PicksInSix Review: The Nacirema Society - Goodman Theatre

A Powerful, Laugh-Out Loud Triumph!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

Expect the unexpected in the Chicago premiere of Pearl Cleage’s extravagant and absurd comedy, “The Nacirema Society.” The play shines as the opener of Susan Booth’s first curated season as Goodman Theatre’s Artistic Director and as a joyous and nuanced exploration of how class, family tradition, honor, privilege, young love, ambition and social responsibility all present in everyday life. These themes mixed with over-the-top drama sets the stage for big gasps and even bigger laughs. Grab a glass of sherry, sit back and welcome to the lavish home of Grace Dubose Dunbar. 

“The Nacirema Society” drops us into the world of a prosperous, aristocratic Black family, the Dunbars, in 1964 Montgomery, Alabama. The mighty and entitled matriarch of the family, Grace Dubose Dunbar (E. Faye Butler), is also the grande dame of the Nacirema Society, a social club for affluent Black women in the South. The Society is preparing for the centennial year of its annual debutante ball, and Grace expects perfection in everything and everyone around her including her effervescent granddaughter Gracie (Demetra Dee) who is making her debut at the centennial ball. 

The plot weaves in another family—the working-class single mother Alpha Campell-Jackson (Tyla Abercrumbie) and her daughter Lille (Felicia Oduh)—who dig up Dunbar family secrets and rattle Dunbar family skeletons. The juxtaposition of these two families during the Civil Rights Movement illuminates the impacts of class and generational expectations in navigating change and legacy. The two families collide with great hilarity in the second act. 

Cleage’s remarkable writing and dialogue are brought to life under the superb direction of Lili-Anne Brown and the outstanding cast of powerhouse talent. Butler and Abercrumbie command the stage. Oduh and Dee are so honest and charming in depicting teenage eagerness, and the ensemble works beautifully together on stage to elevate each scene. 

Plus, the physical comedy is inspired. Ora Jones has a stand-out comedic performance as Grace’s nervous-wreck of a friend lurking on stage at the epicenter of a blackmail scheme. Shariba Rivers as the maid also had the audience buzzing as she collects coats, listens in from the stairs and eventually indulges in a glass of sherry herself as everything unravels.

Perhaps the best part of “The Nacirema Society” is as you find yourself belly laughing from start to finish, you are also deeply moved. This play stands strong as a delightful piece of theater that connects us through its content and characters all while creating an exuberant community in that experience.  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | KAITLYN LINSNER is a Chicago-based attorney practicing construction and surety law.

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

GOODMAN THEATRE
presents
The Nacirema Society
EXTENDED through October 22
Albert Theatre
170 N. Dearborn St.

(312) 443-3800

WEBSITE

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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

VICTORY GARDENS THEATER
presents
cullad wattah
2433 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
through July 17

WEBSITE

TICKETS

DIGITAL PROGRAM

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PICKSINSIX Review: CAROLINE, OR CHANGE

“CAROLINE” – A STUNNING WORK OF ART! 

Fearless, central performance… Change for Caroline Thibodeaux isn’t easy, but change is coming. The wage she earns for the long hours doing laundry barely allows her to put food on the table for her three kids at home. She spends her days working underground between the washer, the dryer and the radio, and her nights in the shadow of the moon, dreaming of a better place. A fearless, central performance by Rashada Dawan makes Firebrand Theatre’s pulsating new production of the Tony Kushner/Jeanine Tesori musical “Caroline, or Change” a stunning work of art!

Exciting new partnership… Kushner’s semi-biographical masterpiece, staged in association with TimeLine Theatre Company, is directed by Lili-Anne Brown with music direction by Andra Velis Simon. Emerging through a multitude of intricate rhythms and diverse musical styles, it is the story of two divergent families – one African-American, one Jewish – in the midst of the early ‘60s civil rights movement. Laying bare the raw and oppressive attitudes of the day, “Caroline, or Change” is an exquisite accomplishment for the exciting new partnership between Firebrand and TimeLine.

Family friction… In 1963 Lake Charles, Louisiana, Noah (Alejandro Medina) is coping with the recent passing of his mother. Noah’s father, Stuart Gellman (Jonathan Schwart) has married Rose (Blair Robertson), his mom’s best friend, who is now trying to forge a bond with Noah. Noah despises his stepmother and turns to Caroline, who has been his anchor through the long illness. Caroline understands the friction Rose’s presence has brought to the family and resists efforts to partner in the boy’s discipline, particularly when it comes to Rose’s insistence that he be held accountable for his carelessness with money. Noah adores Caroline and imagines her as the perfect mother, citizen, even President.

Breakout role… Dawan’s Caroline soars as she struggles mightily to cope with the mounting pressure of her relationship with Rose, a smart turn for Robertson, and her blistering confrontation with Noah. Caroline’s rebellious daughter Emmie, a breakout role for Bre Jacobs, adds to the mounting drama while her friend, Dotty, the perfect Nicole Michelle Haskins, tries to keep moving forward. Medina’s Noah is simply terrific as are the touching performances of Princess Isis Z. Lang (Jackie) and Lyric K. Sims (Joe), the younger Thibodeaux daughters. The fantasy elements of the sung-through piece showcase the strong vocals of Tyler Symone (Moon/Washer), Roberta Burke(Radio 3), De’Jah Jerval (Radio 1) and Emma Sipora Tyler (Radio 2) and Michael Lovette (Bus/Dryer).

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Brilliant chamber orchestra… Over twenty performers and dozens of creative/administrative professionals contribute to this impressive production. The brilliant chamber orchestra is conducted by Andra Velis Simon. Lauren Nichols contrasting set of rooms above the basement works well with audience on two sides in the Den Theater’s Heath Stage. Lighting by Cat Wilson dramatically highlights the dazzling Kotryna Hilko costumes.

Immerse yourself… Allow a bit of extra time before the show and at intermission to immerse yourself in the dramaturgy exhibit on display. TimeLine has also created an excellent app to examine the events and background that helps to enhancing overall impact and educational value.

PHOTOS|Marisa MK

NOTE: Our engaging August 2018 CONVERSATION
with Lili-Anne Brown - BIG CONCEPTS. NEW PARTNERSHIPS
is available on Apple Podcasts, Libsyn and Stitcher.

FIREBRAND THEATRE
with TIMELINE THEATRE
Presents
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
through October 28, 2018
The Den Theatre
1331 N Milwaukee
773-697-3830

FIREBRAND WEBSITE

TIMELINE WEBSITE - APP

CONVERSATIONS PODCAST with LILI-ANNE BROWN

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PICKSINSIX Review: BUDDY - THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY

Zachary Stevenson's ‘Buddy’ is a 'WOW!' 

Eighteen glorious months. … Strip away social media, cable television, satellite and internet radio, downloads, Amazon, Google, iTunes and what do you have left? Posters, vinyl records, small live venues, local television and radio, which makes what Buddy Holly did for eighteen glorious months in the late 50s all the more incredible.

Explosive performance … Times may have changed in the past sixty years, but they have not changed that much. Everyone is still looking for a sure thing and we’ve got one right here in Chicago on West Belmont – the explosive performance of Zachary Stevenson in the American Blues Theater revival of Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story at Stage 773.

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Like a classic film .... we know how this bittersweet story ends, so it’s the actors — who are an amazing collection of singers and instrumentalists — that make this jukebox musical soar. Director Lili-Anne Brown and Musical Director Michael Mahler, who also performs, have brought a multi-talented company together around these iconic hits - well over two-dozen songs played out on the radio and in a series of recording sessions, club dates and concert appearances to frame the backstory. And they knock every one of them out of the park! 

Extraordinary musical journey… Stevenson and the Crickets, Kieran McCabe, Shaun Whitley and Mahler — are at the core of this extraordinary musical journey. Liz Chidester, is perfect as Vi Petty (and really rocks the keyboards) as is Derek Hasenstab (Norman Petty), a blistering guitarist. The strong company features fine vocal performances by Angela Alise, Chuckie Benson and Daniel Riley at the Apollo, along with Alex Goodrich, Ann Delaney, Lauren Vogel and Molly Hernandez who also nails the endearing role of Maria Elena, and Ian Paul Custer, an affable Hi Pockets. The rockin’ talents of Cisco Lopez (Ritchie Valens) and Vasily Deris (Big Bopper) will blow you away, but this take-no-prisoners musical extravaganza belongs to one person: Zachary Stevenson’s 'Buddy' is a 'WOW!'

Educational and community outreach … American Blues Theater has partnered with Chicago Public Schools to encourage student attendance while cast members are also performing mini-concerts at assisted-living facilities and hospitals. No finer way to bring the arts and entertainment, and first-class musical opportunities, to an appreciative extended audience.

What are you waiting for? … Ready Teddy! You have until September 15th to see this one. Oh Boy!  [Updated: July 5, 2018]

PHOTOS|MICHAEL BROSILOW

AMERICAN BLUES THEATER
Presents
Buddy-The Buddy Holly Story
through September 15th

JUST ANNOUNCED!
Buddy Holly Returns for 'Encore' Run
June 29th - Sept 15th

Stage 773
1225 West Belmont
(773) 327-5252

WEBSITE

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