A Beaufort Lifestyle Experience

From Publisher Julie Hales
Photos by Susan DeLoach

Being a publisher of several community magazines, I sometimes am awarded opportunities I would not otherwise have.  I have been able to spend a day on a shrimp boat from dawn til dusk, I have got to fly in a Life Star helicopter, I have met famous actors, musicians and athletes.  Those are to name only a few.  But I recently had an experience I wish all of Beaufort had seen.
I had an opportunity to be in the audience of A Gullah Kinfolk Christmas Wish: Freedom Coming.  Not only was I in the audience, I had the honor of being allowed back stage to spend time with Aunt Pearlie Sue and meet her cast.
I was in total amazement from the moment I walked in the door.  Anita Prather, (aka Aunt Pearlie Sue), took me by the hand and lead me on the beginning journey of an awesome evening.  She treated me as if I were one of her own.
From the moment Aunt Pearlie Sue walked on stage, I was in total awe of her talent and her ability to capture the audience seemed effortless. Each and every cast member showed astounding flair. The show was absolutely phenomenal.
The following is an article submitted to Beaufort Lifestyle.  It sums up the evening in beautiful style. Thanks Suzanne….I could not have said it better myself!

A Gullah Kinfolk Christmas Wish was presented December 7, 2012 at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort. This report describes the evening. It is not a review, but an observation by an audience member and theatre lover.
— Suzanne Larson

Ten minutes before the performance of A Gullah Kinfolk Christmas Wish at the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Performing Arts Center on December 7, the stage was dark, the curtain was closed and the house lights were half-way up. Anticipation was visible on the faces of audience members as they waited for the show to begin. They appeared pleasantly sedated due to the warmth in their stuffed bellies. They had just been served some of the best Gullah food in the south: gumbo with fat, local shrimp and fresh okra, tender chicken that had been fried crispy and moist, heavenly buttermilk cornbread and a selection of fresh vegetables and desserts baked by people who know how to scratch together a pie crust and roll it out by hand.
The audience seemed reassured by the quality of the food, as if they knew the show they were about to see would meet the same standards as the meal they’d just enjoyed. Peaceful expectation lingered in the air, mixing with the lingering scent of gourmet Gullah cooking that slinked into the auditorium from the dining area.
Backstage, Anita Singleton Prather, (a.k.a. Aunt Pearlie Sue) gathered her group of more than twenty singers, musicians and stage hands in a circle. Hands clasped, the group waited while Prather took a deep breath and then began to pray. An ordained minister, she asked God for His blessing and for the privilege of honoring Him with the evening’s performance.
Responses of “Thank you, Lord” and “Thank you, Jesus” came from cast members. Deeply moved, a tear ran down the cheek of a stage hand. “Amen,” Prather concluded. Prayer took effect. Butterflies were banished and the deep faith of a people known for strong spiritual traditions took its place. Aunt Pearlie Sue and The Gullah Kinfolk were ready to face a packed house and perform Prather’s original musical, A Gullah Kinfolk Christmas Wish. It was show time!
Aunt Pearlie Sue walked on stage in front of the drawn curtain and planted her hand-carved wooden walking stick firmly between her feet, made eye contact and smiled. The expectant faces in the crowd smiled back. They were immediately captivated. One look at the short, but abundant, black woman dressed in colorful 19th century garb, and they knew they were in the presence of an artist who was accessible to all people – one who had the ability to make them feel deeply without being threatened. She welcomed them in an articulate, rhythmic, poetic Gullah dialect. Her voice projected a love and warmth that reached everyone in the room whether they were conscious of it or not.
When Aunt Pearlie Sue began to sing, she was joined by her singers behind the curtain. The voices of the “Kinfolk” were soft at first and rose gently as the curtain opened to an inspired “Hallelujah Da’ Savior Be Born” accompanied by the skillful keyboard of Kenny Varner with Tre’Quan Riley on the African drums. The voices of professional singers Scott Gibbs, Connie Singleton Murphy, Raul Bradley, Darryl Murphy, Wesley Murphy, Lydasia Prather, Sedeek Prather, Caleb Singleton, Jakai Prather-Alston, Jeremy Prather-Alston, Jada Sheperd, Faith Brown, Priscilla Williams, Lisa Williams, Gloria Jackson, Queen Rivers, Clayso Wrice, Monica Jones, Joan Marie Linyard, Leontae’ Linyard, Larry Singleton and Jacqueline Richardson filled the house. These performers vary widely in age, but all have years of study and experience before an audience both on stage and in local churches. Patrons responded as if a chorus of angels had appeared before them. They stood at their seats, clapping their hands, swaying and humming along.
Two white actors, Ethard Van Stee and Julia Trask, played the slave auctioneer and the spoiled slave master’s daughter. Both were so skilled in their craft and enjoyed their parts so much they managed to make their villainous roles entertaining.
Exhilaration climbed as children and adults were brought up from the audience to participate in the unfolding drama on stage. They took part in secret classrooms hidden from “the master.” They were shackled in chains. They were sold at auction. They “jumped the broom.” It was clear that some people were more comfortable than others at being part of the show. But it was fun for everyone – with much laughter, dancing, hand-clapping and joyful expressions as black, white, Hispanic, young, old, beautiful and not joined Aunt Pearlie and her wonderful performers as they told their story. There wasn’t a bred face in the theater. There is no yawning when the Gullah Kinfolk are on stage.
That same day, the troupe had performed three shows to school children beginning at 8 in the morning. But, enthusiasm for their art, their commitment to Aunt Pearlie, a desire to share their ancestral heritage and divine inspiration had given them the vitality required for an unforgettable evening show.
At the end of the night, audience members offered up thunderous applause and left the theater as if both physically and emotionally satiated. It is suspected that Aunt Pearlie Sue and her Gullah Kinfolk connected them to a power outside of themselves for a couple of hours. That is what good theatre is supposed to do. Patrons were transported to the land of art and Gullah where differences among people are insignificant and all are one happy, human family. It was an evening of great food with a great show; all for the preservation of the Gullah culture and – according to Anita Prather – to the glory of God.