Is it a hit or a myth? It’s both. The “it” in this instance is The Half-God of Rainfall, the New York Theatre production of Inua Ellams’ narrative poem. Or is it a poem? It’s definitely a staged work the likes of which you might have seen something similar in your theater-going past. Yet, it’s safe to say you haven’t seen its exact like before. This already makes it well worth seeing.
Ellams – Nigerian-born but based and creating in England for so long he’s already a Member of the Order of the British Empire (M. B. E.) – is a poet. And indeed, The Half-God of Rainfall looks like an epic poem on the printed page. Nonetheless, word-conscientious Ellams categorizes the work as a “failed poem.”
He means that as he’s writing any narrative poem – narrative poems a lengthy recent trend among poets – he may realize the characters he’s creating need to speak aloud. He responds accordingly to a need also calling for all sorts of designer effects, forcibly commandeered here by director Taibi Magar.
And do all those participating turn the “failed poem” into highly successful theater? No question they do. The title character, more frequently known as Demi (“demi” often translated as “half,” of course) is, of all hugely surprising things, a five-foot-four basketball player who begins his career in Ellams’ Nigeria and goes on to global fame as a guard who never misses – 93 points in one game. Well, he never misses until he does, and the infallible swishes screech to a halt.
But that twist comes late, much after Ellams tells his tale in breath-taking poetry. The half-Nigerian-half-Olympian-Greek Demi (Mister Fitzgerald) is the son of Modúpé (Jennifer Mogbock) and – get this – Zeus (Michael Lawrence). The supposedly all-powerful latter figure isn’t so happy about this out-of-wedlock, upstart son. The reason: Demi, a rain god and full of tears falling like rain, is sapping Zeus’s energy. He’s jeopardizing Zeus’ hold over the other gods. Not so incidentally, the womanizing god’s betrayed wife Hera (Kelley Curran) isn’t thrilled by hubby’s meanderings, but she does develop sympathetic feelings for her preternaturally athletic stepson.
Most of The Half-God of Rainfall is reported by Elegba (the usually busy Lizan Mitchell), as the actors mentioned above, as well as Jason Bowen and Patrice Johnson Chevannes, assume any number of additional roles: Hermes, Hercules, Perseus. Their unmitigated zest – their ceaseless stamina – accounts for much of the abundant thrill audience members experience.
That spell is also in response to the constant Orlando Pabotoy movement – the seven cast members constantly move like blazes! – and Ann James’ intimacy direction. Throughout, set designer Riccardo Hernández, costume designer Linda Cho, lighting designer Stacey Deroisier, sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman, and projection designer Tal Yarden let loose with their prodigious talents. After all, what they’re in the act of unveiling is Mount Olympus and its wide reaches. How could they not respond in flamboyant kind?
Although it occasionally seems that Ellams is stretching a magical story longer than its 90 intermissionless minutes support, Ellams’ language works continuous wonders. He notes that Demi “could cry river-bowls of tears.” He infos that “Zeus wrapped lightning bolts around each fist like boxing gloves.” He also tosses in names like Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Jason Kidd, Hakeen Olajuwon – swish, swish, swish, swish. The Art of War, Sun Tzu’s classic, is accorded relevance when Demi consults the B.C.E. classic for basketball tips and finds them.
The emergence of The Half-God of Rainfall asks these questions: Is it a trend. Will it pass? It reaches Manhattan stages on the Nike heels of Candrice Jones’ exhilarating Flex, wherein a girls’ high school basketball team aims to win a state championship, despite myriad internecine conflicts. (Is Brittney Griner’s current fame possibly fueling attention to basketball?) Flex also features a player who slam-dunks every damn time. Apparently these days, some active playwright minds are thinking alike. Lucky us.
The Half-God of Rainfall opened July 31, 2023, at New York Theatre Workshop and runs through August 20. Tickets and information: nytw.org
