Convergence, A Theatrical Study of Pearl Cleage

LATE BUS TO MECCA is a startling drama and it was superbly performed in a staged reading at RACCA'S Seaport Salon Sunday evening by the two women who had brought it glowingly to life 17 years ago. Kim Yancy and Claire Dorsey were marvelous in this redux of work by Pearl Cleage, an under-appreciated giant of contemporary theater.

The Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art, founded by Hazel Bryant and sustained through the devotion and perspiration of Shirley Radcliffe and Imani, is an institutional guardian of the recent history of African American theater in New York. Between June 12 and 21, 2009, RACCA produced ten days of readings of the work of Pearl Cleage followed by discussions of the meaning and relevance of the works. I was lucky enough to attend the reading of A SONG FOR CORETTA Sunday afternoon and was entranced by the compelling stories of five fictional women who wait in the rain to view the body of Coretta Scott King as she lay in state at Ebeneezer Baptist Church.

The Convergence, a theatrical study of the work of Pearl Cleage, was produced at RAACA's Shooting Star Theater down at the tip of Manhattan at 40 Peck Slip. And if you can't feel the vibrance of the millions of people who have trod the cobblestone streets in this section of Manhattan then you are not fully awake.

Unfortunately, I missed a lot of good stuff. There were readings of MAD AT MILES, FLYIN' WEST, WHAT LOOKS LIKE CRAZY . . . , SOME THINGS I NEVER THOUGHT I'D DO, BABYLON SISTERS AND CHAIN. There were performances by: LaVonda Elam, Karen Malina White, Sharon Hope, Lynda Karen, Pauline E. Meyer, Dominique Morisseau, Dennis Pressey, and numerous others.

A question: Why, oh, why is it that cultural obeisance is offered to the work of August Wilson and little recognition is given to the theater work of Pearl Cleage? Why are the dramatic possibilities of the lives of women, most especially African American women, given such short cultural shrift? Women are useful as eye candy, but are otherwise of no interest on stage? Should we let one man's vision of African Americans in the twentieth century dominate the cultural landscape?

The sliver of hope in both A SONG FOR CORETTA and LATE BUS TO MECCA is that the characters in each leave the stage together -- willing to face what comes together.

The evening concluded with a brief discussion of the characters and literary work of Pearl Cleage. The author was unable to attend these programs, but sent her regards via a letter. We also listened to a radio interview with the author.

I had dinner between shows at The PARIS TAVERN at 119 South St. It is a comfortable spot with good food and a view of the Brooklyn Bridge. It is said to have been at the spot since 1873 -- yikes!

August Wilson's RADIO GOLF

RADIO GOLF is the last play in August Wilson’s celebrated ten-play century cycle. Completed months before Wilson’s death, it is a bit scary. I read it and was stunned. I saw the production at The Studio Theater in D.C. and left feeling less hopeful than at the end of any of the nine previous. The writing is beautiful. The drama is realized. The final notes are somber. There doesn't seem to be a way to save the Wylie Avenue house and what it represents.

Ron Himes' direction of this production of RADIO GOLF is mundane. That's okay since the play needs little help. The interpretation -- the themes -- are laid out in August Wilson’s superb text. A director's only work would be to get better performances from the actors and to fully realize the technical elements of the production. The RADIO GOLF set reminded me of the 2000-2001 Studio Theater production of Wilson's JITNEY. In fact, I thought it was a lovely reference to the cyclical nature of the works even though it lacked the hill-like, incline feature of the previous set.

In the role of real estate magnate, Harmond Wilks, Walter Coppage is a little boring. His interpretation of this character doesn’t seem to have any passion. I think he is trying to show comfort and ease with Wilks’ economic status. Very relaxed he is, but he comes across as not being fully focused on the drama. It felt like Coppage was creating Harmond Wilks as George W. Bush.

Erik Kilpatrick missed most of the meaningful beats in the character of Sterling Johnson and Kim Sullivan seemed uncomfortable in the role of Roosevelt Hicks. It is in these spots that the limitations of Ron Himes’ direction is clear. More could have been elicited from these performances.

Wilks’ wife, Mame, has one moment of lively, atavistic, personality -- the "dry ice" quip. This, I felt, was Wilson keeping his visionary-griot, Elder Joseph Barlow, on his toes. Even in the midst of all of the spiritualism, local history and ritual is the possibility of bunko. And it is Mame who says that ". . . its just not practical to throw all that history away." in answer to Harmond's plan to rename the Health Center for an historical figure that no one knows. Mame as written is, unsurprisingly, a woman with little to say. But in these places she does have important things to say. Unfortunately, Deidra LaWan Starnes' breezy, self-assured delivery throws out her character’s best bits. When she is forced into her Act 2 self-revelation, she merely explodes, then capitulates. If we hadn't read the play we wouldn't have known this was coming. It sits out there strangely, frustratingly.

Frederick Strother's Elder Joseph Barlow is the soul of the drama, as well as, the neighborhood's documentarian. Strother is certainly at the center of this production as his character is at the center of the play. In this summing up Elder Joseph Barlow is carrying heavy. He struggles up the hill to the office, he struggles up off the sofa. But he is a survivor because he's got sense enough to ask for - to demand if necessary - the help he needs. He does get water from Harmond Wilks. He does get justice from Wilks. Veteran Frederick Strother is there for every beat. He uses the humor that is in the words and stage directions, yet he keeps it under control -- not letting the audience get too carried away with laughing at him. He is pitch perfect and is carrying more than his share in this unevenly acted production.

Dreaded Tourmaline had dinner before the theater at the corner of 14th & Monroe Sts. N.W. at the casual/classy, Ruby Tuesday. Happily this is part of the revitalization of the old African American shopping hub at 14th & Park Roads. N.W. It’s a nice spot with food and drink and is a nice return to family dining in the neighborhood a la the old Hot Shoppes restaurants. See my blogpost on this old neighborhood shopping hub at: http://dreadedtourmaline.blogdrive.com/archive/cm-6_cy-2009_m-6_d-18_y-2009_o-10.html

The Arabian Nights/Dreaded Tourmaline at the Lookingglass

The Arabian Nights

Dreaded Tourmaline went to Chicago. I saw a great production of  Lookingglass Theater Company:  THE ARABIAN NIGHTS, written and directed by ensemble member, Mary Zimmerman. The play was adapted from THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS and ONE NIGHT translated by Powys Mathers. 

The script follows the outline of the well-known, traditional story. The production is good -- great even, though it is flawed, over-long and repetitious. A half hour of running time could certainly be trimmed off the first act. I would swear I heard the exact story more than once and my knees started to squeal before intermission. Intermission was humorously, cleverly introduced by Dunyazade, sister of Scheherezade. Louise Lamson does a creditable job of portraying the beautiful and smart Scheherezade, but her performance lacks emotional fire. One never actually fears that she will be harmed. In fact the only empathy that is elicited is for her poor father who must come each morning with her shroud in case she hasn't managed to distract the King from his murderous campaign. Though his face is not visible, the father's dejected posture is heartbreaking. The costumes were superb. They were eye-candy in the best sense of the term. They were a visual delight that advanced the story. The set begins as a large naked area covered with what seem like painter's cloths. The ensemble enters to live drumming and sings and removes the cloths revealing arabic rugs and pillows. The play likewise unfolds and is revealed and builds and rearranges. The production's strength is the solid ensemble of the players. Individual performances don't emerge from the whole as each player portrays several parts. Allen Gilmore is memorable, however, as Scheherezade's father. The music and musicians are excellent. Actually the ensemble are the instrumentalists and singers as well as dancers -- a talented group. They cooked on the traditional looking Middle Eastern percussion instruments. The climax is the traditional one: the King grows to love Scheherezade and nights are alight and there is no fear. The production tidies itself with drawing us to consider what our government is doing to the nights over Baghdad today. This is a play well worth seeing though a little less might be a better thing. 

The performance is held in a Chicago landmark The Water Tower Water Works.  http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago/watertower.htm  Lookingglass is a multi-disciplined collective and they are a brilliant bunch -- a lovely, energetic, diverse ensemble.

Dreaded Tourmaline finished the evening face down in a hot fudge sundae sort of diagonally across from the WTWW in a Ghirardelli ice cream parlor -- great spot for people-watching.