“Sanctified,” at the Lincoln Theatre, is a lively look at the world of gospel singing and its role in a black church. Written by Javon Johnson, “Sanctified” takes place in a small black church in rural South Carolina, the East Piney Grove Baptist Church. The society of an entire town is seen through the lens of the church’s choir.
The parish has seen better times. The fashionable mega-churches are having a major influence on the area, parishioners are leaving in droves and the East Piney church needs a miracle, it would seem, to keep on going.
The play begins with the appearance of two “delivery” men, mystery figures whose presence isn’t revealed until the end of the play: Old Man/Sir (William Newman Jr.) and Boy/Mister (the talented Joshua Nelson) bring two large packages to a choir practice, though no one knows where the boxes are from.
In the boxes are a set of drums and an electronic keyboard, whose importance gradually becomes clear. At that choir practice, the new, ambitious Pastor Jones (John McClure Jr.) announces that the church will hold a revival to raise funds.
In line with his decision to change the fundamentals of the church, Jones imports his cousin, the super-educated Sister Pauletta Denise Jones (Mary Millben) to help him whip the choir into shape. Pauletta, who’s a snobby super-diva, doesn’t understand the heart of gospel singing any more than she understands people. Pauletta is finally driven off by the uncooperative choir, but before she leaves, Millben has a chance to raise the rafters with her stunning, well-trained soprano.
Johnson’s script is a loose connection of two battles: the choir vs. Pauletta and the choir vs. the Pastor, who doesn’t really understand the music they sing or the way they sing it. The music by Rollo Dilworth — some traditional church music, some original — is sensational, as is its direction by Raymond Reeder. But the book sometimes drags along behind the music and spells out methodically in dialogue what could better be explained in song.
Dilworth’s music affords a chance for each of the characters to identify himself or herself, and they all do it well. There’s the stuffy deacon (Frederick Strother); the challenged but determined Bobby (Ellis Foster); the tipsy choir master (Jessica Frances Dukes); the antsy, young Jamal (Kasaun Wilson); the sarcastic Clara (Almonica Caldwell); the young Monique (Ashley Jeudy); and the older voice of wisdom, Sarah (the brilliant Bernardine Mitchell).
It’s a fabulous cast, capable of not only singing but also dancing in a few numbers featuring Nelson, Jeudy, McClure and Wilson, who brings a delightful taste for fun (and rap music) to the musical.
Tony Cisek’s effective set is a simple outline of a church with a large stained-glass window at the back of the stage and smaller ones on the sides. The choir sits on chairs on risers center stage. Reggie Ray’s costumes are a combination of down-home casual for the choir and big city sophisticated for Pauletta, who breezes onstage in brightly colored suits and matching heels, her fingers loaded with gems.
At the end of “Sanctified” there are several resolutions: There’s a revelation of who the Old Man and Boy are, the revival is a stunning success and — as they gather to sing the final chorus of “Sanctified” — the cast offers vibrant musical testament to what gospel music is all about.
