as he is the only living umpire from the Negro Leagues, which operated from 1920-1955. The league disbanded after the 1955 season due to the fact that African-American athletes no longer need a separate league to compete.

Video interviews with former Negro League players inserted between the vocal performances left the biggest impressions on audience members. "It was nice to see the names put with a face," commented one female viewer. "It was entertaining addition to the history component of the performance."

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools