PicksInSix Review: Joe Turner's Come and Gone - Goodman Theatre

Riveting Performances Drive Goodman’s “Joe Turner”
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

“A man forget his song, he forget who he is”… It was a line shared by Bynum Walker, a ‘conjure man’ whose awareness of life and people is reflected in Walker’s role as the compass, the conscience of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” the staggering August Wilson play now at the Goodman Theatre through May 19.  There are several themes that flow throughout the play, all expertly articulated by Mr. Wilson—the song inside us all, identity, search, discovery, prejudice, the effect of money, the comparison of status, the supernatural, on and on.  It quietly inspires us to follow on one hand, then forcefully repels us with its stark reality on slavery and its influence on culture and society.

The story is so thick and full of imagery that it’s a real challenge to distill its essence in this forum.  It ostensibly takes place in and around the steel mills of 1911 Pittsburgh, focusing on the boarding house of Seth Holly (an easy, yet riveting portrayal by Dexter Zollicoffer), who charges guests a weekly rate “up front” and works at turning scrap metal into dustpans; and his wife Bertha (an elegant and comforting TayLar), whose natural ease belies her character’s real moral center in the house. And there’s a cast of wide-ranging tenants and visitors, whose performers all deserve kudos.

There’s the aforementioned Bynum Walker (Tim Edward Rhoze is eloquent, rock-steady and takes Walker’s purpose into firm hands); Rutherford Selig (a stoic, wonderfully deadpan Gary Houston), a peddler and ‘peoplefinder’ who visits the house on Saturdays; Herald Loomis (a dynamic presence from A.C. Smith), whose life was forever altered by ‘Joe Turner’, being kept in slavery for seven years, and whose search for his wife is both heroic and tragic; Mattie Campbell (the wonderful Nambi E. Kelley), a woman waiting for her own man to come home, but who wants to find direction through the eyes of others; and Jeremy Furlow (Anthony Fleming III in a real star turn), playing guitar, romantically preying on women and fighting his bosses all the way to unemployment.

Then there’s Molly Cunningham (Krystel V. McNeil, in a strong rendering of a character with conflicting impulses), a single woman on her own road, whose huge strain of independence tempts all the men in the house; Martha Loomis (Shariba Rivers skillfully inhabits her with both a sense of obligation and a feeling of dread), Herald’s wife, who is finally found after all the years of separation; Zonia Loomis (a simply heartbreaking presence by Kylah Renee Jones), who has accompanied her father on this endless quest at the tender age of 11; and Harper Anthony (the charming Reuben Mercer), whose scenes with Zonia result in a first kiss and a realization of growing up.

Wilson’s cycle, directs this play like a symphony conductor, with all the crescendos and quiet moments we can witness, as well as displaying Mr. Smith’s own deep affection for the playwright’s words and thoughts.  The not-so-abstract and stylish set design by Linda Buchanan shows an authority in understanding what’s needed to help tell this complex story.  And here’s something I’d like to mention.  It takes a real professional to keep this moving so smoothly and to affect how an audience perceives it all; the production stage manager Mars Wolfe surely had Mr. Smith’s vision in hand like it was personal.  Exquisite work.

Finally.  We began our reaction here with a referral to song, that we create our lives (or should) with a message of some kind.  Mr. Wilson recognizes that our message is indeed a song inside us, waiting to come out and be recognized in a world that doesn’t always know to do that.  “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” is a truly extraordinary piece of theatre, of storytelling, of the song that resonates for all of us within the human spirit. 

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

GOODMAN THEATRE
presents
August Wilson’s
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

NOW EXTENDED
through May 19

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PicksInSix Review: Arsenic and Old Lace - Court Theatre

‘Bully!’ for the Brewsters of Brooklyn.
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Scott Gryder

As the sounds of Duke Ellington and the like jazzed throughout the venue, a true mansion of elegant decadence transported last night’s audience back to 1940’s Brooklyn at Court Theatre’s 2022/23 Season opener “Arsenic and Old Lace.” The lights went down, and the packed house began to giggle with delight and anticipation as if they knew they were soon to be reminded as to why Court Theatre so-deserved their recent 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award. And they were right!

Centered on the multi-generational home of Brewster sisters Martha and Abby, undoubtedly beloved by all Brooklynites, “Arsenic and Old Lace” is a rollercoaster of discovery. In true farcical fashion, “Arsenic and Old Lace” reveals outlandish truths, exposes unexpected identities, and packs perfectly-timed quirks and turns that trigger endless cackles of laughter. As each character is introduced, don’t be fooled! There is more than meets the eye, and the once happy home becomes a near house of horrors, brimming with hilarity.

The play rightfully focuses on the home’s current occupants, Celeste Williams’s oh-so-huggable Martha Brewster and TayLar’s strict-yet-kind Abby Brewster. The pair is so wholly lovable and frank, you truly believe they should be reprimanded with nothing more than a rap on the wrist for the atrocities they have committed. Although less criminal than the rest of the Brewster family, it’s Allen D. Edge who shows the greatest facet of acting duplicity with his quick-changing, manic Teddy Brewster, while love interests Emma Jo Boyden’s effervescent Elaine Harper reveals bold strength and Eric Gerard’s sleek Mortimer Brewster stokes the fires of self-discovery. The malicious duo of Guy Van Swearingen and A.C. Smith’s Dr. Einstein (no, not THAT Dr. Einstein) and Jonathan Brewster almost too realistically execute their scene of attack, but they expertly ease us back into the dramedy like the smooth-moving criminals that they think they are. A quarter dozen of officers sprinkle comedic tension throughout, played smartly by Norm Boucher, Matthew Lunt, Allen Gilmore, and Thomas J. Cox, with the latter’s multiple appearances so neatly crafted to be nearly indiscernible as being played by the same actor.

Court Theatre has so deftly fulfilled their mission to reimagine classic theatre for modern audiences, it’s hard to believe that Joseph Otto Kesselring’s “Arsenic and Old Lace” premiered in 1941! More of an ensemble piece, each character is so fully realized that, despite their outrageous natures, they’re never pushed beyond believability. In a cast of could-be zany caricatures, each actor stays true to their subtext and intentions, never allowing the absurdity of their circumstances to overstep reality. That’s what truly seals the deal for a masterful production!

Although categorically a period piece, beloved Chicago director Ron OJ Parson pushes the text and action to such a nearly unrecognizable contemporary energy, regifting modern audiences with this sparkling vintage. That being said, as consistently engaging as it is, the play begins to sputter post-intermission with multiple spliced scenes, marked with full blackouts. However, even the last beat before lights out continues to tickle. Scenic Designer John Culbert’s detailed Brewster mansion is an almost “I Spy” of ornamentation, so filled with photos and knicknacks (obviously hoarded over multiple generations) to such an extreme, one could not help but feel right at home. Rachel Anne Healy’s costume designs mirror Culbert’s set, with stunning works of ornamental patterns in intricate and fashionable styles of the time. Even sound designer Sarah Ramos gets a part of the action with a bombardment of doorbells and eerie ambience.

After two-and-a-half hours of exceptional mirth and amusement, I was nearly too exhausted to cross the University of Chicago campus to return to the nearby parking garage in order to drive home. In short, if you’re looking for a show with such excellent comic timing that you’ll find yourself reacting in the most merrily and embarrassing manner in public that you can remember, make your way to Court Theatre’s “Arsenic and Old Lace” running now through Oct 2. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I suddenly have a taste for homemade elderberry wine. #IYKYK

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | SCOTT GRYDER received a Non-Equity Jeff Award for his performance in the one-man show BUYER & CELLAR. www.thescottgryder.com 

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

COURT THEATRE
presents
Arsenic and Old Lace
through October 2, 2022

5535 S. Ellis Ave. (map)
Chicago, IL 60637
(773) 753-4472
info@courttheatre.org

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PicksInSix Review: Gem of the Ocean - Goodman Theatre

“GEM” – “Better To Die In Truth”
By ED TRACY | PicksInSix®

There is both dazzling beauty and gritty realism in the Chuck Smith directed production of August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” that opened on Monday at Goodman. Set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh in 1904, chronologically the first in Wilson’s Century Cycle series although written and produced two years before his death at 60 in 2005. “Gem” premiered at Goodman Theatre in 2003 and debuted on Broadway a year later.  

With an eye-popping, highly-stylized Linda Buchanan set enhanced by Mike Tutaj projections, this artful production must look markedly different than its predecessors. Comparisons will no doubt be made, but having never seen this show myself, I will simply state that I am particularly privileged to experience it for the first time at the Goodman, whose rich history is inexorably linked to the playwright himself. History works here on so many fascinating levels. With a powerful, seasoned cast, “Gem” is must-see theatre.

This is a drama about a drifter named Citizen Barlow (Sharif Atkins) who is riddled with guilt that is devouring his soul. Citizen is taken in for spiritual absolution by the ageless Aunt Ester (Lisa Gaye Dixon) and surrounded in the safe haven of her residence at 1893 Wylie Avenue by Ester’s caretaker Eli (A.C. Smith) and Black Mary (Sydney Charles). The sinister constable Caesar (Kelvin Roston, Jr.) who is Black Mary’s brother, has Ester in his sights while promoting fear and viciously prompting violence against the poor and destitute workers who cannot rise above the oppression and poverty of the times. A stolen bucket of nails from the mill leads to a falsely accused Black man who chooses to take his own life instead of living a life that would surely brand him a criminal. His death sparks a protest by the workers that is threatening the future of the community.

It is Eli, with Solly Two Kings (James A. Williams) and Rutherford Selig (Gary Houston), who help Citizen understand the challenges he is facing and the dangers of being Black in America. He is attracted to Black Mary and through his journey to the City of Bones, has a spiritual awakening. However, the constant threat posed by Caesar to anyone stepping outside the narrow boundaries of his representation of the law leads to a dramatic confrontation. It is this dynamic that leads Ester to try to protect those close to her from harm, with dire consequences.

Light, shadows and special effects enhance Evelyn Danner’s costumes in this stunning production. The probing original music and sound suite by Pornchanok (Nok) Kanchanabanca creates an atmosphere so profound that, at times, you could hear a pin drop in the Goodman’s Albert. It is in those moments that August Wilson’s brilliance resonates with a level of emotion that can only be experienced in the theatre.

I am constantly assimilating the interconnections of the Century Cycle and never pass up an opportunity to add to my understanding of August Wilson’s masterwork. Nor should you. The Chicago theatre community includes legacy directors, actors and other theatre artists who are layering their own contributions and mining stories exposing racism and social injustice. “Gem” presents unsettling truths about the Black experience and ponders the question: “What good is freedom if you can’t do anything with it?” which beckons the broader dialogue we so desperately need to influence attitudes and eliminate negative stereotypes and opinions.  

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Goodman Theatre
August Wilson’s
GEM OF THE OCEAN
through February 27

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PicksInSix Review: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

“AN EMPTY WORLD WITHOUT THE BLUES”

Two seismic shifts create the drama in August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” now playing in a stunning revival at Writers Theatre in Glencoe. Director Ron OJ Parson masterfully allows one moment to erupt as if from thin air. The other comes on so ferociously that it will take your breath away as the startling summation of the power of Wilson’s driving narrative about discrimination and the unhinged rage from within that it fosters.

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All of this occurs on a single afternoon in 1927 at a Paramount Records recording studio in Chicago.  Ma Rainey (Felicia P. Fields) and her band–piano man Toledo (David Alan Anderson), guitarist Cutler (Alfred H. Wilson), bassist Slow Drag (A.C. Smith) and trumpeter Levee (Kelvin Roston Jr.)–along with her partner Dussie Mae (Tiffany Renee Johnson) and speech-impaired nephew Sylvester (Jalen Gilbert), are scheduled to meet with her manager Irvin (Peter Moore) and the studio owner Sturdyvant (Thomas J. Cox). 

With Rainey’s arrival delayed, the band sets up in the rehearsal room. The men draw lines concerning who is in charge when Irwin selects Levee’s new arrangement of Rainey’s iconic “Black Bottom” for the recording session. It becomes clear that the ambitious Levee has been working a side deal with Sturdyvant for new material. Convinced that he will be fronting his own band before too long, Levee ends up squarely at odds with Toledo, while Cutler and Slow Drag choose to just get along. All that changes when the notoriously feisty Rainey arrives and refuses to sing until everyone sees things her way, right down to giving Sylvester multiple tries at announcing.

Rainey is a survivor in a business that has exploited her talent. Fields takes full advantage of the inherent power of the role and her interactions with Levee–and everyone else–who challenges her authority. What Levee says and does may well cost him the job, particularly if his intimate relations with Dussie Mae are revealed. Roston expertly navigates the deep-seated hostility and remorse of Levee’s youth with powerful conviction. The brilliant individual performances of Anderson, Wilson and Smith establish an immediate connection together, with the mounting tension that drives the men to a tragic breaking point spurred on by the greed and careless disregard of the men holding the purse strings, roles Moore and Cox skillfully deliver.     

The studio setting, a gritty, ingenious Todd Rosenthal jewel, allows continuous, flow—inside-out and up-and-down—on three floors. Myrna Colley-Lee’s Roaring ’20s-era costumes glow under the rich hues of Jared Gooding’s lighting. Ray Nardelli’s sound mix is a key element in the superb music segments.   

One of the many inspiring and uplifting messages of this stirring production is that it would be “an empty world without the blues.” When Fields proceeds to prove Ma’s point and dazzle us vocally in an electrifying performance, we are literally transported back to a moment in time when the oppressive racist attitudes against generations of African-American entertainers were momentarily stripped away and what was left, and which endures today, is Ma Rainey’s soaring musical legacy.

PHOTOS|Michael Brosilow

WRITERS THEATRE
Presents
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
through March 17th
325 Tudor Court, Glencoe
(847) 242-6000

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