PicksInSix Review: "cullud wattah" - Victory Gardens Theater
Great Purpose, Power Drive “cullud wattah”
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor Ronald Keaton
Big Ma (Renee Lockett) says to Reesee (Ireon Roach), as they share their troubles together, “Yo’ hurt ain’t even knee-high yet” in cullud wattah, the ambitious new play by Erika Dickerson-Despenza, now playing at Victory Gardens Theater through July 17. It’s a sentence that rings true for the fortunes of a down-on-its-luck family trying to right the ship. Directed in a stylish, free-flowing manner by VG Resident Director Lili-Anne Brown, cullud wattah ostensibly deals with the tragic public water crisis in Flint, Michigan – a calamity that has continued in some form or another in the now eight years since the tragedy became public.
The crisis, however, is examined in this play through the eyes of one African-American family, all women…and all going through their own difficulties. Plum (Demetra Dee) is the youngest in the family and the one facing the most immediate challenge – cancer. It’s a cancer that was puzzling in its origin until a report came out, saying that lead had been discovered in the new water source for the city, the Flint River. Marion (Brianna Buckley) has just gotten a dramatic promotion and raise at her job at General Motors – the company suspected and accused of contaminating the river water.
Her sister Ainee (Sydney Charles) has a checkered history of addiction and miscarriage and is now pregnant for the seventh time. When the news of a class-action lawsuit comes that the family could be a part of, Ainee jumps at the opportunity with relish, while Marion strongly hesitates in favor of the guaranteed income and chance to financially change the family’s luck. The battle between the two sisters is almost epic in substance, as Big Ma tries to be a kind of mediator, while realizing her own mixed feelings on the entire affair.
The switch in the water source to the Flint River ultimately became a financial choice, as the River was more affordable than Lake Huron, obtained through arrangement with the city of Detroit, an hour away. It proved to be an albatross around the neck of Flint city fathers, who apparently ignored reports that the water was tainted. This then became a national issue, of course, and affected thousands in the Flint area – especially school children.
Ms. Dickerson-Despenza’s strong writing has a dual purpose here. It articulates the family struggle – we see scores of water bottles containing liquids of all colors across the entire stage setting. It shows the power of the bureaucracy through barriers that constantly shadow the family’s attempts to escape this situation and just make it right for themselves. The scenic work of Sydney Lynne is overpowering – one might question if it was a bit too much, but hey, it’s a play with a definite point of view. Such power can indeed be justified, particularly with a behemoth like General Motors avoiding well-documented and sometimes redacted responsibility.
One should hesitate to share the play’s conclusion; it’s shocking and yet strongly resolute. cullud wattah was written by the playwright with great purpose, directed with power by Ms. Brown, and offered onstage by a cast with obvious affinity for each other. As a family should. The hurt may be more than knee-high, but it needs to be for this family to share and help us understand the alacrity of the story’s dilemma.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL www.solochicagotheatre.com
PHOTO|Liz Lauren
DIGITAL PROGRAM
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