Attending Marley at Baltimore’s Center Stage was truly a blessing. These words are meant literally, because the music and the performances are soul stirring. Even before one enters the theatre itself, you are transported to Jamaica. Sand covers the lobby floor and a live DJ spins reggae tunes. The bar serves a specially concocted rum punch and there is someone walking through the dancing crowd hawking Marley t-shirts. You may not realize it until the actual performance itself, but some of the colorfully dressed men and women dancing and enjoying themselves in the theatre lobby are actually cast members.

Soon you are ushered to your seat and the play begins. Marley covers four tumultuous years in the life of Jamaican icon Bob Marley, from the eve of the assassination attempt on his life during the political unrest in Jamaica to his triumphant return to foster peace and unity. It is during this time that Marley appears to truly find himself and his place in the world, while simultaneously acknowledging his responsibility to his family and his people. One learns a lot about Marley the man, not just the reggae superstar.

And, of course, there is the music. The music of Jamaica, the music of healing, the music of liberation. In fact, the middle of the stage is shaped like a vinyl record that actually revolves, recognizing the importance that music played in Marley’s life. Marley is well written by Center Stage Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, especially in the way that he weaves Marley’s songs into the action and dialogue on stage. The music is seamlessly integrated and leaves the audience with a better understanding of the lyrics to which we have sung along for decades. There is audience participation throughout the performance. Center Stage adroitly sells “Dance Seats” that allows audience members to get on their feet and dance when the spirit moves them, without being a disruption to other theatregoers. The cast winds itself through the aisles during musical numbers, encouraging interaction. By the end of the performance, you are on your feet, not just to applaud, but also to celebrate. It is inevitable.

Leading the cast as Bob Marley is Mitchell Brunings, who is new to the theater world. He could not have found a better piece with which to debut, however, because when you close your eyes and listen to Brunings sing, he is Marley in both sound and feeling. When Broadway Black first covered Marley here, we included a clip to Brunings’ audition for the Dutch version of The Voice, in which he sang Marley’s Redemption Song. It was that performance that led Kwei-Armah to hop on a plane and determine that Brunings was the right person for the role. Brunings receives much support, both on-stage and off-, from his more theatre-experienced cast members, such as Saycon Sengbloh, who plays Bob’s wife Rita Marley beautifully. For example, there is a beautiful mashup of two of Marley’s songs (no spoilers!) sung as a duet between Brunings & Sengbloh that is absolutely breathtaking.

Broadway Black was privileged to attend the Meet the Cast conversation immediately following the performance on May 15, in which 22 of the cast members sat on stage and discussed the importance of the musical, the man, and the moment. It was not lost on the cast that they were singing Marley’s songs about justice and equality in the middle of the #BaltimoreUprising, the protest movement in response to the death of Freddie Gray, a Black Baltimorean who was fatally injured while in police custody. In fact, the cast shared that rehearsal time was lost because of the nightly curfew imposed by the city as a result of the protests. The cast said that they could literally hear the protests outside the theater doors and, as we covered here, they felt compelled to participate by staging a free outdoor concert at the epicenter of the Baltimore protests. Several of the Marley cast members are Jamaican, and some even lived in Jamaican during the time of civil unrest for which Bob Marley was a healing salve. It was moving to hear them tell how important it was that they were able to perform this piece now, and how they felt that director and writer Kwei-Armah got it right.

Marley runs through June 14 at Baltimore’s Center Stage and should not be missed. After you attend, let us know what you thought!