'Mr. History' Celebrates Black History with Two Musicals

Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad will come vividly to life during special Black History Month presentations at Neumann College, offered by "Mr. History," a.k.a. Granville Burgess of Aston.

Mr. History will present two musicals at Neumann College in celebration of Black History Month

Open to the public, two unique historical musicals will be presented to the Life Center on the campus at 9:45 am. and 11 am. during the first week of February.

Programs include:

"Glory Road!" - The remarkable story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, presented on Monday and Tuesday, (Feb. 3-4). The production features Mr. History and five ethnically diverse children, ages 10 to 14, playing multiple roles in depicting the story of a runaway slave and his son who arc led north to freedom by Harriet Tubman.

"Dream..." - The inspirational story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, presented Wednesday through Friday, (Feb. 5-7). A story of courage and Conviction, it begins with young King studying theology at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester. The musical, in which five young people also play historical characters, shows how the beliefs of the civil rights leader were put to the test when he met Rosa Parks and led the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott.

Group tickets range from $6 to $8, depending on the size of the group. For more information or to order tickets, call Diane Johnson at 610-494-4035.

An award-winning playwright, author and composer, Burgess has created exciting musical dramas that make learning about important chapters in American history not only entertaining but enlightening. Or as Burgess puts it, "An actor on stage is more fun than a picture on a page."

For more than 25 years, Burgess has been dedicated to making America's heritage accessible to wide audiences through accurate and engaging dramas based on historical facts. In creating "Mr. History" and writing historical musical dramas, he's combined his love of history and children with his belief that learning about the past should be pleasurable.

Burgess graduated magna cum laude in History from Princeton University and has a Masters of Fine Arts degree in directing from Catholic University in Washington.

Among his credits is director of Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theater School for seven years. To learn more about a special public performance of "Glory Road!" 2 p.m., Feb. 16 at the University of Pennsylvania, call Tim McFalls at 610-734-1236.

Reprinted from "Town Talk"; Aston, Brookhaven and Chichester edition, Volume XXXIX, Number 4; Wednesday, January 22, 2003. Website: www.towntalknews.com