“Black Legends” immerses us in the legends of black American music over nearly a century: from the Cotton Club to the election of Barack Obama and his “Yes we can”, including the abolition of slavery, segregation, the Klu Klux Klan, the fight for civil rights, artistic life in Harlem…
This musical fresco is made up of 37 paintings and as many famous songs, which are drawn from the repertoires of Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Earth Wind and Fire, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé… A musical program accompanied, among other things, by extracts of speeches given by African-American political figures (Barack Obama, Martin Luther King…). “If all the songs are very well known, it is not a question of staging a simple succession of hits. On the contrary, we take them out of their pop framework to serve a historical narrative thread, very rich in emotional score,” explains the creator of “Black Legends” and director of the show, Valery Rodriguez, who was also a singer on the musical “The Lion King”.
On stage and for nearly two hours, nine singers, seven dancers and six musicians galvanize the audience to a backdrop of soul, gospel, jazz, blues, funk, disco… No downtime for this rhythmic show with such choreographic and musical energy that the spectators have difficulty staying glued to the back of their seats.
A sparkling show, also in terms of colors and staging where the costumes and sets change according to the times. Disco balls, bell-bottom pants, neon lights and colorful shirts set the tone for the different paintings.
“Best Musical Revue or Show”
Created in 2022, the show quickly won over the public. It has already been seen by more than 250,000 people. During the 2023 Musical Comedy Trophies, he received two awards: “Best revue or musical show” and “Best musical show collective”.
Through “Black Legends,” Valery Rodriguez wanted to “tell the story of African-American culture.” “Because I hate racial injustice,” he explains, “and rather than expressing it through anger, I transformed this hatred from hatred into love. I am a white man and I of course asked myself the question of legitimacy before realizing that we would not be too hard to defend this great story. It’s essential.” A show where the cover of one of James Brown’s songs takes on its full meaning. His title? “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”, which means: “Say it loud and clear: I’m black and I’m proud of it.”
* “Black Legends”, Wednesday June 3, at 8 p.m., at Liberté in Rennes (25/44/54/66/86 €); Saturday June 6, at 8 p.m., at the Zénith de Nantes (44/54/66/86 €), and Sunday June 7, at 6 p.m., at the Arena, in Brest (44/54/66/86 €). Information and reservations on black-legends.com
