Review of SING SING: Prison Playhouse

February 27, 2025

The Sing Sing Correctional Facility was a maximum-security prison for men in the state of New York. Since 1996, there was an ongoing non-profit organization there called "Rehabilitation Through the Arts" (RTA), which aimed to provide inmates an outlet for their artistic talents.  Inmate John "Divine G" Whitfield (Colman Domingo) was one of the founding members of the theater group and was their star playwright and actor. 

One day, a disruptive inmate calling himself "Divine Eye" (Clarence Maclin) became a member of RTA in time for their next stage performance, to be written and directed by Brent Buell (Paul Raci). Divine G and Divine Eye did not get off on the right foot at first because of disagreements about the nature of their new production. However, after a series of  tough confrontations, they eventually became the best of friends. 

This film is based on a true story documented in a 2005 article about the RTA published in Esquire Magazine entitled "The Sing Sing Folies" written by John H. Richardson, and director Brent Buell's script entitled "Breaking the Mummy's Code," his original comedy play written specifically for RTA about an Egyptian boy who encountered cowboys, Robin Hood and Hamlet, whose creative process and original staging in 2005 was recreated for the film. 

This film earned three Oscar nominations. First was for its Best Adapted Screenplay, which was actually quite good  to be able to integrate the story of RTA's advocacy, and link it to the production of  their first comedic project. The real Divine G Whitfield one of those co-writers nominated. Second was for Best Original Song, entitled "Like A Bird" by Abraham Alexander & Adrian Quesada, a catchy inspirational tune we hear over the closing credits. 

Its most high profile nomination was for Colman Domingo for Best Actor, playing the role of Divine G Whitfield, a man who was arguing for his innocence but was not able to get a good break. He was one of the original members of RTA which he used as an outlet for his artistic talents. Domingo has been acting since the 1990s, but he finally hit mainstream renown when he was nominated for a Best Actor last year for "Rustin" (2023). 

At the BAFTA,  Domingo's co-star Clarence Maclin was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. This was remarkable because Maclin was actually an inmate of Sing Sing, sentenced 17 years for robbery.  In fact, practically the whole cast was composed of RTA alumni (and therefore all former inmates in Sing Sing). It was not apparent at all that Maclin and all these guys were not professional actors in their first film -- very impressive! 8/10