NEW YORK—Cush Jumbo shines a spotlight on dancer-singer-actress Josephine Baker, turning in a bravura performance in her one-woman show “Josephine and I” at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater.
The piece begins with an actress (listed in the show program as “Girl”) talking about her years-long interest in Baker. It all began when she was a child watching the film “Zouzou” and saw for the first time a black woman as the lead in a movie, instead of in the role of a servant.
From that moment on, the actress became an unabashed fan, researching Baker’s history, collecting bits of memorabilia, and even learning to talk in Baker’s cadence, as demonstrated by playing a taped interview Baker once gave and then mimicking her voice perfectly.
Through this method the actress begins to assume Baker’s persona, while taking the audience on a journey through Baker’s life—one that stretches from her childhood in St. Louis to her early days on Broadway, her stardom in Paris, and beyond.
The real strength of the piece is Jumbo’s ability to put a human face on her characters, particularly when it comes to Baker’s experiences with prejudice or the lack thereof.
