November 23rd 2023.
The Metropolitan Opera debuted an opera about the life of Malcolm X, aptly titled X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, on November 3rd. This production has been running off and on since 1985 and has been largely a family affair. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis wrote the music, while his brother, actor/director Christopher Davis, wrote the story and cousin, scholar, historian, and writer Thulani Davis wrote the libretto.
The show has recently gained a new director, Robert O'Hara. As one of the few Black theater directors working in 2021, O'Hara has used his influence to create a showcase for other Black directors and playwrights. In 2022, he was chosen to revive Lorraine Hansberry's seminal play Raisin In The Sun. O'Hara chose to put his own spin on the production, re-interpreting the story as a tragedy focused on the female characters.
Baritone Will Liverman, lead of the production, recognized the significance of the music and how it ties in with changes in Malcolm X's life. He told NPR, “It’s just the energy — it never settles at any point; it’s always kind of in the forefront. And it really represents Malcolm’s story — lots of turmoil and transformations. There is nothing that was just kind of even-keeled throughout. He was always evolving and changing.”
O'Hara is aiming to subvert the arena in which the opera is seen. He told NPR, “A spaceship has crashed into the Met, and a future race of people are telling the story of this icon.” During one particular moment, the spaceship displays names of Black victims of police violence. Thulani Davis recounts her emotional experience upon seeing O'Hara's interpretation of this scene, “The reason I cried so long after the first scene was that the spaceship started showing names, and it was a stab in the heart — all these names from all different generations. It’s as if somewhere somebody saved those names. You know, we historians try to keep those names alive, but it was as though society wants to forget.”
O'Hara is both proud and critical of this achievement. He told NPR, “It’s significant. But you also have to acknowledge the fact that something hasn’t been going great in this situation. No one gets a hero cookie for doing this, right? It should have been done much sooner. I should not be the second. I should be the 200th Black director.”
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