By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

A great departure from Lynn Nottages award winning "Ruined", Vera Stark has many redeaming qualities and does point a finger at racial biases in Hollywood. Act 1 is a brilliant satire, while Act 2 is a rather mordent account of how the Hollywood system sometimes breaks down true talent with its stereotyping and prejudiceracial,ethnic, and sexual. Good cast with Sanaa Lathan a standout in the title role.

I loved this play and I am in awe of Lynn Nottage! This amazing playwright coupled a traditional stage narrative with multimedia presentations to pull off a highly polished and creative production. The actors turned in stellar performances, but my eyes were glued to Kimberly Hebert Gregory and Daniel Breaker. The diversity of these actors is remarkable. I especially loved the unique tonal shift that occurs between Act 1 and Act II. The staging during Act II was brilliant. Kudos to this ingenious playwright! Much talk was generated by this change in gears, however. It seems as if some audience members wanted to see a traditional narrative and assumed theyd see a linear chronology of Vera Starks life in Act II as was previewed in Act I. And perhaps thats the point of this piece. What happened to so many African American actors like Vera Stark? Why arent they depicted on the screen? If this white-washing screen practice were not still prevalent, we might know the ending of the narrative. This piece entertains, educates and elevates consciousness. True art from a truly gifted artist!

I loved this play and I am in awe of Lynn Nottage! This amazing playwright coupled a traditional stage narrative with multimedia presentations to pull off a highly polished and creative production. The actors turned in stellar performances, but my eyes were glued to Kimberly Hebert Gregory and Daniel Breaker. The diversity of these actors is remarkable. Much talk was generated by the tonal shift occuring between Act I and II. It seems as if some audience members wanted to continue seeing the traditional narrative, assuming theyd see a linear chronology of Vera Starks life in Act 2 as theyd previewed in Act 1. And perhaps thats the point of this piece. What happened to so many African American actors like Vera Stark? Why arent they depicted on the screen? If this white-washing screen practice were not still prevalent, we might know the ending of the narrative. This piece entertains, educates and elevates consciousness. True art from a truly gifted artist!

Why is Sanaa Lathan not listed as a cast member? She, according to the theaters website, is playing the title role.