Stage Black: A Festival of New Plays, 7-17-11

STAGE BLACK: A Festival of New Plays
Produced by Jiles R. King, II of 7TH Stage Productions
Reviewed performance on Sunday July 17, 2011

____________Stage Black: A Festival of New Plays____________

Stage Black: A Festival of Plays, produced by 7th Stage Productions under the direction of Jiles R. King, II, is a four hour mixture of highs and lows, hits and misses, and a palpable desire by the actors and writers to reach something real inside their audience.

“Each play selected for the festival was chosen to reveal the depth and range of the human experience, filled with all its glory and its challenges, from an African American viewpoint.

Life-Death-Life by Paula Sanders is about renowned artist Trent, a survivor of a destructive, fast and glamorous life is finally on the right path with the right woman, Siesha. That is until his past comes calling with dreadful news. In one day, Trent must face the life he may lose and the one he has just created. Unfortunately, there may be no real choice in either matter.

Everyone has a rough day at work. When this happens, the most common thing to do is to have a drink or two. In Drinks on Me by Prince Duren, Gary has taken it upon himself to indulge in this recreational activity. Inside this bar, Gary finds more than just a drink and his life will never be the same again.

The Liberation of Aunt Jo Mama by Gregory Carr transports us deep into the south on the product slave owner General Malls’ Plantation. General Malls’ Plantation, a sprawling antebellum estate spawned the black product slaves Smokie, the clean white toothpaste slave; his woman, Aunt Jo Mama, the pancake mammy; Mr. and Mrs. Bitter Earth, the maple syrup slaves and the loyal Uncle Remy, the rice slave. Will Smokie be able to save Aunt Jo Mama from being just another face on the shelf?

The Ugly Truth by Catherine Montgomery is about Don and Michelle, who are both married to other people, and are making plans for a secret rendezvous when things take a drastic turn. The Ugly Truth takes you on a hilarious whirlwind ride that will have you questioning everything you knew about matters of the heart, honesty and a higher power.

The Wide Divide by Joe Feinstein centers on two 20’s something white couples who get into a racial confrontation in a most unusual way – One of them wants to change his white to black. With America having its first black president, The Wide Divide questions, “Is Race Still A Factor in 2011?”

Closing out the evening with a powerful drama was Breaking Vows at Midnight by Cherie’ Monique Williams. The Dodson family is just an ordinary family, living an ordinary life and dealing with ordinary problems. That is until a mysterious guest visits for the weekend and turns their world upside down. Breaking Vows at Midnight rips the covers off of not-so-ordinary issues such as Lies, Lust, Love and Loathing.” (All descriptions taken from 7th Stage Productions’ Press Materials.)

Overall, this was a very entertaining afternoon of theatre. The Black Academy of Arts and Letters Clarence Muse Café Theater is a small venue, made even more so by the fact that the audience sits at little café tables, complete with battery operated candle lighting. The stage sports one main playing space with archways running all along the wall with curtains hanging for multiple entrances and exits. It seemed, to me, there was an original stage built at the center arch and runway style platforms added on either side of it. I must admit, I often found myself worrying if the actors were going to trip over the two inch framing of the stage as they would cross (sometimes at the height of their emotions) from the original stage to the platforms. Not a single stumble. The set changes between plays were quick and choreographed, which helped keep the audience engaged.

The lighting was minimalistic, focusing on one part of the stage over another, but not really utilized to set atmosphere or give time of day. At the end of each play was a song that, every time, perfectly exemplified the message the audience had just experienced. The evening would have been aided by the entrance door being greased so not to screech whenever opened, and if the catering staff had not conversed so loudly in the bar area.

The first play, Life-Death-Life, could have been easily rated R for language and sexual content. “It takes only a moment to pack the bag you will carry the rest of your life.” This play was full of similar self- reflective statements, delivered with ease. The actors, J.R. Bradford as Trent the artist, Kenneisha Thompson as the ex-girlfriend Tofface, and Nadine Richard as Siesha, hit the stage with full emotions roaring to be let loose. The end of the play, though, became a mini sermon from Trent that was wholly unneeded. The rule of thumb in theatre is SNOTT- Show NOT Tell. I would be very interested to see this one act extended into a full production, mainly because of the character Tofface. She was a fascinating mixture of flippant and darkness. She saw goodness and joy in Trent and sought to destroy it in hopes he would take her with him.. Bradford was subtle and calm until time to explode. He also, as I have noticed in prior performances, has very precise stage business that comes across as natural movement. In this case, he was working at his easel until time to reveal. Richard moved many audience members to tears as her own tears flowed as a woman in the anguish of love. A powerful, powerful production.

Drinks on Me followed, and though well acted, I’m honestly not sure what happened to the characters in the end, or why I would care. Major kudos to Kenneisha Thompson for, in a matter of minutes, shifting from an international super model in the prior play to an old, slightly decrepit seductress from the deep south in this one. Sam Green’s giddiness as Gary was simply adorable. The audience could tell that he was a good man, almost childlike, and these two people in this bar (wearing red as a subtle hint) were not nearly so innocent. The bar tender, Jack, was calmly and powerfully played by K.D. Davis. Perhaps I missed the ending, or the message of the play, but until the very abrupt ending, it was a performance that held my attention without breaking. Was he the devil? Was she a temptress? Why did Gary like her, and what was the point of all the drinking and spiking of his drinks? These were my questions that I have not found the answer to, but because of the fully developed characters, I long to.

Closing the first half of the festival was The Liberation of Aunt Jo Mama, a farcical tale about black product mascots. A farce is written to give the audience, through laughter at themselves, insight to a situation or cultural norm. Though we as an audience laughed our heads off, I’m not sure what the play was a farce of- the portrayal of black people in product merchandising? Over- coming the strong and entrenched grip of the white man in business enterprises? It could have been a number of things, but I’m not sure which one. La-Netia Taylor as Aunt Jo Mama was fully committed to both the posture and the accent/voice required of her. Stefan Peterson and Allison Ostrander played Salisbury Flourchild and Becky Cracker (white actors), and played them over the top. Peterson’s accent choice, at first, came across as a type of speech impediment, and I often found him hard to follow. Ostrander, on the other hand, had a beautifully melodious voice and a wide eyed gaze that had the audience grinning along with her. K.D. Davis as Jet Black Jones, aka Smokie, and Me-Mei Monae as Mrs. Bitter Earth unfortunately came into the storyline at the height of my confusion. Though their performances were fine, I was more focused on figuring out what was happening and why. J.R. Bradford, as Uncle Remy the rice guy had his best acting moment of the evening: Flourchild and Smokie get into a kitchen dance- off, with Bradford in the middle. The look on his face- shame, horror, awe, surprise all in one- was priceless and is the reason most of the audience continued to laugh long after the dance numbers’ humor wore off.

Admittedly, I was a few minutes late coming back from intermission. (I had to move my car to avoid being towed.) When I entered, The Ugly Truth was in progress, and I am VERY sorry to have missed it. It was an engaging, thought provoking exchange of dialogue between J.R. Bradford as God (speaking through Don) and Don’s would be mistress Michelle, played by Nadine Richard. Richard and Bradford ignited the stage with their fast paced verbal jabs at one another and heart felt confessions of what truly motivated them in life. “Free will is mankind’s best friend and worst enemy.” and then later, “You are pretty sarcastic to be God.” My favorite line, coming towards the end, was God saying to Michelle, “Love yourself as I have loved you.” A powerful message for her and every person in the audience. However, and I blame that he was in three of the six plays, JR seemed to be tripping over his lines at times, or at the very least getting stuck. This play, unlike the others, is perfectly set as a short one act. Given more time to focus on it, the performances would have been golden.

The Wide Divide held such potential to be my favorite play of the evening. However, sloppy and at times incomprehensible accents and a desire to hit the punch line rather than tell a story overrode what could have been. It begins as the four white friends discuss what religion they are or would like to be- one saying she has a “Jewish stomach” because she loves Jewish food. One of the friends, Larry played by Stefan Peterson, confesses to his friends he would like to be black. To be a black man, listen to black music, watch black television- he knows he can’t change his skin, but he wants to try it out anyways. His wife, Deena (Allison Ostrander) is adamantly opposed to it and gives a hint that it might not just be ridiculous to her (as it is to the others) but also disgusting. Amy Baker as Maggie and Nik Hobson as Jess settled into their characters and became easier to understand as the play progressed. Larry admires his black friend at work and thinks that white just isn’t cool in comparison. I am unsure as to what any of this conversation had to do with our first black president as hinted at in the description in the press release, but the conversation itself held my attention. Though not well executed, it was very funny and very revealing of multiple white perceptions of black life. I would, however, question why they had to be rednecks? How powerful it could have been if they were anything but…

Breaking Vows at Midnight was the smart choice to end the festival with- on a bang! Making the best use of space and lighting, this play worked on many levels. House right was the living room, center stage was the kitchen, and house left was Vanessa’s (Jerrica Roy) radio studio for her nightly show. Roy played her many emotions subtly until she exploded at the end. I particularly found her “jolted” expression when she was kissed particularly believable. However, some of her slaps to her son and others were obviously pulled. Either go all out or, as an actor, refuse to try. Kenneth McDonald as her husband Kevin Dodson was a little too subtle, and he didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands (a common problem for actors). I wanted to see the shift from the picture perfect man, who gave truthful advice to his son, to the true man that was the center of their crashing world. Wesley Frazier as Malcolm James had my full attention from the first words he spoke. A deep, booming yet smooth voice erupted from him that made me wish it were a one man show. As the friend their son, Josh (Trevian Hall) brings home from college, he is at first awkward with the situation, then gradually gains control of it, until his ultimate motivations are revealed. London Calloway as Josh’s childhood friend Andre Kingston was rightfully juxtaposed to Malcolm’s educated and refined persona with his slang and constant references to “ladies with big booties.” Because of the need to keep it a one act, the ending felt sudden- as if pages of the script had been skipped, and thereby a little false. It didn’t help that a crucial sound cue misfired, though production value was so low, even if done correctly, it wouldn’t have aided in the storytelling. Sometimes, the best choice a director can make is to put action off stage and let the audience imagine it. This was another play I would gladly be first in line to see as a full, two act stage production. The material and the fantastic acting was there, forced into the limits of time. On a side note, NEVER EVER point a gun at your audience. Real or not, loaded or not, NEVER EVER do that, especially during curtain call.

As with any play festival, there are hits and there are misses, but overall, 7th Stage Productions’ Stage Black: A Festival of New Plays was an intriguing, thought provoking, four hour marathon. It’s a shame if you missed it.



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Stage Black: A Festival of New Plays
STAGE BLACK: A Festival of New Plays
Produced by Jiles R. King, II of 7TH Stage Productions
Performances ran July 15-17 at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters Clarence Muse Café Theater.
www.7thstageproductions.org or 214-743-2400