Robeson's struggles

PLAYING a real-life person is never an easy task.

But when the character is such a towering figure as American singer, actor and political activist Paul Robeson, the difficulty is that much greater.

So it’s much to Tayo Aluko’s credit that his depiction of one of the 20th century’s most extraordinary entertainers in CALL MR ROBESON at Eden Court Theatre was so good.

Although Aluko is a baritone, he coped well with singing in Robeson’s deep bass voice.

And the show was a fascinating insight into Robeson’s life. It depicted his success as an actor and singer, as well as his battles for civil rights and against the McCarthyite blacklisting which ruined his career. It was also honest about Robeson’s mental health struggles and his womanising.

To many people, Paul Robeson may be a name they’ve heard of, but might not know much about. This show succeeds in painting an excellent picture of the details of his life and is both inspiring and heart-breaking. BS