Review: 'Marching Song: A Play' by Orson Welles, Roger Hill, ed. by Todd Tarbox

The name Orson Welles calls up grand cinema, the idea of an Auteur director and a major figure in cinematic history. I never really tried to picture him as a young man or wondered how his astounding intellect and creativity took form. Marching Song is an excellent way to get an introduction to the man outside of the shadow cast by Citizen Kane and his later works. Thanks to Rowman & Littlefield and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay.

Pub. Date: 8/15/2019
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

At the age of 25 Orson Welles co-wrote, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane, widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. But this was not the first achievement in the young artist’s career. A few years earlier he terrorized America with his radio broadcast of War of the Worlds. And even before he conquered the airwaves, Welles had made a name for himself in New York theatre, with his dynamic stagings of Shakespeare classics and the politically charged musical The Cradle Will Rock. But before all of these there was Marching Song—a play about abolitionist John Brown—that Welles had co-written at the age of 17. While attending the Todd School for Boys, Welles collaborated with Roger Hill, the schoolmaster at Todd, to produce this full-length drama.

Marching Song: A Play is a work by one of America’s true geniuses at an early stage of his creative growth. Steeped in historical detail, the play chronicles Brown’s fight against slavery, his raid on Harper’s Ferry, his capture, his conviction for treason, and his execution. In addition to the entire text of the play, this volume features a biographical sketch of Welles and Hill—written by Hill’s grandson—during their days together at Todd.

A fascinating dramatization of a pivotal event in American history, this play also demonstrates Welles’ burgeoning development as social commentator and an advocate for human rights, particularly on behalf of African Americans. Featuring a foreword by noted Welles biographer, Simon Callow, Marching Song: A Play is an important work by an American icon.

Reading a play, rather than seeing it performed, is always an interesting experience. It comes alive for you in a different way when you get to see actors on stage, saying the lines, imbuing it with meaning for you. When you're reading it independently, it is down to the reader to locate the meaning, to find what is important. This edition of Marching Song, the only as far as I'm aware, does an excellent job to set up a reader with as much knowledge as possible. It is a typical edition in the sense that it has the whole necessary apparatus of forewords, introductions, and appendices with further information, but it is excellent in how it executes that format. The tone of the material makes it all very understandable and accessible and I would say that Marching Song would be an excellent teaching tool. With how the play is presented here I think it could very easily be taught in English Literature classrooms.

Marching Song: A Play tells the story of John Brown, a mythical and historical figure all at once. I must admit that I'm not super versed in Abolitionist history and therefore John Brown was still unknown to me. Reading into him after having read the play, it becomes clear why Welles was so attracted to his story. Brown brings together a righteous conviction, fanaticism, tragedy, and religiosity which makes for a fascinating story. For much of the play, Brown remains a mysterious character. We first meet him through the impressions of others, meaning that once he enters the stage himself you can feel the awed silence that falls. Brown remains a mystic figure in the sense that we don't really get an insight into his mindset the way we do with other characters, like his sons or the men around him. What Marching Song does excellently, however, is highlight both the strain and the magic of supporting a man and a cause against immense backlash. All the characters are suffering while utterly unsure of success. It is their faith in the fight against slavery and their almost fanatic belief in John Brown as a leader that sees them through and allows them to undergo major sacrifices. I struggled a little with the way some of this played out, specifically when the play showed actual slaves themselves. John Brown is a white Abolitionist planning to free slaves without in any way consulting them or involving them in planning for their future. But Welles does not avoid this difficulty either and the play is better for these questions being included.

The racial injustices committed against Black people was clearly a major focus point for Orson Welles throughout his life. This is an important aspect for me because it shows how Marching Song is part of young Welles' attempts to work through his thoughts and ideas on the issue. While at some moments the play "feels" young, in the sense that it can be very idealistic, it is nonetheless a fully thought-out work. Marching Song undoubtedly is a relevant and useful read for those intrigued by Orson Welles himself. Tarbox is actively trying to fill in the gaps when it comes to this man's legend and for that he is to be commended. As someone more interested in the text, rather than the man, I very much appreciated the way the play was laid out, or designed. Welles gave very detailed instructions on staging and the book also includes drawings made by him to show how the stage is meant to be set. His direction on how characters look, act, and are is also very detailed and I can fully imagine that his style as director was therefore also very precise and direct. How much fun that would have been for the kids at Todd School, for whom it was written if I'm not incorrect, I don't know, but it makes for a great experiences as a reader of the play. 

I give this play...

3 Universes!

As a reading experience, Marching Song is as excellent as reading a play can be. Welles' detailed notes bring the play to life for the reader and the way he approaches his material makes for an intriguing story. It also demonstrates how Welles grew into his role as social commentator and voice against social injustice, and for that it is also a relevant work.