2 by Pearl: Hospice & Late Bus to Mecca

This evening of one-acts by Pearl Cleage opens with Hospice, a struggle of love between Alice and her daughter Jenny. While Alice’s health is slowly failing, both mother and daughter are suffering their own personal pain as they discuss Alice’s abandonment of the younger Jenny for the bohemian life of a Paris poet.

Late Bus to Mecca, the second offering, is a funny and poignant piece that focuses on a rather curious meeting between a prostitute, Ava Gardner Johnson, and a strange woman only known as ABW, as both wait for a bus to Atlanta just before the 1970 Muhammad Ali and Jerry Quarry fight. While passing the time, Ava tries to connect with ABW about her dreams through a running monologue about make-up, the business, pleasure and men.