Look What A Wonder

A fictional account about the heroic Free Black Denmark Vesey who with Morris Brown co-founded Emmanuel A.M.E. church in Charleston, South Carolina. Emmanuel was the scene where A massacre of nine parishioners took place during a Bible study in 2015.

January 8th President Biden gave a National televised speech from the pulpit of Emmanuel praising Denmark Vesey as an example of “Democratic Patriotism.”

The above link is to an abbreviated audio only podcast version of look What A Wonder. It is currently running in the 2023 Atlanta Fringe Podcast Festival on an international platform 24/7 with access free of charge.

Below are some reviews from the Off Broadway Premiere of look What A Wonder, where Look What A Wonder was chosen from over 400 international submissions by the prestigious New York Music Theater Festival.

The festival gave Look What A Wonder six performances at

st. Clements theater on West 46 street.

Look What A Wonder translates the pathos of slavery into the story of one leader’s struggle for personal redemption and collective justice.

“The production surpasses its strictly gospel roots and bursts into thrilling theatricality…a terrific ensemble and dynamic performances.”
backstage.com

“A refreshingly honest change of pace…soulfelt and true … ”
Talkin Broadway

“…has all the ingredients of a Broadway multi-year run.”
John Budris, Christian Science Monitor

“Roof-raising ensemble numbers … that soar to the heavens…richly evocative.”
Show Showdown

Walter Houston Robinson
Writer / Composer / Producer

Walter Robinson is a composer, lyricist, writer, producer, and journalist.

As a composer he is best recognized for his children’s song “Harriet Tubman” which has become an American Folk Classic and is sung by children internationally. Harriet Tubman is published by Hal Leonard and the work is also scored for full orchestra and chorus, and is distributed by R. Schirmer, Inc. NYC.

Robinson’s earliest music education was as a double bassist. During middle  school he studied classical string bass with Ferdinand Maresh of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and, thru Maresh, audited rehearsal performance time in the Curtis School of Music Orchestra in Philadelphia. Simultaneously, Robinson played in a jazz quintet led by Carl Grubbs, nephew of John Coltrane. Robinson, also a jazz bass student of Jimmy Garrison John Coltrane’s bassist,  had the indelible experience as a youth to  “sit in” with  John Coltrane on bass at The Five Spot in NYC.  

After working to pay for his first two years of college, he earned a two year full scholarship and completed a BA as double major in Music and Psychology at Temple University. He then attended Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music Graduate School in Music Composition.  Robinson’s early lyricist education was enriched by the mentorship of world-renowned Jewish lyricist E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, who wrote the lyrics to “Over The Rainbow.” Robinson recounts asking  Harburg: “What was the greatest song ever written? to have Harburg answer by singing the slave spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” This relationship empowered Robinson to prioritize the rich legacy of Negro spirituals as inspiration for his original music.

Now, having turned solely to music composition, Robinson was honored with an unsolicited appointment of Artist-In-Residence and Research Fellow at the internationally known W. E. B. Dubois Institute for Afro-American  Research, Harvard University for eight years. During this time, Robinson researched and wrote the libretto, music, and lyrics to a gospel folk opera, based on the Denmark Vesey Slave Conspiracy of 1822 entitled Look What A Wonder. Look What A Wonder won over 21  grants and prizes during development alone, including the prestigious National Endowment of  the Arts Composer-Librettist Award. Carnegie patron,  GoGo Fergusson funded Robinson on three-week research  trip to the Carnegie’s  formerly privately owned Cumberland Is which held rich artifacts from slavery.  This research trip which included research time in Charleston, SC  and in the South Carolina  low country was  featured in an article in TIME Magazine.

What A Wonder was chosen out 400 international submissions and was given a World Off Broadway Premiere in the prestigious New York Music Theater Festival. The New York Times described the work as: “ A Gospel Jesus Christ Super Star!”

Look What A Wonder was optioned by Broadway producers who, then, unable to get it capitalized for a Broadway run, told Robinson: “ A musical about a Black revolutionary is not entertainment and would never sell tickets on Broadway.”

Notwithstanding, Boston Philanthropist Seth Klarman, thru the curriculum development non profit, Facing History and Ourselves,  funded Look What A Wonder on a National Concert Tour to Memphis, Cleveland, LA, SF, Chicago, and Boston, which in turn generated more national concert performances in Seattle, Philadelphia, Charleston, Memphis, Cincinnati, Lewiston, ME and Martha’s Vineyard. Five New England independent schools hosted performances. These were: Concord Academy, The Parks School, Fessenden, Exeter, and Buckingham Brown and Nichols.

Robinson then joined his in-law Philippine family for one decade in the Philippines where he wrote, directed, scored and produced anti-sex trafficking  radio a and TV ads, entitled Love Rescues.  

Robinson and his Philippine wife and their son returned to the US in April of 2018 to attend the VIP opening of Brian Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative’s Peace and Justice Monument in Montgomery Alabama. Vernon Jordan, then introduced Robinson’s Denmark Vesey work Look What A Wonder to Ford Foundation President, Darren Walker who via his Ford Foundation office,  funded a  Look What A Wonder  revival August 2019 on Martha’s Vineyard to excellent reviews.