Witness Uganda at American Repertory Theatre

Transportation to Uganda

 by Franchesca Kiesling

This is a musical the world should not miss. Utterly inspiring, compelling and completely engaging, Witness Uganda hits the stage with a boom, literally.

The first moment the audience sees a traditional Ugandan woman walking across the stage singing with a transparent curtain covering her. This moment represents what Matt Gould was feeling after he spoke in Act III. He mentioned that people could no longer look at other people and assume their stories from the way they look. At first glance, Griffin (the main character) looks like a typical struggling American boy in New York City. As the show went on, the audience realizes there is much more to this struggling boy and is able to look into the heart of Griffin and truly learn his story through the heart-wrenching experiences and genuine relationships portrayed.

Each actor played his or her part with 100% dedication. Sitting in the audience, it was clear every actor believed in this cause to resurrect the people and ignite the spark of schooling in Uganda. Griffin was the most devoted one out there. Although his voice may have lacked compared to the phenomenal Ryan (Emily Hunton) and the ensemble, he had the passion in his eyes for his story. Griffin’s love for his group, the musical itself, the cast and audience shined through without hesitation. Being the co-creator and the main character can be a hard transition from real life to the stage, but not only was he modest and charming in his role, he never seemed to take away the awe of the other cast members either. A curious audience member in Act III asked how Griffin could both be the creator and the main character act. His response was one for the records. Griffin talked about how he desperately wanted to give up because he was feeling depressed and did not want to talk about this emotional story every night, but when a friend told him to “Leave it all on the stage,” the stage became his therapy.

Gould and Matthews were no amateurs when writing this performance. The songs sent chill after chill straight to the bone; the emotional draw to the story and the incredible transportation to what actually felt like Uganda through the incredible choreography is what makes this story so incredibly vibrant and beautiful. This show is different than any other musical out there. It is the new inspiration for this generation to go out and help people. This show makes a lot of questions come up, but one of those questions is definitely, “How can I help?” This show will need some critiquing especially on the actual writing to get to Broadway but the musical’s ability to tug at serious heart strings will be a serious component when it does get up to the Broadway level.

From middle schoolers to retirees, anyone can be gripped by this show. Go. You will leave talking about it for weeks. Hurry though, these tickets have sold out at the A.R.T. but the shows will be available through the 14^th of March with at least standing room space.