Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...The show is superbly directed, too. Not only does Tasia A. Jones keep the short scenes moving on Yeaji Kim’s sculpted set, she fuses one to the other with palpable ease, rarely resorting to blackouts and never wasting a moment."
Chicago Sun Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The production from director Tasia A. Jones has a graceful fluidity, and the ensemble delivers deeply engaged performances that, all together, emanate a mournful, elegiac emotion. The show instantly embraces Stokely Carmichael as a dying man, and as a precocious kid in Trinidad, where he was raised by his grandmother Cecilia (Dee Dee Batteast) for years before his parents brought him to New York at the age of 11."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Chicago-born playwright Nambi E. Kelley’s Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution, now in a world premiere at Court Theatre under Tasia A. Jones’s direction, compiles a portrait through fragments of this complicated but vital leader. As played by the absolutely incendiary and multivalent Anthony Irons, Kelley’s Stokely is self-assured and vulnerable, cunning and impulsive, and always focused on a higher purpose."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...The actors
switch characters with subtle shifts in speech, mannerism, or costume. Jones injects the
production with movement and song to capture the energy of the protests, teach-ins and rallies
that punctuated Stokely’s life.
Melanie Brezill is a standout in the roles of Fanny Lou Hamer, Miriam Makeba, Diane Nash, and
others as is Kelvin Roston Jr. in the roles of Stokely’s father Adolphus, James Baldwin, and Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
How is it possible to dramatize the epic life of a figure who countenanced both Dr. King’s tactics
of nonviolent protest and Malcolm X’s motto “Freedom by any means necessary” into an
evening length play?
Like a prism, which takes in the sun’s full light, and refracts it into a focused rainbow, Kelley
tasks Stokely Carmichael with the job of interrogating himself about the most germane moments
in a life dedicated to Black liberation."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"...The 90-minute production of Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution provides a stimulating chronological look into his life as he works towards completing his book before dying from Prostate Cancer; Stokely believes it was an assassination attack against him forged by "forces of American imperialism and others who conspired with them. The plays revolve around the early years of Stokely Carmichael in Trinidad and Tobago, shaping his experiences and the cultural influences that formed his identity. His mother abandoned him due to her family's belief that she was an inadequate parent."
Around The Town Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The incredibly versatile and talented Anthony Irons excels as Stokely Carmichael (later Kwame Ture). However, despite his wonderful acting and that of a delightful supporting cast, a choppy and often confusing story does not live up to expectations. Far from being a straight-line biography of Stokely’s life and accomplishments, it’s a mishmash of past and present, vignettes and reflections: all in a stream-of-consciousness narrative where hot button issues from the 1950s and 1960s have been watered-down in favor of focusing on Stokely’s relationship with his mother (Wandachristine as Mabel Carmichael a/k/a May Charles)."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...In capturing the essence of a man who was both a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement and a son, "Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution" provides a powerful theatrical experience. It serves as a reminder of Carmichael's enduring impact and the personal sacrifices that underpin the fight for social justice. The performances, direction, and design elements coalesce to create a compelling and thought-provoking tribute to a man whose revolution, indeed, remains unfinished."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...The world premiere of Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution appears as America must be reminded that the power of a dedicated group can cause significant changes. It is also a reminder of how complacency leads to backlash and a return to the old ways. Playwright Nambi E. Kelley's world-premiere play at Court Theatre wends through Stokely Carmichael's life, leading to the Black Power movement and his evolution into Kwame Ture. Tasia A. Jones directs a cast that connects Ture's journey and encounters with legends of the Civil Rights Movement."
MaraTapp.org
- Highly Recommended
"...The cast is a revelation and provide an excellent escort through this essential life. Anthony Irons, a veteran of Congo Square and Lookingglass theaters, brings all the right electricity and passion to Carmichael, and easily navigates the innocent childhood scenes as expertly as he does those of the adult man full of passion and appropriate rage. Other standouts are Kelvin Roston Jr. and Melanie Brezill, both of whom I've long admired on Chicago stages. They play a variety of roles with aplomb and style that captures the famous people they portray using a few mannerisms rather than trying to impersonate them. Even though he doesn't resemble Baldwin or King, Roston has the exact speed of Baldwin's speech down pat with its quick brilliant rage, and he holds his cigarette exactly as Baldwin did. He captures the strong stubborn side of King is a rare private moment of disagreement that rings true. Brezill is an elegant Miriam Makeba, sure in word and movement."
City Pleasures
- Highly Recommended
"..Also adroit shape shifters deftly altering their identities in keeping with the story’s progression, Dee Dee Batteast and Kelvin Roston, Jr. proved themselves indispensable in making this effort such an engrossing study of an extraordinary man. Beautifully paced and with its innovative approach to storytelling, Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution uses history to give us a clearer perspective of the present by refreshing our knowledge of an American legend."
Splash Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution is a masterful portrayal of Carmicheal’s life’s work and his beginnings. Anthony Irons (Stokely Carmicheal/Kwame Ture) delivers an extraordinary performance, seamlessly transitioning between scenes and embodying the character. The entire cast, under the phenomenal direction of Tasia A. Jones, does an excellent job of making the ensemble’s character changes fluid and easy to follow. Nambi E. Kelly’s incredible talent shines through her creative incorporation of many historical perspectives, clearly showing how Stokely’s formative years impacted his journey as a leader."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"..."Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution" provides insight and background into one of U.S. history's most towering and misunderstood revolutionaries. After suffering abandonment, vicious attacks, imprisonment and a vision not yet realized, Ture's message is still one of hope, and his story is as relevant today as it was during his lifetime."
