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Harrison David River's "SWEET" Premiers at the National Black Theatre

Posted November 1, 2016

Harlem is best known to be a cultural and historical landmark that understands the true beauty of its black roots.

The National Black Theatre in Harlem once again shines light on its rich history with its 48th season themed, “Pursuit of Black Joy”.

NBT opens with the premiere of Harrison David River’s colorful play, Sweet. Making her NYC directorial debut, Raelle Myrick-Hodges does an outstanding job of embodying the essence of the story and brings the characters to life.

Sweet paints the lives of three Midwesterners from Kansas in the late 60’s. The Baker sisters- Nina (Renika Williams) and Retha (Maechi Aharanwa) have always bonded over folding clothes on their porch under the blazing summer sun while dreaming of snowflakes melting on their tongue. Once their mother unexpectedly passes away and their neighbor George (Tre Davis) comes home from college in the city, the Baker sisters’ relationship begins to weaken.

Taking a break from what has sadly become the norm, Sweet provides an escape from the daily struggles of violence, fighting for civil rights, and the overall oppression that so often dominates black communities. Sweet was the reminder that there is so much more beyond the everyday stresses that members of the black community face, and that we often overlook the beauty of our own blackness.

“Anybody who would like to just enjoy a story where we're not slaves and we're not protesting for our rights...[and to] remember what it's like to just be in love, should come see this show,” says Myrick-Hodges.

Rivers hopes to make theater fun while keeping you at the edge of your seat- with a rollercoaster of plot twists.

“I like watching black people living life doing little things like laundry, loving, laughing, singing, dancing. This is what life looks like for us, just like it does for everyone else. I think that we so often only get to see ourselves in very specific lights, very political or strong social commentary. [This play] is letting these characters live and breathe and love and make a life for themselves and I think there’s something very beautiful in that,” exclaims Rivers.

For more ticket information, please go to: http://www.nationalblacktheatre.org

The show runs until November 20th. Make sure to reserve your seat now!

SWEET

National Black Theatre

2031 5th Avenue

New York, NY 10027




(Contributed by: Stephanie Collado for Harlem One Stop)


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