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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 22 March 2017
Opera tells story of Negro Leagues baseball star Josh Gibson

BETH J. HARPAZ on “The Summer King” with
AP Travel Editor the Josh Gibson Foun-
An opera about Negro dation, run by Gibson’s
Leagues baseball star Josh great-grandson Sean. He
Gibson, whose power hit- says that while “Fences”
ting rivaled Babe Ruth’s, brought some attention to
will have its world premiere his great-grandfather, the
in Pittsburgh in April. opera will tell a fuller story.
“The Summer King,” pre- “Most people know the
sented by Pittsburgh Op- story of Josh Gibson as a
era , premieres April 29. baseball player, a home
Gibson’s story also figured run hitter compared to
in “Fences,” the movie Babe Ruth with outstand-
starring Denzel Washington ing statistics, in the Hall of
that was originally a play Fame,” Sean Gibson said.
by Pittsburgh native August “But behind the uniform
Wilson. was a great man who lived
Baseball and opera “don’t through tragedy outside of
usually inhabit the same dealing with racism and
universe,” said Christopher playing baseball: His wife
Hahn, Pittsburgh Opera’s died giving birth to their
general director. But opera twins.”
is the perfect medium for The opera also portrays
telling Gibson’s story be- Gibson’s career playing
cause opera allows people abroad in Cuba, Mexico
“to sing about emotions and elsewhere. “Over
and aspirations and fears.” there they didn’t have to
Gibson was one of the first In this photo made on Friday, March 17, 2017, Sean Gibson, the Executive Director of the Josh deal with racism,” said
three Negro Leagues play- Gibson Foundation, right, holds a replica Pittsburgh Crawfords jersey with Pittsburgh Opera Gen- Sean Gibson. “You’re go-
eral Director Christopher Hahn as they pose next to a poster at the Pittsburgh Opera House in
ers to be inducted into the Pittsburgh. ing over to Latin countries,
National Baseball Hall of Associated Press your skin color is the same
Fame, which lists his career color as theirs.”
batting average as .350. baseball in 1947. But baseball’s integration es” echo Gibson’s story. Nearly all 14 principal roles
He was twice named Ne- Gibson’s story is “the story led to the Negro Leagues’ Troy Maxson, the fiction- in “The Summer King” are
gro National League bat- that came before Jackie shutdown, ending careers al character played by played by African-Amer-
ting champ and led the Robinson,” says Daniel for dozens of black ath- Washington, is a former icans, a rarity in operas
league in home runs three Sonenberg, composer of letes who were not among Negro Leagues star. He (“Porgy and Bess” notwith-
times. “The Summer King.” ‘’Josh’s the few chosen for white tells Gibson’s story, express- standing). Renowned mez-
He played for two Pitts- career made the advent of teams. ing bitterness that he and zo-soprano Denyce Graves
burgh teams, the Home- Jackie Robinson possible. It Both “Fences” and “The other ex-players ended plays Gibson’s lover. Bass-
stead Grays and the Craw- was Josh who played at this Summer King” honor “a up “without a pot to piss baritone Alfred Walker,
fords. high level that caught the whole generation of won- in or a window to throw it who plays Gibson, told
Gibson died at 35, proba- attention of white owners. derful players whose liveli- out.” Maxson’s mistress — the New Pittsburgh Cou-
bly from a brain aneurysm, It was Josh who demon- hoods and social structures like Gibson’s wife — dies in rier that playing “someone
a few months before Jack- strated it was competitive got up-ended,” Hahn said. childbirth. that looks like me” is “an
ie Robinson integrated suicide not to integrate.” Several threads in “Fenc- Pittsburgh Opera partnered amazing opportunity.”q
Wyclef Jean says he was

mistaken for robbery suspect

MICHAEL BALSAMO sheriff’s officials apologized son. They proceeded to ig-
Associated Press for inconveniencing Jean nore me and I was treated
LOS ANGELES (AP) — but said he was lawfully like a criminal.”
Grammy-winning musician stopped by deputies look- In a statement Tuesday af-
Wyclef Jean said he was ing for a violent criminal ternoon, sheriff’s officials
handcuffed and “treated whose victims described a said Jean was riding in a car
like a criminal” when Los similar vehicle and article that matched the descrip-
Angeles County sheriff’s of clothing. tion of the vehicle used in
deputies mistook him for a “I was asked by the police an armed robbery that oc-
violent armed robber early to put my hands up. Then I curred a few minutes be-
Tuesday. was told, fore Jean was stopped. In this Feb. 17, 2015 file photo, Wyclef Jean appears at the Die-
The former Fugees star ‘Do not move.’ I was in- The two robbery victims sel Black Gold fashion show in New York.
posted a video on Twitter stantly hand cuffed before told sheriff’s deputies that Associated Press
showing himself in hand- being asked to identify my- they were sitting in a park-
cuffs leaned over a patrol self and before being told ing lot when a man walked they give him everything to the description of the
car in West Hollywood, why,” Jean told The Associ- up to them, pistol whipped they had. assailant’s vehicle and fol-
decrying the way he was ated Press. “In the process them, pressed the gun Deputies who were patrol- lowed the car until it pulled
being treated. Hours after I said my name and told against the head of one of ling nearby spotted a car over in West Hollywood,
the incident, Los Angeles them they have wrong per- the victims and demanded that was nearly identical the statement said.q