“There will be times when you walk into a room, and no one there is quite like you.”

Review by Jaymi D. Green

Playwright, Jacqueline Woodson’s new, standout musical The Day You Begin captures all of the nerves, excitement and uncertainties of the first day of school and transforms it into a 55 minute, vibrant celebration of individuality, self-acceptance and connection.

Woodson brings a poetic pen, alongside dream team: composer and lyricist, Toshi Reagon, and director, Charlotte Brathwaite to deliver thoughtful and deliberate themes for young audiences. Woodson threads in matters like living your life out loud; finding connection through differences; owning and sharing your stories; and, shining a light on how moving through the world in a way that reflects one’s truest self helps us find our ‘people.’ The musical effortlessly weaves these themes into bite-sized pieces, encouraging the smallest viewers while anchoring their unique light in the value of self expression.

The show is an adaptation of Jacqueline Woodson’s best selling children’s book The Day You Begin, which itself makes several fun appearances throughout the show. The musical follows Angelina (Carla Duren) — a young black girl from Brooklyn in search of meaning and purpose in her own story. We also get to know her three classmates Rigoberto (Camilo Linares), Min (Ashley D. Nguyen), Sam (Noah Virgile), and a new character, fun and loving teacher, Ms. Veve (Audrey Hailes). The musical offers us a helpful backstory that builds from the original book, adding color and depth to its characters.

Ms. Veve (Hailes) eliminates the fourth wall at the jump, inviting the show's young audience into the new classroom as her students. Her performance and strong, yet soothing, vocals bring the warmth and kindness that we love to associate with outstanding educators. We journey with Rigoberto (Linares) from Venezuela to Brooklyn, leaving behind his beloved ‘Abuelita,’ but not before he first brings the audience along with him on one final exciting game of football. The musical adds beautiful characterization to Sam (Virgile), who embodies a unique way of expression which his classmates embrace and protect. Nguyen’s outstanding performance, as Min, brings an energy to the production that will be sure to capture the attention of the smallest kiddos for the entire runtime. As we learn about her summer visit to Korea, we get a crash-course on kimchi and her hysterical declaration of her love for rice, bringing out laughs from the entire audience.

Dramaturg, Amissa Miller and scenic designer, Jian Jung create a beautiful and thoughtfully designed setting, full of color and intention, through which we journey with the kids throughout their day from classroom introductions to lunch time making the characters delightfully relatable. Costume designer, Trevor Bowen brings looks that are characters in themselves - from Ms. Vive’s purple patchwork to Min’s bright hot pink pants, adding a layer of fun and playfulness to the show. Emma Wiseman’s puppetry brings in unexpected and lively elements, highlighting each character’s individual stories.

Toshi Reagon’s music delivers whimsy, funk, synth and a touch of hip hop, keeping kids and parents clapping and dancing in their seats throughout the performance. “Angelina’s intro” draws us into the performance and showcases Carla Duren’s beautiful, belty vocals. “I Am Rigoberto '' is full of energy and excitement and some pretty remarkable dance moves, while Ashley D. Nguyen steals the show with her hilarious performance of “Min’s Precious World”.

The Day You Begin ultimately proves itself to be a joyful production to be experienced by the young and young at heart and will leave you feeling inspired and encouraged to be yourself and tell your story. The musical adaptation is one of many performances to be released as part of Woodson’s tenure as the Kennedy Center’s Education Artist-in-Residence with more to come in the new year.

The Day You Begin premiered at The Kennedy Center’s Family Theater – 2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566 - on November 18 and runs through December 18, 2022. For tickets, call the box office at 202 467-4600, or purchase them online.

Lighting design by Tuce Yasak, Sound Design by Nick “the 1da” Hernandez, Projection Design

by Hailey LaRoe and Attilio Rigotti; Props Design by Sam Bay; Hair and Makeup by Pricilla Bruce.

Runtime: 55 minutes, no intermission.

Jaymi D. Green (she) is a DC-based writer, storyteller, social critic and policy advocate. She spent nearly a decade in Big Tech working for Google, Pinterest and Apple on tech policy. Her creative work examines the human condition and seeks to foster empathy and compassion for the human experience through storytelling. Her nonfiction focuses on culture, equity and technology. You can follow her on Instagram @jaymidgreen