Review: 'Crowns'
It's all in the 'hattitude' at Plowshares
Even as a fashion-challenged white gay man, I've long recognized that there's both an art and a science to how black women wear hats. The same hat on different women, I observed, takes on a totally different character; no two women wear the same hat in quite the same way. It's a skill, I've also noticed, that few white women can match with equal success!
It's a subject that has long fascinated me. So what I learned at the opening of "Crowns" this past Saturday, courtesy of Plowshares Theatre Company, was this: Black women have "hattitude!"
"Our crowns have been bought and paid for, all we have to do is wear them proudly," the audience is told near the start of the show. And that's exactly what the six women (and one man) do in Director Janet Cleveland's colorful, plume-full and engaging production!
Told in one fast-moving act, playwright Regina Taylor based her script on a collection of photographs and oral histories that traces the love affair between American black women and their hats. It's a tradition that combines fashion, social status and religion, with roots that go back to Africa and the days of slavery.
Taylor focuses her story on a teenager from Brooklyn who is sent to live with her grandmother in South Carolina after the tragic death of her brother. There's nothing she can relate to in this small, church-going town. But Mother Shaw and the women around her take the city girl under their loving wings, and before long, Yolanda changes her tune. And her headwear!
"Crowns" isn't a play in the traditional sense. Rather, Taylor explores her subject through snippets of life – snapshots, if you will – as told by several generations of women. It's a spirit-lifting experience brought to life through story theater techniques, good old fashioned Gospel music and – briefly – rap.
Each of Cleveland's performers rocks the stage, but Wilde Award nominee Jahra Michelle McKinney is especially skillful in bringing her characters to life.
However, it's Felicia Taha who breathes life and dignity into frail Mother Shaw, and it's a booty-shaking performance you won't soon forget!
Two other characters also deserve praise: the tinkling ivory of Musical Director Marvin Thompson Jr. and the projected backgrounds that help set the scenes. (Work needs to be done, however, on the lighting execution and sound levels. Actors all too often stand in darkness, while at other times they cannot be heard over the music.)
"Crowns" Plowshares Theatre Company at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 E. Warren, Detroit. Thu., Sat. & Sun. through Aug. 7. $25-$30. 313-872-0279. http://www.plowshares.org.
The Bottom Line: A heretofore unexplored, yet fascinating, aspect of black history comes alive in this loving tribute to women and their hats!
Review: 'The Merchant of Venice'
MI Shakespeare Festival bravely stages what few theaters dare
How many of you young folk studied Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" in high school? How many of you older folk did? Somehow, I suspect, more of us old fogies poured through script than did the whippersnappers.
And there's a reason for that – and it's the same reason why many theaters won't touch the play with a ten-foot Gentile!
It's called anti-Semitism – a subject many schools won't tackle, especially in an ancient text that mixes three no-nos of public education: religion, politics and comedy!
Which is a shame, because despite the fact that times have changed – and what was considered humorous in the 1600s isn't quite so today – there's much to be learned from "The Merchant of Venice." For once you strip away its surface and delve into the story, what you'll find is a tale of two proud men – one a Christian, the other a Jew – who allow their personal hatreds to fuel their vengeance, the results of which paint neither Christian nor Jew in a good light.
So contrary to what some may claim, "The Merchant of Venice" isn't anti-Semitic; rather, it uses anti-Semitism to teach the ugliness of prejudice, racism and pride that can be found in all of us – both yesterday and today!
It's a message that couldn't be clearer to those of us who attended the powerful and energetic opening night performance last Friday as staged by The Michigan Shakespeare Festival in Jackson and Director John Neville-Andrews.
In The Bard's play, Bassanio wants to pursue wealthy heiress Portia, but because of his debts, he can't do so in the manner she deserves. Since the charging of interest is considered a sin by Christian standards, he arranges a three-month loan of 3,000 ducats through a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. But with no collateral of his own, Bassanio's best friend – Antonio, a very successful businessman with little cash on hand, but great credit – agrees to be the loan's guarantor. Bad blood between the businessmen, however, causes Shylock to demand something unusual should the loan be forfeit: a pound of Antonio's flesh.
Bassanio, of course, eventually wins the hand of Portia – but stands to lose his best friend when Antonio suffers unexpected losses and cannot repay the loan. Will Shylock then collect what's legally due him?
Although categorized as a comedy, it's the play's dramatic moments that most people remember. Yet director Neville-Andrews peppers his production with moments of great hilarity. Mark Gmazel, for example, earns plenty of laughs as the way-over-the-top (and oh, so gay) Spanish prince who comes to win the hand of Portia.
It's when the play turns serious, however, that Neville-Andrews and his cast excel. The courtroom scene, in particular, is especially potent. And the closing moment – which, I fear, many in the audience will miss, is both poignant and revealing.
Several performers give noteworthy performances, but it's Ed. Simone who commands the stage as Shylock. There's no hint of stereotype in his performance; rather, he fills his character with a deep-rooted humanity that can't help but evoke a full range of emotional responses from everyone in the audience.
Which, I think, was Shakespeare's objective all along!
"The Merchant of Venice" Staged Thursday through Sunday in repertory by the Michigan Shakespeare Festival at Potter Center on the campus of Jackson Community College, Jackson, through Aug. 7. $20-$22. 517-796-8600. http://www.michshakefest.org.
The Bottom Line: Shakespeare's message comes through loud and clear in this fun, yet thought-provoking production.
