Making Good Trouble: 'Hero: The Boy From Troy' Recounts the Life and Legacy of John Lewis

Alabama-born John Lewis spent more than 60 years of his life fighting for civil rights in America. Whether he was listening to Martin Luther King Jr. as a boy or serving Georgia’s 5th Congressional District as a U.S. Representative, Lewis was always learning new ways to help underprivileged and discriminated Americans.

Though Lewis died in July 2020, his story continues to be told. In early February, that story will come to life on stage in an invigorating way when the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center presents “Hero: The Boy From Troy,” a musical adaptation of the life of the late Congressman. Written by acclaimed playwright Nambi E. Kelley with music and lyrics by Joe Plummer, the performance will be presented on Friday, February 7, at 7 p.m. and is meant to entertain and teach fans of all ages about Lewis and his journey to becoming a civil rights leader.

In a January interview, Kelley said that the WHBPAC visit is just one of many stops on the show’s current 21-city tour. The all-ages performance follows Jayden (Patrick Saint Ange), a young student who discovers the life and accomplishments of Congressman Lewis while reading a book in detention. The show takes attendees on a lasting journey from when Lewis, himself, was a child preaching to a “congregation” of chickens to his inspiring meetings with civil rights leaders that set him on a lifelong path of fighting for justice.

Ange not only plays the enlightened school kid, but also Lewis himself as a youngster. It’s quite the responsibility that the actor felt throughout the creation of the show.

“It’s always a challenge when you’re portraying a historical figure,” Ange said. “John Lewis has a very specific way of talking and standing, so that was the most nerve-wracking part. I was really appreciative of the idea that my goal wasn’t to recreate John Lewis, it was to find the honesty in his experiences and tell those parts of his life and story truthfully in the way I know how.”

Fellow cast member Matelyn Alicia also plays multiple roles in the play, including civil rights leader Rosa Parks. Alicia is no stranger to portraying important figures in Black American history, having starred in the Off-Broadway show “The World According to Micki Grant” right before starting rehearsals for “Hero: The Boy From Troy.” Grant, who passed away in 2021, was the first woman to write and star in a Broadway musical — 1972’s “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope.” Grant and Lewis may have taken different paths in life, but Alicia still recognized a correlation between the two.

“I see that consistency in the theme and in the storyline of talented, very gifted African-Americans trying to persevere in this space that was not always kind,” she said. “They set their feet on a path and they knew there would be people behind them, people like us, walking in those footsteps.

“I see the continuum of that.”

As a playwright, it’s been an interesting journey for Kelley to bring “Hero: The Boy From Troy” to audiences. Kelley said the project began when she was contacted by Kiesha Lalama, a former grad school colleague who was affiliated with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera company. The organization has a Gallery of Heroes program that brings in creatives to craft educational 50-minute musicals and take them to area schools for an enlightening experience on historical figures.

Kelley said she got a commission from the Pittsburgh CLO in 2022 to create a musical about John Lewis. She brought in composer/collaborator Plummer (whom she referred to as a “genius”) to create music and lyrics, put the show together and in 2023, produced a regional tour through areas in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Kelley noted that the original touring production is different from the version currently on tour, specifically in how Jayden’s perspective is a more prominent feature.

“It was a lot of fun to figure out because young people will look at John Lewis and say, ‘Ah, this doesn’t really apply to me. He was this old dude, the ’60s are dead,’ but hey, we found a way to make it relevant and it’s not dead,’” she explained. “Now there’s a perspective from a young person that makes it, not only alive and kicking, but it has something to give him to help him become a better human being.

“We want to get into some good trouble with our script.”

Plummer noted that there are about 11 songs in the show, some quick melodies and other sweeping anthems. “Hero: The Boy From Troy” is his fifth time working with Kelley on a show; in fact the two have such a strong bond that Kelley referred to him as “Plum” when she contacted him two years ago about doing the show. While most of the songs came together in just a couple months, one in particular has a melody that Plummer crafted when he, himself, was just 12 years old.

“There’s one song in there called ‘Walking Up to Freedomland,’” Plummer explained. “Back when I was 12, back in Chicago, my next door neighbor and best friend named Billy, his family had a piano, and I didn’t know how to play but I came up with these chords. It’s amazing that it hit me when I was writing. Like, ‘Oh my God, after all of these years I can use this melody that I’ve had in my head for centuries?!’ It was meant to be.”

Plummer not only credits Kelley for crafting a story for a historical figure, but also the cast for bringing his songs to life on stage.

“Just because I wrote it that way and sung it that way, it doesn’t have to be that way,” he added. “Because they have their own interpretation, I’m going like, ‘Oh my God, you made my song even better!’ That’s what I love. When you’ve got someone who can sing and internalize your song and find another way of singing it, it’s a wonderful feeling.”

While the show is conceived as educational entertainment (or “edutainment” for short), both kids and adults are invited to join Jayden on his journey at WHBPAC and discover Lewis and his path to activism. The cast members and the writer are looking to emphasize important lessons emanating from “Hero: The Boy From Troy.”

“I hope, especially for the kids in the audience, that it inspires them to do some research and learn about John Lewis themselves,” Ange said. “I think right now, especially in this time when we’re seeing a lot of Black history being attacked or removed from curriculum, that it’s important that we take the initiative and remind the young generation that there’s an entire history behind them of people fighting and overcoming challenges.”

“For the adults, I would love for them to feel honored,” Alicia added. “Those that took up the same fight or maybe weren’t in the position to be in that same fight in the same way that Congressman John Lewis was, to feel honored, and inspired and hopeful again. A lot of adults who have a heart for civil rights don’t feel as hopeful right now, so I’m really hopeful that we can inspire that and feel like good work is still being done and the cause is still at the forefront for many of us.”

“In addition to the history piece and the research, it’s also important to us that people have fun,” Kelley added. “One of the things about John Lewis is that he endured so much. If you actually read very specifically about him, he was beat so many times. And so it’s so wonderful that even though he endured all of that, at the end of his life and throughout his life I would imagine, he was still dancing and still meeting people in the street with a smile.

“He became such a magnanimous, generous soul and was really imparting the history, the lessons and the joy,” she added. “Joy is armor, and that’s what our show is.”

Tickets for “Hero: The Boy From Troy,” on Friday, February 7, at 7 p.m. are $20 and available at whbpac.org, 631-288-1500 or at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center box office at 76 Main Street in Westhampton Beach.