Every once in a while a piece of art comes along that simply makes an audience feel lucky to have witnessed it live.Layon Gray’s ‘Black Angels over Tuskegee’ is one of those masterpieces; a sublime slice of history, comedy, drama, and pinpoint theatrical timing.This magnificent show was presented at the Earl Cameron Theatre at City Hall on Tuesday night where the audience was very much treated to a rare gem of a story.The play follows the paths of six aspiring fighter pilots, six ‘Negro’ men willing to do whatever’s necessary to become something that Jim Crow’s America told them they did not have the intelligence, physiology, technical skills, work ethic, or discipline to become: a pilot in the United States Army Air Force.From their first meeting in a testing centre in Utah, to their last mission together in the skies over North Africa and Europe, the men laugh, fight, share, cry, endure, and, ultimately, become brothers.Each moment the story moves through offers a new opportunity to feel the weight of the true-life story of the Tuskegee Airmen; indeed this show is an emotional tour de force.Tuesday night’s performance was an absolute treat to behold, providing plenty of laughs, thrills, chills, and a massive dose of emotional gravitas.The piece was written by Layon Gray and performed by The Black Gents of Hollywood.The performances were outstanding, and each of the six primary characters contributed equally to the cause, giving the actors ample opportunity to flex their respective dramatic muscle.Mr Gray played Quenten Dorsey, a Southerner who followed his big brother Abraham (Thomas Scott II) to Utah in hopes of one day mastering the skies.The chemistry between these actors was infectious, giving the audience no room to doubt that these characters were brothers.The relationships forged between all six characters were, in fact, portrayed seamlessly, lending a real intensity to the unfolding drama.Melvin Huffnagle shined as the pompous and fastidious Jeremiah Jones, while Ananias Dixon brought an innocence and charm to the group with his superb portrayal of Theodore Franks, a timid Southern gentleman.Former professional boxer Elijah Sams was brought to life by Lamman Rucker (a face many in the audience may have recognised as Sheriff Troy Jackson from Tyler Perry’s ‘Why Did I Get Married?’ and ‘Why Did I Get Married Too?’).Finally, Percival Nash (David Roberts), the family man who lied to get into the Tuskegee cadet programme, completed the sextet.As the story progressed, each character revealed more and more of their personal stories, giving clear license for the audience to love these characters.The story was rich, layered, and deeply emotional, making the real history the play is set in feel as tragic, inspiring, gut-wrenching, and vexing as it truly was.Thaddeus Daniels narrated the story with aplomb, painting a picture that was sometimes glimmering, but often dirty and battle-scarred.Craig Colsanti played Major Roberts, the group’s white drill master while they were at Tuskegee; a man who grew to respect the group, confessing his pride in them “off the record,” at one point.Amazing from start to finish, ‘Black Angels over Tuskegee’ was an astonishingly visceral, emotional, and inspirational inclusion in the 2013 Bermuda Festival.The Black Gents of Hollywood delivered a timeless performance on opening night, and I, for one, will remember this piece as simply the best thing I have ever seen about the legendary Tuskegee Airmen whose red-tailed fighters struck fear into the hearts of the Axis powers during the Second World War.In the end, the group suffered some casualties, but their legacy lived on.The strength of Mr Gray’s writing was breathtaking throughout, and the climactic death scene was pure poetry.This, put plainly, was one of those pieces of art that comes along once in a while; simply stunning. Bravo!