The Tallest Tree in the Forest

Legendary performer and political activist Paul Robeson is celebrated in song and story by Daniel Beaty (Emergency, The Public Theater) in this bravura solo play, directed by Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project Cycle, 2013 Winter/Spring). Seamlessly incorporating photos, audio, and video footage, The Tallest Tree in the Forest captures Robeson’s multifaceted history—from football heroics, to triumphs on Broadway and London’s West End, to radical politics and McCarthy-era defiance. With unflagging energy and incisiveness—and performing a stunning rendition of “Ol’ Man River”—Beaty sheds light on one of the 20th century’s most dynamic lives.