The life and times of one of the 20th century’s most prolific artists – who was a singer, actor, activist and scholar – will be celebrated in June with a one-man play in Merced.
“The World is My Home – The Life of Paul Robeson,” will be performed by actor Stogie Kenyatta at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 6 and 7, at Unity of Merced.
Vocalist Michelle Allison will open the show with a performance.
Nearly 50 years after his death, the legacy of Robeson continues to inspire thespians and artists internationally – including Kenyatta, as a writer and actor.
In an email Q&A interview with The Merced FOCUS, Kenyatta explained he plays 12 different characters in “The World is My Home.” Those characters include Robeson himself, from childhood to his older years.
Kenyatta also plays other significant Black Americans who were part of Robeson’s life journey, such as Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong and Harry Belafonte. Kenyatta has performed the play at more than 100 universities in a dozen countries.
“I did research first, then decided to tell the story chronologically. So if you know nothing about Paul Robeson, you’ll meet him at 5 years old and take the journey with him. I chose to do a romanticized version because his wife Eslanda played such a vital role in his life as his manager and wife for 44 years,” Kenyatta told The FOCUS.
“My background is in screenwriting from Cal State Long Beach so I wrote it like a film, with costume changes, while he ages in front of the audience. I included his humor, the joy of our Blackness, the triumph and tragedy of being the first Black Renaissance man – an All-American football player, valedictorian, singer, orator, star of stage and screen with (a) law degree.”
Even in 2025, Robeson is still regarded as one of the most talented American performers to have worked on stage and in theater – not to mention, his academic success.
“Robeson, speaking a dozen languages like many other Black performers, was first accepted by international audiences before Americans,” Kenyatta said.
“Several had some knowledge of him, but not to this extent. Which is why the show is unique. It shows how this son of (a) preacher, one generation removed from slavery, became one of the 20th Century’s most intriguing persons.”
A trailblazer of the stage
Born in 1898, Robeson’s father escaped from slavery and became a Presbyterian minister, according to his biography on PBS American Masters website.
Robeson, who spoke more than a dozen languages, distinguished himself from a young age, getting a scholarship at age 17 to attend Rutgers University, where he excelled in the classroom and in sports such as basketball and football.
He went on to Columbia University Law School after graduating as valedictorian at Rutgers.
However, it was as an actor and singer where Robeson would find the most success. During the mid 1920s, he made his mark in theatrical roles in Eugene O’Neill’s “All Good Chillun Got Wings” and “The Emperor Jones.”
Robeson was one of the first Black actors to portray serious characters in a white-dominated industry. He also played the lead in “Othello,” which was the longest running Shakespeare play in Broadway history, according to the American Masters biography.
He eventually moved on to films and international acclaim, singing and performing for audiences all over the globe.
Robeson was particularly outspoken on the topic of civil rights, and he had sharp political views. That led to his persecution during the McCarthy period, when he was forced to give his testimony before the notorious House Committee on Un-American Activities, according to jazz historian, writer and critic Nat Hentoff.
The U.S. government revoked Robeson’s passport for several years, blocking him from traveling abroad. Although his passport was eventually reinstated, the impact of the government harassment took a toll on Robeson. He died on January 23, 1976 at the age of 77, according to Hentoff.
Kenyatta told The FOCUS that Robeson’s life and example continues to resonate with people all over the world because he was emblematic of a new paradigm of Black artistry.
“America told the world that her enslaved Africans were intellectually (and) culturally inferior. So when these talented artists that invented every form of music — except opera and classical — showed the world their artistry and brilliance, it created a new Black identity,” said Kenyatta.
“The world had never seen the talent and grace of Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Lady Day, Billie Holiday (and) Cab Calloway. It exposed America’s dirty secret: The Africans they bought and sold for silver and gold, whipped, beat and locked in cages, still shined like stars when they stepped on stages.”
Unity of Merced is located at 305 West 26th Street in Merced. Tickets at the door are $20 for the general public and $15 for students.
For more information email Kim McMillon at kimmac@pacbell.net.