Black Nativity
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 Black Nativity facts

• Traditional Christmas carols are sung in gospel style, with a few songs created specifically for the show
• Originally written by Langston Hughes, the show was first performed Off-Broadway on December 11, 1961, and was one of the first plays written by an African American to be staged there
• The show had a successful tour of Europe in 1962, one of its appearances being at the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds in Italy
• Black Nativity has been performed annually in Boston, Massachusetts, at Tremont Temple since 1969
• The original 160 singers were arranged by age group and vocal range, with an assortment of soloists, along with the narrator, and Mary and Joseph, who are both mute
• The show began with the theater completely darkened
• Barefoot singers clad only in white robes and carrying (electric) candles walked in, singing the classic hymn "Go Tell It on the Mountain"
• The birth of Jesus was one of the most dramatic aspects of the show
• The stage, previously lit with orange and blue lights, was bathed in a deep red hue
• Mary's contractions were echoed through the use of African drums and percussion