Stage Review: Wallace keeps dreams alive in stirring one-man show

Photo by Christopher Blank

Memphis actor Phil Darius Wallace has played historical figures from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Frederick Douglass throughout his career, but in "Hold Fast," he plays himself.

At the beginning of “Hold Fast,” the compelling self-portrait of an actor whose dreams are kept alive by beautiful words and inspiring role models, an audience member is asked to be in charge of the curse jar.

“I’m verbal,” the actor says, removing a quarter from his back pocket with a sly smile.

Photo by Christopher Blank

Memphis actor Phil Darius Wallace has played historical figures from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Frederick Douglass throughout his career, but in "Hold Fast," he plays himself.

There’s no better description of Phil Darius Wallace, a Memphis actor whose verbal abilities — his elegant baritone, commanding delivery and knack for robust oratory — have helped bring history to life on local stages.

From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Frederick Douglass, Wallace has donned many hats, memorized myriad speeches and traveled the country extolling the dreams of famous men.

But at age 41, he’s now raising a family and just slightly concerned about the status of his own dreams.

“At 21, I was a rough draft of a phenomenal poem,” he tells the audience. Twenty years later, he’s still a work in progress. Grappling with his current place in the universe, he returns to the words that motivated his decision to become an artist.

Directed by the lyrical hand of Voices of the South artistic director Jerre Dye, Wallace’s autobiographical solo performance is a monologue of exploration, perseverance and heightened language.

It was a college drama teacher who introduced Wallace to Langston Hughes, the poet of dreams. Hughes’ words emerge throughout his story like milestones on the road of life.

“Hold fast to dreams,” Wallace quotes the poet when faced with doubts. “For if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”

Like many aspiring performers, Wallace once dreamed of Hollywood. But in Los Angeles, he is declared “too black” for a role. Crossing the country to New York, he’s deemed “not black enough.”

The irony of what exactly constitutes “blackness” isn’t lost on the actor who has made portraying America’s black heroes his calling card.

On the intimate TheatreWorks stage, Wallace’s movement is subtly and effectively choreographed by Dye. That, plus the performer’s natural charm, keeps the audience deeply involved in his story.

Those who have been wowed by Wallace’s turns in local plays — from Shakespeare to Suzan-Lori Parks — shouldn’t resist spending an evening with this fine Memphis dramatist. He reminds us that the voice of the artist is not just the voice of things to come, but also the voice of history.

“Hold Fast”

Continues at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at TheatreWorks, 2085 Monroe. Tickets are $15 for students, $20 for adults. Call 726-0800.

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