Southern Girls

Reviewed by Taylor Kass
All The Way Productions
Through Feb. 26th

 RECOMMENDED

 “The dream is the truth.” This quote from Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God threads throughout Southern Girls, another American coming-of-age story that’s as bitter as it is sweet. Sheri Bailey and Dura Temple’s Southern Girls follows six Alabama women from their childhood in the 50’s to their adulthood in the 90’s.Two are Black, one is biracial, three are white, all are raised in a conservative and racist society at a time when things are changing, perhaps irreversibly. Southern Girls premiered in Los Angeles nearly 30 years ago, but All The Way Productions’ revival, directed by Zadia Ife, proves that this play’s glimpse into the not-so-distant past is still all too relevant.

Southern Girls is brutal to its characters as they grow up, piling on abuse, lynching, rape, misogyny, unwanted pregnancy, infidelity, and racism both quotidian and violent. It’s a fine and sometimes inscrutable line between accurately portraying the very real pain women – and particularly Black women – experienced during this time period in American history and defining characters by the suffering they endure. Southern Girls threatens to sink into the land of melodrama but is saved by the detailed characterizations from its talented ensemble.

As satisfying as it is to root for the women who make it out of their small-minded small town, it’s potentially more interesting to unravel the complex motivations of the women who chose to stay. Jessica Sade Ward delivers a subtle yet ultimately heartbreaking performance as Ruth, a devoted older sister and mother who dedicates her life and sacrifices her dreams for her family. Arianna Evangelia is compelling as Charlotte, whose deep emotions about her complicated family life simmer below the surface until they threaten to boil over. Katie Spokely is a scene-stealer as Dolly, a woman almost frighteningly dedicated to the status quo but just as deeply wounded by it. Southern Girls maintains that the only thing more painful than girlhood is growing out of it, as the dreams of these six southern girls are deferred from aspirations to memories.

Hudson Backstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Fri. – Sat. 8:00 p.m.; Sun. 3 p.m.; through Feb. 26. www.onstage411.com/southerngirls. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.