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THE MESA TRIBUNE | DECEMBER 12, 2021
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Theatre company showcases ‘Black Nativity’ BY ANNIKA TOMLIN GetOut Staff Writer
T
he traditional nativity story of Mary, Joseph and Jesus is retold through song, dance and poetry by the Black Theatre Troupe through Dec. 19 at the Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center. The second show in the troupe’s 50th anniversary season, Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity” features new musical selection and text filled with dynamic gospel choruses, soloists and dance ensembles. “Black Nativity” is directed by Walter Belcher with choreography by Alexander Patrick. The music staff boasts Brenda Hapkins, musical direction, and Jennifer Robinson and George Johnson as musical supervisors. This will be Belcher’s fourth time directing the production in his over 15 years with the troupe. “Every time I direct this show, it has lots of powerful things to unpack, even from
a base level,” Belcher said. “It clearly has Christian connotations so however you grew up there is just something around the music that is fun and heartwarming.” The nearly two-hour show is split into two acts. “Inherently, in the script, the first act is pretty much the same to its original connotation, but the second act is meant to be gospel music that is current and relevant in telling the story of where we are,” said Belcher about the production that was first produced in December 1961. “The second act changes every year that we do it, unless there are some crowd favorites that we choose to keep. We kind of look at where we are in the world, and we build that second act accordingly.” Belcher said most of the cast does not have an assigned role in the show. “We of course have Mary, Joseph and an angel that are truly representing (those
see NATIVITY page 27
The cast of the Black Theatre Troupe’s “Black Nativity” provides a “fun and heartwarming” show. (Special to GetOut)
This bus drive will light up your holiday spirit BY ALLISON BROWN GetOut Contributor
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ruising neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights is a tradition for many families, but sometimes the logistics do not work out. Kids complain because of the lack of lights, and/or parents miss the views because they have to watch the road. Jarrod Riddle said this was the case for his family when he was a kid, and it inspired him to offer his own tour through Spirit of Arizona Tours “I thought, ‘What if I find a really good route where friends and family don’t have to worry about the route or driving, they can just hop on a tour and enjoy the lights how they were meant to be enjoyed?’ So, that’s where the idea came from, and it’s been a pretty successful one,” Riddle says. “We get a lot of families that show up in
Jarrod Riddle he has a five-star rating on Google, TripAdvisor and Yelp. The company earned those stars because, he says, he cares about the customer experience. (Special to GetOut) ugly sweaters or dressed up or some bring Christmas cookies and it gets turned into a
nice little family event.” The tours run at 6 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and
9:30 p.m. through Dec. 31 – except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Each tour starts in Tempe near the 101 and Warner and goes through Tempe and Chandler. The 90-minute tours pass dozens of homes and stop twice for close-up looks. A longtime Valley resident and certified historian, Riddle has been a tour guide for 10 years. Using his insider information, Riddle plans a perfect route that is guaranteed to have great decorations and even avoids traffic delays for an entertaining ride from start to finish. “If I’m going to offer a Christmas light tour, it’s going to be above and beyond,” Riddle says. “It’s not just going to be random neighborhoods. I made sure to scout out several locations where each street keeps getting better.” Riddle says the tour hits every decoration
see LIGHTS page 28
