Theatre Blog of Darryl Maximilian Robinson

YOUR HUMBLE SERVANT IN THE THEATRE, CHICAGO-TRAINED VETERAN DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON, RECALLS A 1984 SUMMER STOCK REVIVAL OF RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S "THE KING AND I"! "Robinson, obviously aware past performers have played the role with angular movements, took a more flowing approach to the King, making the role his own. He rants and raves as a spoiled-child ruler, revealing the King's insecurities. His songs, when interpreted, are a delight to hear as they are full of energy and emotion." -- William Bartolini, Guest Reviewer, The Mail-Journal of Syracuse, Indiana, July 18, 1984. To preface, your humble servant in The Theatre, Darryl Maximilian Robinson, would not have been fully-prepared to take on the challenge of playing one of the truly great stage ( and screen ) roles in American Musical Theatre History without his early 1976 stage musical experiences as a young performer ( A Guest Student Actor ) of playing Motel Kamzoil in "Fiddler On ...

AN OBITUARY FOR AN OLD STAGE FRIEND: This commentary is in regards to the talented actor, singer, producer and playwright David J. Harris, who passed away at the age of 64 in St. Louis, Missouri in January of 2023. I had the great pleasure of working with Mr. Harris in the Theatre during our youth, when we performed as Student Guest Actors for The Drama Dept. Of Chicago's Josephinum High School for Girls in the Wicker Park neighborhood of The Windy City during the 1970s in productions of "Fiddler On The Roof" and "My Fair Lady". David J. Harris was an enthusiastic young actor whom I would also have the pleasure of working with in shows presented by The Windy City's multiracial youth ensemble, The Chicagoland High School Theatrical Troupe, also during the 1970s ( under the expert guidance of skilled, veteran arts educators and working professionals J. J. Stamm, Nick Jason, Errol Perlman and Irving M. Stein among others ), with whom he appeared in such ro...

He was both as fearless in his political views as he was passionate in his craft of performance. He defied authority and conventions not for his own glory, but to spread a message of equality and humanity that millions would come to understand. Born in the 1920s on Manhattan Island in New York, yet raised on his parents' home Isle of Jamaica, Harry Belafonte would make a huge impact on both the world of politics, and art and enteratainment, in the most profound ways, all while proving to be a truly great artist and inspiring human being that all Americans can look to with admiration and pride. YES, he would become the first African-American male actor to win A Tony Award on Broadway ever ( in 1953 for Best Featured or Supporting Actor In A Musical for his noted musical work in the 1952 revue "John Murray Anderson's Almanac" ). Yes, he would become the first African-American male performer to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in 1960 for his 1959 t...