Well-Cast “Hold On!” is a Memorable Start to the Season for the Black Rep

Hold On!
by Paul Webb
Directed by Ron Himes
The Black Rep
January 12, 2024

Opening the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Black Rep’s latest production focuses on an important moment in time in the life Dr. King and the American Civil Rights Movement. Hold On! was written by Paul Webb, who also wrote the screenplay for the film Selma, on which this World Premiere play is based. Focusing on the work of King and other Civil Rights leaders, along with their efforts for voting rights and for the support of President Lyndon B. Johnson, the play has a sweeping scope, a fairly large cast, and a quick pace. It covers a lot of historical ground, and as staged at the Edison Theatre by the Black Rep, it’s a fascinating play.

As director Ron Himes pointed out in his program notes, this show is sort of the “flip side” of Robert Shenkkan’s All the Way, which focuses on LBJ and his role in the passage of the Civil Rights Bill in 1964. Himes appeared in the production of that play at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in 2015, and has cast the same actor who played LBJ in that production, Brian Dykstra, to play the same role here. In Hold On! while LBJ does play a prominent role, the main focus is on Dr. King (Enoch King) and other activists involved in the effort for voting rights in Selma, Alabama in 1965. The build-up to the well-known marches and protests is covered, while portraying many figures involved in the events, including local activists Annie Lee Cooper (Tamara Thomas) and Jimmie Lee Jackson (Jason Little) as well as Coretta Scott King (Evann De-Bose),  Ralph Abernathy (Gregg Carr, Sr.), and John Lewis (Greg Carr II); as well as prominent opposition figures like Sherriff Jim Clark and Governor George Wallace (both played by Eric Dean White). There’s a lot of story to tell here, with locations shifting between Selma, Washington, DC, and elsewhere, and as King deals with pressures from Johnson to call off the Selma efforts, as well as personal issues in his marriage, as the governor tries to quell the protests with tragic results. It’s a sweeping, well-constructed show that manages to include many details while portraying its characters as complex human beings. 

The staging is excellent, emphasizing action, with a prominent Oval Office setting center stage and the rest of the events staged around it with precision. Dunsi Dai’s set is detailed and versatile, with vivid lighting by Sean Savoie and memorable projections by Zach Cohn that evoke the time, place, and mood of the story. There’s also strong work from costume designer Marc W. Vital II and props designer Meg Brinkley, helping to transport the audience to 1965 in an effective way.

The cast is wonderful, led by King in remarkably complex performance as Dr. King, effectively portraying his charisma and ideals as well as his conflicts. Dykstra, as LBJ, is also strong, in a thoroughly believable portrayal. White is also a standout in a double “villain” role as the profane, ambitious Governor Wallace and the belligerent Sherriff Clark. De-Bose, as Coretta King, also gives a convincing performance, as well as displaying a strong singing voice at a few moments. The rest of the cast, most playing multiple roles, is also memorable, with Isaiah Di Lorenzo as LBJ’s aide and speechwriter Richard Goodwin, Thomas as the persistent Annie Lee Cooper, and Little as Jimmie Lee Jackson as standouts. It’s a strong ensemble all around, also featuring Walter Cummings, Joel Anthony, Thomas Patrick Riley, and Tammie Holland. 

Hold On! manages to capture a sense of urgency as well as the sense of importance of its subject, which still resonates today. It’s a superbly crafted production of a well-constructed script, featuring a first-rate cast. It’s another example of theatrical excellence from the Black Rep.

The Black Rep is presenting Hold On! at Washington University’s Edison Theatre until January 28, 2024