A historical event involving the hanging of 26 men might not seem like material for a musical.
Yet, emotion expressed through song is the thread in “Gabriel,” which runs through Nov. 9 at Hanover Tavern in Richmond.
Gabriel refers to the enslaved, literate blacksmith who would become the leader of Gabriel’s Rebellion. The uprising was meant to liberate hundreds of enslaved people in Virginia, perhaps the "most far-reaching slave uprising" in the history of the South, according to Henrico.gov.
“Most people remember a song faster than documents or talking,” said the show’s stage manager, Shawanna Hall. “You’re going to have that emotional turn when you’re hearing these lyrics, when you’re feeling these rhythms. This show is going to stick with you.”
The plan on Aug. 30, 1800, to kidnap Gov. James Monroe never happened. Severe thunderstorms disrupted transportation and communication and informants disclosed details of the insurrection. The attempt ended with Gabriel's escape to Norfolk, his hanging, that of his twin brothers Solomon and Martin, and 23 others.
While Gabriel’s Rebellion didn’t succeed, it inspired others. Among them was Nat Turner, whose 1831 insurrection further solidified the resistance movement.
“Aside from the story itself, the theatrics of it all will be something the audience will enjoy,” said Hall, a Hampton native. “The lighting, the sound and the projections all play a part in the story."
Zakiyyah Jackson, a Hampton High School graduate who studied theater at Christopher Newport University, plays Gabriel’s wife. Nanny was enslaved at the 2,000-acre Brookfield Plantation in Richmond’s northside.
“These melodies give you that dark, eerie feeling, but juxtapose that with the fact that these songs make you feel power. They make you feel love and they make you feel anger,” Jackson said.
Jackson sings all but one of more than two dozen original songs performed by the 13 actors. For her, the most striking moment of the show comes at the end of Act I, when slave master Thomas Prosser informs her she will be sold at the end of the harvest.
“To hear that and to know that this person is going to get all the work out of me, that they can and still sell me anyway with the love of my life being here, and my sister here, is gutting,” she said.
Jackson joins six others in singing “Why Lord.” This song is the turning point in the story and the catalyst that sets up the rebellion.
In the summer of 1800, flooding in Richmond caused Gabriel to postpone the original plan. The attempt never materialized because two men alerted their enslaver, who then informed Monroe.
Nanny was not among those hanged. No historical records document her fate.
Hanover Tavern is fitting for the story. It was built in 1733 and its oldest surviving section dates to 1791. Five of Gabriel’s colleagues were enslaved there.
The initial production of “Gabriel” dates to 2022, when it debuted in Richmond’s Firehouse Theatre. This production features a revised script and score.
The show will open at Chesterfield’s Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education in January. It is seeking a theater partner in Norfolk.
After Gabriel’s Rebellion, even harsher restrictions limited the enslaved from traveling and gathering.
Gabriel, born in 1776, was said to be motivated by the words of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
In 2002, Richmond City Council recognized Gabriel and his comrades as freedom fighters. In 2007, the men were pardoned by Gov. Tim Kaine.
“Gabriel” is an official program of the Virginia 250 Commission commemorating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and the independence of the United States.
Visit atlaspartnership.org for tickets and more information.