Lynn Nottage is a Genius!
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!

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Lynn Nottage is a Genius!
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!

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

An Entertaining, Lighthearted Act
This show is perfect for theater goers who prefer lighthearted entertainment. I usually prefer meatier productions, but I still enjoyed Sister Act. Great singing, wonderful staging and enjoyable characters made for a good show.

Sister Act on Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Baby It's Sooo Good!
Thoroughly enjoyable show. I really enjoyed listening to songs of yesteryear and learning the story behind the rise of Florence Greenberg and The Shirelles. I would have liked to hear more about the actual Shirelles and their story, but this was indeed about Ms. Greenberg. Learning about this very powerful woman was great. I loved the songs and the costumes and enjoyed the musical very much.

Baby It's You! on Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

RE:A Time to Kill
While attending a conference in Washington, DC I took in an evening performance of A Time to Kill at Arena Stage. This is a beautiful theater venue. The show was quite good, but awkward in several areas. Characters often entered the stage through the audience and some even sat in the front row of the theater as if they were the courtroom audience. This was distracting for me. I would have appreciated seeing the character Tanya on stage, esp. since the storyline is derived from her horrifying experience. Seeing Carl Lees family on stage was important to show that Carl Lee had familial support, but it didnt happen and I wondered why. His family could have sat in the front row of the theater as did other characters from the show. Solid acting across the board helped make this an enjoyable show, but overall, I wanted to love it, but I only liked it and by the close, I wasnt completely satisfied. When it heads to NY, hopefully changes will be made to make this a sparkling production.

A Time to Kill on Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

RE:Blues Never Sounded So Good!
Loved it! This was a really great show with wonderful music and actress Miche Braden played a steamy, sexy Bessie Smith with a voice just perfect for the blues. My head bopped to the blues songs from the start of the show to the finish. Bessie delivered several great lines throughout the show and there was one particular scene with a saxophone player that was sizzling hot. Who ever knew that the blues could be so good. This show is highly recommended!

The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith on Thursday, Jun 23rd, 2011

RE:A Beautiful Design!
Suzanne Douglas was phenomenal! It was wonderful to see this actress perform live. The show had amazing performances, a good script, and thought-provoking subject matter. I would love to see it performed on a larger stage.

Julius by Design on Tuesday, Jul 12th, 2011

Beautifully Haunting, Yet Flawed Design
Suzanne Douglas was phenomenal! It was wonderful to see this actress perform live. The show had an adequate script, and a thought-provoking subject matter, but this is the 2nd offering Ive seen by this playwright that didnt completely satisfy me. With revisions and more fully realized characters, I would like to see how this show plays out on a larger stage. I really enjoyed the concept of the letter correspondence, but Suzanne Douglas is the saving grace of this production.

Julius by Design on Monday, Jul 18th, 2011

Beautifully Haunting, Yet Flawed Design
Suzanne Douglas was phenomenal! It was wonderful to see this actress perform live. The show had an adequate script, and a thought-provoking subject matter, but this is the 2nd offering Ive seen by this playwright that didnt completely satisfy me. With revisions and more fully realized characters, I would like to see how this show plays out on a larger stage. I really enjoyed the concept of the letter correspondence, but Suzanne Douglas is the saving grace of this production.

Julius by Design on Monday, Jul 18th, 2011

Beautifully Haunting, Yet Flawed Design
Suzanne Douglas was phenomenal! It was wonderful to see this actress perform live. The show had an adequate script, and a thought-provoking subject matter, but this is the 2nd offering Ive seen by this playwright that didnt completely satisfy me. With revisions and more fully realized characters, I would like to see how this show plays out on a larger stage. I really enjoyed the concept of the letter correspondence, but Suzanne Douglas is the saving grace of this production.

Julius by Design on Monday, Jul 18th, 2011

RE:Praise for Porgy!
Loved this show. Cant wait until it opens on Broadway in NYC!

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess on Friday, Aug 26th, 2011

Must See Memphis!
Memphis was fantastic! The show was packed with gifted actors, a beautiful stage setting, wonderful costumes, powerful vocals, dynamic dance numbers, an interesting, humorous storyline with likeable characters and songs that ranged from R&B to gospel. I highly recommend this one and would love to see it again. If this show doesnt win an award, Id be surprised. This one is definitely a must-see!

Memphis: A New Musical on Saturday, Nov 28th, 2009

A Wonderful Dream! See this Show!
Dreamgirls was simply wonderful! With all of the costume changes and the dazzling stage setting, this could have very well been a Broadway production. The dance numbers were great, but my favorite was the Step Into The Bad Side number. I was totally amazed that this production was so good. A talented cast of actors all around, but the actor who played James Thunder Early was hilarious and the actress who played Effie had a booming voice and loads of charisma! The play stayed true to the movie, but included a few nice changes of its own -- namely, the Listen song sang by Beyonce is now a duet between Effie and Deena. For a wonderful evening of theater, Id highly recommend this show. Its only playing a limited engagement at the Apollo theater, so get your tickets soon!

Dreamgirls on Saturday, Nov 28th, 2009

Dreamgirls Is A Hit!
With a jam-packed calendar, I almost cancelled this event, but Im so glad that I didnt. Dreamgirls was simply wonderful! With all of the costume changes and the dazzling stage setting, this could have very well been a Broadway production. The dance numbers were great, but my favorite was the Step Into The Bad Side number. I was totally amazed that this production was so good. A talented cast of actors all around, but the actor who played James Thunder Early was hilarious and the actress who played Effie had a booming voice and loads of charisma! The play stayed true to the movie, but included a few nice changes of its own -- namely, the Listen song sang by Beyonce is now a duet between Effie and Deena. For a wonderful evening of theater, Id highly recommend this show. Its only playing a limited engagement at the Apollo theater, so get your tickets soon!

Dreamgirls on Saturday, Nov 28th, 2009

See FELA!
I had the privilege of seeing FELA when it was originally off-Broadway and I was really delighted that I stumbled across this gem of a production. So, when my theater group and I headed to see the show once it found its way to Broadway, I was just as delighted and still thoroughly loved it! Its hard not to be moved by the infectious music and rhythmic dancing in this show, but what I most loved was the originality and authenticity of the piece, especially since it does NOT conform to traditional Broadway formats. Fela Kuti was a rebel and so is this show. He tells his story through political songs performed in The Shrine, a nightclub he frequented in Africa, and invites the audience in to watch the show. The stage is a brilliant sea of vibrant colors; the walls of the theater are lined with African masks and the FELA dancers parade through the theater aisles in tribal costumes. Its not a perfect show, but on Broadway, where originality is often watered down to homogenized commercial conformity, FELA is a breath of fresh air! ?

Fela! on Saturday, Nov 28th, 2009

RE:Powerful Short Plays!
This event was absolutely stunning! Short plays by women playwrights of color showcased a diverse range of work from several playwrights in one fantastic afternoon! I saw Series A and all of the pieces were very powerful, with thoughtful themes and dynamic performances from talented actors. I felt pure joy and extreme pride at the sheer talent of these wonderful playwrights. Who knew that short pieces could have such a powerful impact. Those who missed this show, missed a good one. It was awesome!

The River Crosses Rivers: Short Plays by Women Playwrights of Color on Saturday, Nov 28th, 2009

An Amazing RACE!
With several shows currently on Broadway, playwright David Mamet is a man on fire and his new show RACE is hot! I was intrigued by this show since the buzz hit the wires, and as a fan of legal dramas, thought-provoking dialogue and all matters concerning race, I was interested in seeing this show from the start. Race is such a complicated issue so when my theater group and I made our way to the theater on a rainy Saturday afternoon, we werent quite sure what to expect. Thankfully, David Mamet succeeds in tackling this matter head on with his thought provoking, engaging, controversial new play. Filled with Mamets trademark fast paced dialogue and snappy one-liners, the banter between the characters was at times surprisingly humorous and totally affecting and I was engaged from the start. David Alan Grier was in his glory on the stage and delivered his material with pitch perfect timing. I simply adored him in this role and I am not a huge fan of Grier. James Spader, who I love, was wonderfully smug in his supposed knowledge of black people and racial situations; so smug that he misjudged his star legal assistant Kerry Washington and underestimated her intentions. Great work! This wonderful play is marvelously complex, examining racism, elitism, classim and the like and leaves one thinking about their own biases and misconceptions. I recommend it quite highly!

Race on Tuesday, Dec 8th, 2009

RE:Stephin Fetchit Meets Muhammad Ali!
Critic David Finkle writes: "While the point Power is ultimately making in this work involves the conflicted elements hampering the progress African-Americans want to make in a white-dominated society, it might help if he could find a faster way to indicate where hes headed. One helpful move might be to eliminate the couple of digressive flashbacks to the early 1930s studio office where mogul William Fox the always reliable Richard Masur is signing Fetchit then Lincoln Perry to a lucrative contract -- sequences intended to demonstrate yet another manner in which blacks accommodated to whites," -- I cant help but to disagree. Change does not come easy, especially in the dominant white culture that Mr. Finkle references. To suggest that the elimination of scenes depicting the wit and intellectual play used by Lincoln Perry aka Stephin Fetchit to advance his career and outsmart his adversary is destructive to Perrys image and plays directly into the historical depiction of blacks as inferior intellectual beings. Those scenes show otherwise and Im immensely glad that they are included in this dynamic production by Will Power. My theater group braved the snow storm on 2/6/10 to journey to Princeton for this production and we all agreed that Fetch Clay, Make Man was marvelous. Ben Vereen played a dynamic Stephin Fetchit, especially in the flashbacks. Id highly recommend this production.

Fetch Clay, Make Man on Monday, Feb 8th, 2010

RE:Clybourne Park is Worth a Visit
The connection to A Raisin In The Sun begins when Karl Linder tries to prevent a white family in Clybourne Park from selling their home to a black family. It?s implied, but never confirmed that this is the Younger family from A Raisin in the Sun. The selling price for the home is drastically reduced due to a family tragedy. Could the black family afford a home in Clybourne Park at a normal price? Can they maintain it? What about their eating, shopping and social habits? Fast forward many years later and the black family has moved out, the house is in a total state of disarray, and a white family moves back in as gentrification arrives in Clybourne Park. Thought-provoking issues are raised in this play, and I appreciated how the black couple disproved several ignorant misconceptions held by their arroogant white peers. Its said that playwright Bruce Norris leaves "no stone unturned" in this drama, yet I beg to differ. The stone he should have turned over was the one actually showing the black family living in the home instead of leaving the audience simply to hear about them. The piece was well acted and attention grabbing, despite the crude jokes in the second act which bordered on dysfunction. This play left me with much to think about, especially as I look around my own neighborhood. ?

Clybourne Park on Saturday, Mar 6th, 2010

Clybourne Park is Worth a Visit
The connection to A Raisin In The Sun begins when Karl Linder tries to prevent a white family in Clybourne Park from selling their home to a black family. It?s implied, but never confirmed that this is the Younger family from A Raisin in the Sun. The selling price for the home is drastically reduced due to a family tragedy. Could the black family afford a home in Clybourne Park at a normal price? Can they maintain it? What about their eating, shopping and social habits? Fast forward many years later and the black family has moved out, the house is in a total state of disarray, and a white family moves back in as gentrification arrives in Clybourne Park. Thought-provoking issues are raised in this play, and I appreciated how the black couple disproved several ignorant misconceptions held by their arroogant white peers. Its said that playwright Bruce Norris leaves "no stone unturned" in this drama, yet I beg to differ. The stone he should have turned over was the one actually showing the black family living in the home instead of leaving the audience simply to hear about them. The piece was well acted and attention grabbing, despite the crude jokes in the second act which bordered on dysfunction. This play left me with much to think about, especially as I look around my own neighborhood. ?

Clybourne Park on Saturday, Mar 6th, 2010

RE:Finding Grace
Suzan-Lori Parks is such a uniquely talented artist that you never know what to expect when attending one of her productions. In The Book of Grace, the sound of clicking typewriter keys fills the background and guides the audience through chapters of a book being written by one of the characters. The book is filled with evidences of good things and is in complete contrast to the turmoil surrounding the troubled family in the story. I absolutely loved the technical use of the typewriter and was engaged for the majority of the play, finding it most beautiful when secrets were exchanged between two of the characters. Still, I longed to enjoy this play more and wished that it was more inspiring. But this artist always brings something different to the stage and I would likely see another one of her productions. ?

The Book of Grace on Saturday, Mar 6th, 2010

RE:Deserving Angels!
Black Angels Over Tuskegee was wonderful! I loved the historical storyline and thoroughly enjoyed how the show revealed itself on stage. Each of the characters had an intriguing personal history filled with equal amounts of humor and emotion. The show definitely tugged at my heartstrings and I dabbed at my eyes a few times while peeking at my neighber to see if she was equally affected. The cast of actors was as diverse as they were talented and mingled freely with the audience after the show. This warm interaction added to the beauty of this intimate production. I would personally have liked to see a livelier stage setting but Ive already recommended this show to others and would gladly see it again.

Black Angels Over Tuskegee on Sunday, Apr 11th, 2010

RE:Don't Miss Langston!
If youve read work by Langston Hughes or Zora Neale Hurston, youll adore seeing these legendary literary figures come to life in "Langston in Harlem." The show opens with a rousing song and dance number and features an impressive cast of actors with talent almost too large for this intimate theater. Langston Hughes poem, "A Dream Deferred" which we all know became the tagline of A Raisin In The Sun drives this musical and this poem, as well as several others are well recited and sang by the cast. I was thrilled to meet Jesse B. Simple, the character from Hughes Best of Simple poetry collection and seeing Zora Neale Hurston singing and dancing on stage only added to my delight. They even mentioned the molestation allegation that aided to the demise of Zoras career. I loved this show from the first dynamic dance number to the end and I especially loved that it covered the literary greats of the Harlem Renaissance. I saw an opening night preview performance so theres still some necessary tweeking, but this show was original and very necessary. I highly recommend.

Langston in Harlem on Sunday, Apr 11th, 2010

Not so Cool
I saw this show several weeks ago and hesitated posting a review because I wanted to enjoy it, but I didnt. Ive been reading work by this playwright for sometime and loved what I read so I was looking forward to finally seeing one of her shows. I was greatly disappointed. Though the subject matter was worthy, there was absolutely too much going on in this production, the cast didnt vibe well, the setting was horrible, the show was too long and when the cabinets started talking I thought Id lose my mind. Ive listened to Myria Lucretia Taylor on several audio tape presentations and loved her, but she was terribly miscast in the role of Pickle. The one saving grace was the character Abebe. My goodness, he was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise overbearing production. A cool dip was not cool at all, it was simply a lackluster production.

A Cool Dip in the Barren Saharan Crick on Sunday, Apr 11th, 2010

This Fence is Solid As A Rock!
August Wilson is a heralded Pulitzer prize winning playwright for good reasons. He writes about the Black experience with such depth and honesty, its easy to identify with his characters. The material for Fences was phenomenal, providing all of the actors with rich, substantive material to work with. And did they work! Denzel was ideal for the role of Troy Maxson, conflicted ball player turned sanitation worker, at odds with his family and the changing world around him. Viola Davis sparkled as Rose, a warm companion, steadfast in her devotion to her husband and their family. For brevity, I only mention these two actors, but rest assured Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson Stephen Henderson and Chris Chalk all delivered stellar performances, adding to the allure and luster of Fences. You dont just see an August Wilson production, you experience a world on stage that mimics your own or those of people around you. Its vitally important that the work of this playwright continues to be seen so that emerging theater audiences can experience his brilliance. Fences may be my favorite August Wilson shows. I look forward to revisiting many more of his productions.

Fences on Monday, May 24th, 2010

RE:Vital Theater!
I was pleasantly surprised by On The Levee! Playwright Marcus Gardley proclaims this show to be "vital theater" because its vitally important that people examine the similarities between the Great Flood of 1927 and Hurricane Katrina. This wonderful show did jus that. It included a solid cast of actors who performed so well that I didnt mind the show being a teeny bit too long because I was engaged throughout the majority of the production. The juke joint scenes were my favorite as they were wonderfully vibrant and the stage setting was equally appealing too. I simply loved Amari Cheatham as the juke joint owner and was really happy to see his range and growth as an actor. This piece is higly poetic. As a lover of words, I found the language simply beautiful, but the density of the work required my utmost attention. Im so glad to add Marcus Gardley to my "playwrights-to-watch" list! His work is complex, interesting and original and I really look forward to seeing another one of his productions. ?

On the Levee on Monday, Jun 28th, 2010

Wonderful!
Wonderful show that examines social, environmental and familial dysfunction. The show can attract a modern audience with its contemporary and edgy form, yet it remains important enough to send a necessary message. Thought provoking, and well acted, Seeds is vital theater and I highly recommend it.

Seed on Sunday, Aug 15th, 2010

RE:A Delightful Privileged Society!
Though Ive read novels and plays by playwright/novelist Pearl Cleage, I never saw one of her productions until seeing The Nacirema Society. It was a truly delightful show. The stage setting was beautiful and the actors were terrific, playing snooty, privileged characters to the hilt. The first act sparkled, but it seemed a bit long and extra chatty, but the the pacing of the second act was terrific. Seeing privileged African Americans on stage is rare, so it was an absolute joy to see this very funny and witty performance. The theater is lovely and very comfortable. Id love to see more work by Pearl Cleage at the Alliance Theatre.

The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years on Monday, Nov 8th, 2010