Mosaic Theater Company Soars with “Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest” as an Epic History Lesson in Rap, Rhyme and Song
Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest
Mosaic Theater
Jordan Wright
April 5, 2026
Special to The Zebra
Michael Bahsil-Cook (Young John) and Christian Emmanuel (Emmett Till) in Mosaic Theater Company’s Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest. (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography)
Mosaic’s premiere production of the life and times of former Congressman John Lewis has finally come to fruition. With music and lyrics by the brilliant award-winning composer, director and playwright Psalmayene 24 and music by Grammy-nominated composer Kokayi, this gripping, often funny, deeply emotional and beautifully performed musical is a history lesson in Rap, rhyme and song and one of my favorite productions this year. And, in light of the current state of affairs (we hear you Minnesota), and the groundswell of citizen activists’ support, this deep dive into Lewis’s legacy could hardly be more appropriate, or timely.
Directed brilliantly by Mosaic’s Artistic Director, Reginald L. Douglas, the story begins in 1955 in Pike County, Alabama with Lewis in his early teens living with his parents plus ten brothers and sisters. We see his visceral response to the news of the brutal lynching of Emmett Till at the hands of racist murderers and Lewis’s desire to fight back by joining the youth movement led by the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). During that fraught period the South was mired in Jim Crow laws whose systemic apartheid was enforced by the KKK and ordinary White citizens, and Blacks were being actively, and illegally, restricted from voting. Black preachers took to the pulpits urging people to boycott the buses and Lewis joined up.
As a mentee of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and eager to follow King’s mission to bring about desegregation, young Lewis defies his parents’ wishes and joins the movement full throttle. We hear the call to action known by the powerful anthem, “God’s Gonna Trouble the Waters” and with that introductory song the mood is set for the Civil Rights Movement.
Montel B. Butler (Jim Lawson) with the cast of Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest. (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography)
A few of the actors vividly portray the racists’ roles, taunting the non-violent protesters at the famous lunch counter demonstrations and sending in police to crack heads. For Lewis’s first night in jail, we hear his emotions spill out with the song, “I’m Free”.
Soon he is to meet Black power revolutionary and firebrand anti-Capitalist, Stokely Carmichael who is working inside SNCC. It’s here we come to witness the inside squabbles of SNCC’s leaders depicted as a Rap battle between Lewis and Carmichael deciding whether it’s more important to march, fight Capitalism or register Blacks to vote. History smiled when they agreed to do both. This is the man who advocated for “good trouble” and lived it to his grave.
As this national movement evolves and CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) becomes a key player, other seminal players are depicted – from Bobby Kennedy and Medgar Evers to Bayard Rustin, Ella Baker and others – backgrounding Lewis’s rise to power and his legendary efforts to change the laws affecting African Americans with his contribution to the historic Voting Rights Act and, ultimately, his work on human rights during his 33-years as U.S. Congressman from Georgia. From Nashville to DC to Selma and Memphis, this musical leaves nothing out as it urges us to “say their names”.
Twenty-eight powerful numbers from Rap to Rock to Gospel inform the period’s struggles and celebrations. Stylishly choreographed by Tony Thomas with period costume design by Moyenda Kulemeka, a three-piece onstage band plus DJ keep the place rockin’.
Michael Bahsil-Cook (Young John) and the cast of Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest. (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography)
The perfect cast consists of Michael Bahsil-Cook as Young John; Montel Butler as Jim Lawson/A. Philip Randolph/Ensemble; Christian Emmanuel as Emmett Till/Ensemble; Jordan Essex as Stokely Carmichael/Bayard Ruskin/Ensemble; Kit Krull as Joan T. Mulholland/Waitress/Ensemble; Vaughan Ryan Midder as Medgar Evers/Eddie/Ensemble; Latrice Pace as Ella Baker/Willie Mae/Ensemble; Solomon Parker as Reverend Doctor/Hosea Williams/Ensemble; Nia Savoy-Dock as Diane Nash/Mamie Till/Ensemble; and Harrison Smith as Bobby Kennedy/Ensemble.
Highly recommended! See it and take everyone you know!!!
Mosaic Theater Company at the Atlas Performing Arts Center through May 3rd at 1333 H Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. For tickets and information check hours for the box office and call 202.399.7993 ext. 501 or visit www.MosaicTheater.org