Black Super Hero Magic Mama
Reviewed by Deborah Klugman
Geffen Playhouse
Through April 14
It’s hard to imagine a more painful life event than the death of a child — especially when that child is shot by police and the perpetrator goes free. That almost unbearable grief that a mother must feel is creatively addressed in Black Super Hero Magic Mama, Inda Craig-Galván’s latest play now at the Geffen Playhouse through April 14. Like Craig-Galván’s earlier work, I Go Somewhere Else, staged at Playwright’s Arena last summer, the central character is an African-American mother grievously wounded by the machinations of a racist society. Although the narrative here doesn’t quite get where it needs to go, the searing timeliness of the story and its spotlight on besieged women of color garner serious respect.
Directed by Robert O’Hara, Black Super Hero Magic Mama features Kimberly Hébert Gregory as Sabrina Jackson, the single mom of a bright and loving 14-year-old son, Tramarian (Cedric Joe). Tramarian is a special kid who wins academic decathlons by answering questions about black history and in his spare time collaborates with his pal Flat Joe (Noah Abbott) on graphic novels about super heroes. But beyond intellectual and creative talent, Tramarian is blessed with forbearance, insight and compassion. When his mom gets wound up — she dislikes Flat Joe and berates her son for spending time in his company — Tramarian responds patiently and respectfully while remaining loyal to his friend. He’s as fine a young man as ever there was.
So when Sabrina’s nightmare comes true and a police officer (Walter Belenky) mistakes Tramarian’s shiny new decathlon trophy for a gun and shoots him dead, she is devastated. Refusing even to bathe, she lapses into a near catatonic state. Her caring sister Lena (Cynthia Kaye McWilliams) does all she can to rouse her, but nothing seems to work.
What Lena cannot know is that Sabrina has escaped into a chimerical world in her mind, assuming the persona of the Maasai Angel, one of the comic book superheroes created by her son and Flat Joe. As the Angel, she battles against dark forces that include “Death Tap” and the “Entity”; her victory over them will, presumably, enable her to reconcile with reality, triumph over her pain and get on with her life.
This sci-fi aspect of the story takes up almost the whole of Act 2; it’s the playwright’s way of letting light into a pitch-black arena and forging a path forward for this anguished parent. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really work. Although Sabrina’s dream is inhabited with people from her waking life, in various bizarre guises, the narrative itself is pretty standard superhero stuff — flatten one villain, then on to the next. The insight that comes at adventures’ end seems tacked on rather than earned.
The production also takes a hit from an uneven standard of performance. Joe is natural and endearing as the sweet, gifted Tramarian; I mourned his absence. McWilliams brings presence to Sabrina’s empathetic and commonsensical sister; she also handles the role of the dream sequence narrator with style. Though they are minor roles, Belenky’s white cop and his super-villainous Death Tap are both skillfully fashioned.
But as Sabrina, Gregory relies a little too heavily on manner and technique, and when darkness descends on her character, you never feel her loss the way you should. As soulless news anchors, Reiko Aylesworth and Kevin Douglas unsuccessfully straddle cliché. Part of the problem is the unsubtlety in the script, but it’s also the sort of glitch that could be calibrated with direction and/or performance.
If the story sputters in the second act, it’s still worth a looksee for video designer Yee Eun Nam’s kaleidoscopically imaginative visuals; this talented theater artist outdoes herself here. Costume designer Karen Perry has great fun with the fantastical costumes, and outfits the sisters smartly in the first act as well.
Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave.,Westwood; Tues.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; through April 14. geffenplayhouse.org Running time: approximately one hour and 55 minutes with an intermission.
