When Brévo Theatre staged “Black Nativity” at the Sandrell Rivers Theater in 2024, the company discovered there was a strong community appetite for its newest holiday production.
“Langston Hughes created a work that is joyful, spiritual and deeply connected to the African American experience and yet it had rarely been produced in this region at the scale it deserves,” says Zaylin Yates, founding managing director of Brévo Theatre, who directs the production.
This year, the company broadens its reach with performances in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The season opens with a concert version on Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, followed by a full run at the Sandrell Rivers Theater in Miami from Thursday, Dec. 11 to Sunday, Dec 14 and additional performances in the Abdo New River Room at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale from Thursday, Dec. 18 to Sunday, Dec. 21.
The decision marks a continued investment in building a seasonal tradition grounded in Black culture and community, according to Yates, who started the theater company along with producing artistic director, Terrence “TM” Pride in 2021. Pride is choreographing “Black Navity.”
What began as an experiment soon revealed itself as an awaited tradition. “The response to our first production was overwhelming. Audiences didn’t just attend, they embraced it,” says Yates. “Families returned with new relatives, and community members shared how healing and affirming it felt to see the Nativity told through a cultural lens they recognized. That demand made it clear: ‘Black Nativity’ wasn’t just a production; it was the beginning of a new holiday tradition for South Florida, and we felt a responsibility to nurture it.”
The work, created 60 years ago, became a perfect addition to its repertoire.
“Brévo Theatre has always been rooted in amplifying Black stories and ensuring that our cultural narratives have a home on South Florida stages,” says Yates. “Black Nativity felt like a natural extension of that mission. Langston Hughes created a work that is joyful, spiritual and deeply connected to the African American experience and yet it had rarely been produced in this region at the scale it deserves.”
Staging across multiple venues also aligns with Brévo Theatre’s commitment to accessibility. “Expanding into multiple venues allows us to bring Black Nativity to communities that may not often experience large scale cultural productions,” says Yates. “It ensures that no one is left out of this holiday celebration.”
Yates describes the show as a “celebration” and a “jubilant, music driven retelling of the birth of Christ.”
“Rather than a quiet, somber reenactment, Hughes gives us a celebration, a blending of gospel, African rhythms, dance, and poetic narration,” says Yates, adding that it is “set within the soundscape, movement and spirit of the Black church.”
Yates sees the retelling not as a departure from the biblical story but as a reclamation of cultural space. “Representation is restoration,” he says. “Retelling the Nativity through our lens allows us to reclaim and re center our place within the narrative of faith.”
Music director Elijah Taj Gee joined the team this year and focused on honoring the legacy of gospel while presenting a contemporary and layered soundscape. “My role is to handle the arrangements of the pieces of the musical as well connect the band with the cast to best convey the story of Jesus’ birth which coincided with the celebration of gospel music,” says Gee.
He approaches the score as a musical journey through African American sacred traditions. “Via the lens of African American Gospel music, we start from the roots with African tribal drumming, morph into spirituals, Cogic gospel, contemporary fusion gospel, and leading to CCM.” For audiences hearing the production for the first time, he says they can expect “an extremely beautiful blend of African Drumming, traditional gospel and Contemporary Christian music. It has music for every generation of gospel music.”
Gee emphasizes his commitment to preserving the integrity of the source material while adding new dimensions. “I respect the original composers of the gospel music and tried not to over complicate the music,” he says. “It’s about ministering the word through the music and adding new elements. African drumming with traditional gospel music was a new territory and has worked beautifully.”
Some numbers were reimagined with a deeper spiritual tone and heavier African influences. Gee says multiple instruments are used to enrich the sound. “You will see on multiple occasions the pianist and bassist will pick up auxiliary percussion to add more African drumming flair,” Gee says. Live instrumentation, he adds, is central to the show’s emotional depth. “The music heavily shifts the tone to joy, sadness, hope and triumph and really transforms the narrative for the audiences to feel the message even deeper.”
For performers returning from last year, the production’s impact remains personal and profound. John Hamilton played a shepherd in the first edition and now is cast as one of the three narrators. “Last year’s atmosphere is really what brought me back,” says Hamilton. “There was something powerful about being in a room full of people who were all focused on telling a story that still matters today.”
The shift from shepherd to narrator broadened Hamilton’s understanding of the story. “This role feels deeper, like I’m not just in the story but helping reveal its meaning to others.” He says delivering scripture onstage last year revealed the show’s spiritual resonance. “As I was speaking it, I could hear people in the audience saying, ‘Amen,’ yelling ‘Glory,’ and I could see others nodding their heads in agreement. That moment reminded me just how deeply this play reaches people.”
For first time cast members like dancer Antonia Scott, entering such an established ensemble has been both challenging and rewarding. Scott says she auditioned after seeing the production last year. “I fell in love with the music and the story and knew I wanted to be a part (of it),” she says.
As a young Black woman raised on gospel music, Scott says performing in “Black Nativity” feels deeply meaningful. “It feels like home honestly,” she says. “To be able to perform songs I grew up listening to onstage feels amazing as well as blending in movement and music from the African diaspora.” She hopes audiences feel her enthusiasm. “I hope my performance brings energy to this production. I hope the audience will feel joy and excitement when they watch me on stage.”
Throughout its evolution, “Black Nativity” remains tethered to the vision Hughes shaped more than six decades ago. Its longevity, according to Yates, stems from its spiritual and cultural honesty. “Young audiences crave authenticity and truth,” he says. “The themes of hope, faith and love are timeless, but they resonate even more strongly in today’s climate.”
For Yates, the aspiration is a long-lasting tradition. “Our dream is for Black Nativity to become a cherished holiday tradition, something families anticipate every year, something children grow up attending.”
WHAT: Brévo Theatre’s “Black Nativity”
WHERE: Pompano Beach Cultural Center, 50 W. Atlantic Blvd, Pompano Beach (concert); Sandrell Rivers Theater, 6101 NW 7th Ave, Miami (full production), and Abdo New River Room at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale (Full production)
WHEN: Concert: 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 6. Miami performances: 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 11 and Friday, Dec. 12, 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, and 5 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 14. Broward performances: 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 18 and Friday, Dec. 19; 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 20; 5 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 21
COST: Concert tickets $25 general admission; Miami, $45 plus $6.50 fees; $15 plus $3.50 in fees, children under 12; Broward, general admission, $53.10.
INFORMATION: 305-542-4841 or brevotheatre.org
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