Denyce Graves, fêted in her heyday as Carmen and the Delilah of Camille Saint-Saëns, has found a new signature role in the historic Black soprano Mary Cardwell Dawson. Thwarted in her ambitions for a career on the stage, Dawson taught and organized, creating untold opportunity for other Black talent. Her National Negro Opera Company, founded in 1941, set itself a high bar and delivered even more. Sandra Seaton’s deft new play, with original music by Carlos Simon, tells the inspiring story of Dawson’s challenges and her triumphs. The premiere performances in 2021, at the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, New York, hinted at a potential Broadway future that has yet to materialize. Pending such a development, catch this all-too-brief revival in the capital. —Matthew Gurewitsch