Max Lawrence and Alex Morris (Photo by Ian Flanders)
Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
Theatricum Botanicum
Through October 12
RECOMMENDED
Playwright Alice Childress’ s1968 exploration of the class and sexual politics of a group of Harlem residents may show its age but director Gerald C. Rivers and his excellent cast mine the play’s innate heart and humor with assurance. Childress’s theatrical mission was to tell uplifting stories of the downtrodden of society and this production is a fitting testament to her effort.
In the aftermath of a Harlem riot in 1964, frazzled painter Bill Jameson (Max Lawrence) is desperate to find a model to finish the third portrait of his triptych for a fast-approaching and significant gallery opening. His first two works — an homage to Black womanhood — present respectable images, but for the last piece Bill envisions a work that contrasts with those positive renderings, what he terms the “messed-up” Black woman — the kind who has always bedeviled him.
Meanwhile, Bill’s married friends Cynthia (Sydney Mason) and Sonny (Kameron Brown) introduce him to the unsophisticated yet sincere Tommy (LeShay Tomlinson Boyce) (While Bill may extol Black women in his art, he is a chauvinistic man of his era, bemoaning the foibles he perceives in the real deal.) The pixie-like Tommy has an overwhelmingly forgiving nature; she’s a woman who “needs a man to claim” to be fulfilled, and she feels that Bill may be that man. As the two grow closer and the idea of modeling for him takes hold, Bill conceals the concept of the visage he wants her to represent. Can the real reason Toomy is there hold up, or will it unravel and quash any aspirations the two may have for each other?
Entwined within the witty jokes and dramatic conflicts is Childress’s skillful critique of the respectability politics of the Black bourgeoisie, with Bill, Cynthia, and Sonny representative of that class. While friendly towards Tommy and Old Timer (a hilarious Alex Morris), a boozy Harlem elder, the trio nonetheless condescend to this lumpen duo, despite their commitment to civil rights. For example, Bill and his friends use Old Timer’s moniker for years, since they have never bothered to learn his real name. Meanwhile, social worker Cynthia’s behaves judgmentally towards the free-spirited and unfiltered Tommy. Tommy can hold her own, however, wielding either a stinging response to Cynthia’s hypocrisy or challenging Bill’s macho swagger, which is a mask for his insecurities.
Rivers takes full advantage of the Theatricum’s ample stage, from the placement of inspiring artworks to the comic dance moves of Tommy and Old Timer. Rivers also takes advantage of the amphitheater’s onstage balcony for actors Danielle McPhaul and Tanda Kerin who portray Bill’s neighbors seeking respite from the riot. McPhaul and Kerin also deliver stirring renderings of poems by Nikki Giovanni and Sonia Sanchez respectively as a prelude to Childress’s classic work.
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga; in rep, see website for schedule; thru Oct. 12. theatricum.com Running time: one hour and 20 minutes with no intermission.
