"Blood Knot" at Pillsbury House Theatre

Despite being written almost 60 years ago in a country on the other side of the planet, Blood Knot, currently playing at Pillsbury House Theatre, feels very relevant to the here and now. Through the story of two brothers, one dark-skinned and one light enough to pass for white, South African playwright Athol Fugard explores the complex issues of racism and white privilege, before that term was in our collective consciousness. It's remarkable that this play was performed (for one performance only) in Johannesburg in 1961, with it's strong anti-apartheid message. But even in Minnesota in 2019, we still have lessons to learn from it. This is a powerful, intense, and sobering play, beautifully acted by two beloved #TCTheater veterans.

"Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill" at the Jungle Theater

Continuing with their trend this season of presenting plays with music, the Jungle Theater opens Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill on this holiday weekend. This play with music premiered off Broadway in the '80s and on Broadway in 2014, winning Audra McDonald her sixth Tony. It takes place during one concert at the end of Billie Holiday's life, playing out in real time, as Billie tells stories from her past, her family, her husbands, and the racism she's dealt with in her career and as a black woman living in America in the first half of the 20th Century. Acclaimed director Marion McClinton directs Thomasina Petrus in this role that she's performed before, and was born to play. It's a perfect marriage of actor to role, with wonderful music and impeccable design that really makes you feel like you're watching the tragic end to this brilliant musician.

"Bars and Measures" at the Jungle Theater

I've only recently become aware of what an incredible resource we have in The Playwrights' Center, located right here in Minneapolis (even if there are occasional bats in the performance space). PWC fosters new playwrights and supports experienced playwrights, helping them to develop new work through various programs, workshops, and readings. Much of this work ends up on the stage, not just here in the Twin Cities but around the country. This spring saw the local premiere of three plays developed at the Playwrights' Center, The Changlings, Scapegoat, and Le Switch. The latter was at the Jungle Theater, which is following that up with another new play by a Playwrights' Center playwright, Idris Goodwin's Bars and Measures. The Jungle's production is one of four around the country in the National New Play Network's Rolling World Premiere. It's a sharp, intense, lyrical, topical play, and in my completely unbiased opinion, I cannot imagine a better production of it than the Jungle's with this incredible cast, director, and technical team.

"Scapegoat" at Pillsbury House Theatre

The new play Scapegoat by local playwright Christina Ham (whose work can be seen on several stages around the Cities this spring) explores a little known part of American history, the Elaine, Arkansas race riot of 1919, which led to the landmark Supreme Court case Moore v. Dempsey. The full story of events (in which hundreds of black sharecroppers were killed by white mobs in response to their attempts to unionize) is tragic, epic, and complicated. Rather than try to tell the whole story, the play focuses on two sharecropper families, one white and one black, and the unspeakably horrible murder that ties them together. The second act takes place in the present time when two interracial couples from New York visit the area while on vacation and are shocked to discover the history, each of them affected in different ways. Similar to Clybourne Park, Scapegoat looks at a racial conflict of the past from the perspective of that time, and also looking back at it from today in our supposedly post-racial society, showing how much things have changed, and how much they haven't.

"George Bonga: Black Voyageur" at the History Theatre

Two years ago the History Theatre presented four new works related to the history of our fair state of Minnesota, as they do every year under the title Raw Stages. The class of 2014 has now all seen full productions, telling Minnesota stories as diverse as a Filipino Debutante's Ball, Minnesota's strangest and most infamous true crime story, a Minnesota boy who grew up to do a little radio show, and a black voyageur in Minnesota's pre-statehood frontier days. These stories are all part of our history as Minnesotans and as Americans, and I appreciate the History Theatre's commitment to developing and producing these Minnesota stories. The last play from the 2014 Raw Stages festival to make it to the big stage is George Bonga: Black Voyageur (previously titled Boundary Waters). It's a fascinating story of friendship, survival, and identity in a world that existed less than 200 years ago, but seems so very far away. Born of an African American father and an Ojibwe mother, George Bonga became a well-known fur trader who straddled the worlds of the Native and White cultures, and was one of the first black men born in what would become Minnesota. The play covers one incident in this man's eventful and historic life, and the implications of that event in his life and the larger community.

"The Gospel of Lovingkindness" at Pillsbury House Theatre

Watching the news can make one feel discouraged and hopeless about the state of the world, with increasing violence around the world and in our own neighborhoods. At Pillsbury House Theatre, they're trying to make some sense of it and provide a bit of hope by preaching The Gospel of Lovingkindness, a new play by Marcus Gardley. It's beautifully and poetically written, full of life and humor that balances out the devastation and death of the situation. It's heavy, and not easy to watch at times, but so worthwhile and necessary. The Gospel of Lovingkindness is one of those plays that is about so much more than theater.

Through a series of monologues and two-person dialogues, we get to know a smart and talented young man named Emmanuel, who sang at President Obama's inauguration shortly before he was shot and killed in his neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. Although fictional*, it's a story that's all too familiar. Emmanuel's mother is, of course, devastated by the loss of her only son, but after an encounter with the ghost of civil rights activist Ida B. Wells, still wandering the streets of Chicago, she turns her grief into action. She organizes others in her community and goes on local talk shows to promote a world free from violence. It feels like an endless and fruitless struggle, but Mary never gives up, and I believe she'll succeed.

Thomasina Petra and Aimee K. Bryant
(photo by Rich Ryan)

Three of the four members of this terrific four-person cast play multiple characters, but Thomasina Petrus has only one role, Mary, and she's the center and soul of the play. Her performance of a grieving mother is a thing of breathtaking, gut-wrenching, and almost unbearably painful beauty. She portrays a grief that's tragically universal but also utterly specific. I couldn't help but think of my grandmother, who lost her 17-year-old son not to a stray bullet but to a speeding train in the cold dark January night. She once said that she lived through the worst thing that could happen, so everything else is bearable. The strength of mothers is astounding, and this mother turns her personal tragedy into tireless work to ensure a world where no mother has to go through the pain that she did.

Thomasina Petra and Aimee K. Bryant
(photo by Rich Ryan)

Supporting Thomasina and playing all of the other characters in Mary's life are Namir Smallwood (charming as the bright young Emmanuel with an afro like "a young Michael Jackson," and heartbreaking as another young man whose future is not as bright), Aimee K. Bryant (excellent in multiple roles including the funny best friend, a sympathetic cop, Ida B. Wells, and another struggling mother), and James A. Williams (also excellent as Emmanuel's father, coach, boss, and a closed-minded politician).

Thomasina Petra and Namir Smallwood
(photo by Rich Ryan)

This play, although by no means a "musical," incorporates music in a beautifully simple way. The play opens with Emmanual singing the simply stirring "Ave Maria," later Mary sings her son to sleep in perhaps the most moving scene in the play, and Ida B. Wells sings about a love of the city these characters call home in "Sweet Home Chicago" (when you have voices like Thomasina's and Aimee's at your disposal, use them!).

Marcus Gardley's work was last seen on the Pillsbury House stage in the road weeps, the well runs dry. This play is less epic in scope, but perhaps more epic in meaning, relevance, and urgency. It doesn't offer easy answers, because there are none, but it does offer a beacon of hope, if we all look at the problem of violence, talk about it, and work together for solutions. The moving, heart-breaking, inspiring, and beautifully executed play The Gospel of Lovingkiness continues through June 28.



*The play is inspired by the life and death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendelton, shot in the back on the South Side of Chicago in 2013. Her parents have started a foundation in her name, and this Tuesday June 2, what would have been Hadiya's 18th birthday, you can show your support of a world without gun violence by wearing orange. Here in Minnesota, check out Protect MN and their upcoming music/theater benefit to end gun violence.


This article also appears on Broadway World Minneapolis.

"Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet" by Pillsbury House Theatre and The Mount Curve Company at the Guthrie Theater

With programming on three beautiful and very different stages, the Guthrie Theater provides a great opportunity to see multiple shows, even on the same day. And with free wifi, multiple dining options including a lovely little coffee/snack bar, and plenty of cozy places to sit, the Guthrie is an inviting place to spend the day. I took advantage of this opportunity this week and saw a matinee of The White Snake in the Proscenium Theater followed by an evening performance of Pillsbury House Theatre and The Mount Curve Company's Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet in the Dowling Studio (next week: The Heidi Chronicles on the Thrust Stage). Neither of these two shows are Guthrie original productions, but both are such beautiful and unique expressions of what this thing we call theater can be, from a Chinese legend of a snake that takes human form, to a new and very modern play that draws from Nigerian mythology. You can read my thoughts on The White Snake here, but now - Marcus.

I've been eagerly awaiting the conclusion of Tarell Alvin McCraney's Brother/Sister trilogy, having seen the first two installments presented by Pillsbury House in the Guthrie's Studio theater in the last few years. All three tell universal stories of love, loss, family, and relationships through a specific set of characters in Louisiana, who are named for gods in the Yoruba mythology of Nigeria. We first meet this interrelated cast of characters in the first play, In the Red and Brown Water, which focuses on a young track star named Oya and the choices she is forced to make. The Brothers Size is a smaller cast, focusing on Oya's ex-lover Ogun, his brother Oshoosi, and their friend Elegba. Marcus returns to the large cast format, with the title character being the son of Elegba, long deceased (a handy family tree in the program helps explain the characters and relationships). Many of the characters from the first play, or their offspring, return in this one. The three plays are each stand alone pieces, but seeing all three of them provides a richer understanding of this world that is so specifically created in McCraney's unique voice.

Marcus and the boys
(Nathan Barlow, Mikell Sapp, and Aimee K, Bryant)

This play is a coming of age story about 16-year-old Marcus, who is dealing with the death of a family friend, questions about the father he never knew, growing independence from his mother, an impending storm, and coming to terms with his homosexuality. Marcus' father Elegba, who may also have been "sweet," could dream the future, and Marcus might have inherited that skill. He dreams about a man in a rain storm and doesn't know what it means. This short 90 minute play feels epic and mythical, with Marcus' universal story told in specific detail. This play has a much more hopeful ending than the previous two plays, as if finally Marcus can realize the dreams of those that came before him. Dreams of happiness and love and a life fully realized.

This excellent ten-person cast shines under the direction of Marion McClinton (who has directed all three Brother/Sister plays for Pillsbury House). Rising young talent Nathan Barlow is excellent as Marcus, conveying all the uncertainty of a young man struggling with his identity and his family, as well as the determination to come out on top of that struggle (someone referred to this as his "breakout performance," they obviously didn't see Passing Strange). Lauren Davis and Joy Dolo give a couple of spirited and charming performances as Marcus' best friends, one of whom is more accepting of his truth than the other, and Thomasina Petrus is strong and powerful as Aunt Elegua, who knows more about Marcus than she shares. James A. Williams is the only cast member to appear in all three plays, and his presence is warm, welcome, and familiar as he provides a connecting link between the stories in Ogun Size.

Talented young playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney has such a unique vision and voice, and these three plays create such a specific world with people that are familiar and beloved. A unique feature of McCraney's writing is that the characters speak stage directions (Marcus smiles, Ogun exits), which may take a minute to get used to but really give more insight into the characters. When characters are not in a scene, the actors sit on the sidelines in lawn chairs observing, continuing to witness the story.

Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet continues through October 5. You needn't have seen either of the previous Brother/Sister plays to enjoy this beautifully written and acted play. But definitely if you did see either of the two previous plays, you'll want to see Marcus to see how the story ends and continues. The final moments are a beautiful payoff.

"Othello" at the Guthrie Theater

Shakespeare's Othello, now playing at the Guthrie Theater, is billed as "an astonishing epic of sweeping passions and murderous ambition – a thrilling meditation on the power of love and the destructiveness of suspicion, all triggered by one of literature’s most seductively manipulative villains." It's the kind of Shakespeare play where half of the characters end up dead in the epic final scene, a delicious drama. Unfortunately it also requires a level of focus and concentration that I did not have after too many late nights out at the theater; the three-hour running time was just too much for me. But I was still able to appreciate that it's a beautiful production with marvelous performances by the large cast of Guthrie favorites.

The basic plot of the play is this: Iago hates Othello, his superior in the Venetian army, and plots to bring him down. This plot involves making him think that his new wife Desdemona is having an affair with his lieutenant Cassio. The plot succeeds, in a way, but Iago is not left unscathed.

Some thoughts on the show:

• I didn't understand why Iago hates Othello so much, or why Othello so gullibly believes Iago when he tells him Desdemona is cheating on him. It's like on Survivor when one tribemate tells another that someone wants them out, and they believe it when it's so obviously a manipulative lie. (Yes, I just compared Shakespeare to Survivor, my apologies.)
• I've recently been watching the Netflix series House of Cards, and couldn't help but be reminded of Kevin Spacey's slimy manipulative politician when watching the lengths Iago goes to and the many people he manipulates to get back at Othello.
• The costumes by ESOSA (aka Project Runway contestant and Tony-nominated designer Emilio Sosa) are gorgeous, especially Desdemona's parade of dresses that would make Queen Marjaery jealous. Emilia's bold orange gown is also stunning, as are the men's multi-layered costumes. And the wigs are really nice as well.
• The fight scenes are great fun to watch, and also frightening as they often end in tragedy.
• Every member of this huge cast of Guthrie favorites does a wonderful job with whatever role they're given, large or small. Stephen Yoakam is deliciously dark and evil as Iago; Peter Macon (who I so clearly remember kneeling with blood streaming from his eyes in Oedipus) has a beautiful commanding voice, and plays the range from giddy in love to devastated and rageful; John Catron is the charming Cassio with another great drunken scene; the three women in the cast - Tracey Maloney as Desdemona, Regina Marie Williams as Iago's wife and Desdemona's lady-in-waiting, and Sun Mee Chomet as the courtesan in love with Cassio - are all wonderful; Kris L. Nelson provides some comic relief as Iago's pawn Roderigo who's in love with Desdemona (fun fact: he's married to her in real life!).

Othello, playing now through April 20, is worth seeing for this wonderful cast directed by the always great Marion McClinton. But if, like me, you are not a Shakespeare expert, I recommend you read a plot summary before you go (you can do that here), and if, like me, you are not a night person, consider seeing a matinee and/or getting a good night's sleep before seeing the show.

"Boundary Waters" by the History Theatre at Minnesota History Center

Last night I attended the first of four new works being presented by the History Theatre as part of their Raw Stages festival. On a bare stage with just a few chairs and music stands, actors read the play from the script. But with fine accomplished actors such as these, it becomes something more than just a reading, although not a fully staged production. In a reading with no visual stimulation, it's all about the words, and in this case they are beautiful descriptive words that paint a picture of a landscape and the people who inhabit it.

Boundary Waters, written by Carlyle Brown and directed by Marion McClinton, uses a real-life event in Minnesota history as a metaphor for exploring several ideas. George Bonga was a fur trader of African-American and Native American descent living in Northern Minnesota in the 19th century who became a legendary figure. One of his more famous exploits was tracking down and capturing a suspected murderer, an Ojibwe man named Che-ga-wa-skung, who was then sent to trial at Fort Snelling. This event is at the center of the play as we learn how these events changed the two men and bonded them.

The play opens in the late 1860s (post Civil War and US-Dakota War, both of which are referred to), when George Bonga (beautifully voiced by James A. Williams) is being haunted by dreams about the man he once tracked across the frozen Minnesota winter. He tells his wife (George Keller) the story, and the action flashes back to the chase in 1837. After capturing Che-ga-wa-skung (who, thanks to the writing and Jake Waid's talent in bringing him to life, becomes a sympathetic character despite being a murderer), the two have many deep discussions as they try to survive the cold. Che-ga-wa-skung asks Bonga a simple question, "who are you?" Bonga doesn't really have an answer, he's always living on the boundaries, the son of an Ojibwe mother and a black father, and living the "white ways" as a fur trader. Bonga struggles with the question until the two men meet again later in life and continue the discussion. Rounding out the cast are Jon Andrew Hegge as two colleagues of Bonga's, and Michael Terrell Brown in a too small role as Che-ga-wa-skung's brother.

I very much enjoyed the reading of this new play; it's a fascinating exploration of a chapter of Minnesota history I was previously unfamiliar with, as seen through two well-drawn characters. That's not to say my mind didn't wander on occasion during the dense political sections, but for the most part the captivating and descriptive language held my attention and painted the world so well that I could almost see it. The lakes area north of Brainerd is one of my favorite places on the planet, where I've spent many peaceful and contemplative weeks. It's a thrill to hear that place come alive and to learn a bit more about the region's rich and complicated history. Most of all, I love getting a glimpse into the creative process of what it is to have an idea, write a play, and bring it to life. I look forward to the next incarnation of Boundary Waters.

The History Theatre's Raw Stages festival continues at the Minnesota History Center tonight with Debutante Ball (about a Filipino-American Valentine's Day ball), followed by Glensheen (a musical retelling of the murder in the mansion) and Radio Man (a new play by one of my favorite Minnesotans, Garrison Keillor).

"the road weeps, the well runs dry" at Pillsbury House Theatre

There's a new theater project called "Launching New Plays into the Repertoire," led by The Lark Play Development Center in NYC. The idea is to produce a new play in several regional theaters around the country, because "good playwrights become great playwrights in front of audiences, and good plays become great plays through multiple productions in multiple venues." One of the pilot projects is currently playing at Pillsbury House Theatre in South Minneapolis - the road weeps, the well runs dry by Marcus Gardley. The only previous production of this play was in Juneau Alaska, and after the Minneapolis run it will also be produced at theaters in LA and, most appropriately, Florida. It's a fascinating and epic play about the Seminole Indians and the runaway slaves and free black people who joined with them in Florida in the 19th Century. With a dynamic cast of 11 and the excellent award-winning director Marion McClinton, this mythical and historical drama comes alive. This successful production bodes well for the new project.

This play is difficult to describe because of the huge cast of characters, the several decades of history it covers, and the mythology it presents. It feels like a Greek tragedy, in which the characters are destined, or cursed by the gods, to live these difficult, troubled, and interconnected lives. The main character bears a birthmark of a white sun on his chest, and is told that he cannot be killed except by blood (spoiler alert). We witness the establishment of Freetown by a group of Seminoles and free blacks in 1833, the flourishing of the town and its hard working people, the devastation that comes with a drought and wars, and the ultimate redemption and hope as rain comes again after tragedy.

Number Two (Ansa Akyea) and
Trowbridge (Jake Waid)

Our story centers on two men, the "full-blood" Seminole Trowbridge (Jake Waid, reprising the role he played in his native Juneau) and escaped slave Number Two (another powerful performance by recent Ivey-winner Ansa Akyea). The men become friends friends, companions, partners, and then enemies (there is much discussion of the interconnectedness of love and hate and how that manifests in their relationships with each other and their families). There's also a town shaman called Horse Power (a colorful James Craven), the reverend (Harry Waters, Jr.) and his wife (Regina Marie Williams), the town Casanova who goes through a bit of a transformation (H. Adam Harris), young lovers (sweetly played by Traci Allen and Santino Craven), and warring mothers, one soft and the other tough (George Keller and Keli Garrett). We also see flashbacks of the young Trowbridge (Santino Craven again) and Number Two (Darius Dotch). There's just too much going on to describe it all - death, murder, birth, abuse, love, preaching, punishment, an extremely awkward Sunday dinner - in fact it's a little hard to follow chronologically at times, but the timeline in the playbill helps clear things up. the road weeps, the well runs dry is something that really has to be seen to be fully experienced.

The world of Freetown is successfully created by the sparse set (by Dean Holzman), with just a few suggestions of trees, the town well, and wooden crates to sit or stand on. The costumes are beautiful, with full layered dresses for the women, dandy suits for some of the men in town, and more traditional Seminole garb. The cast makes full use of the intimate space at Pillsbury House, including the aisles and the back of the theater; it's a 360 degree experience.

the road weeps, the well runs dry is an ambitious and epic new play, and perfect for Pillsbury House Theatre that often produces work that is challenging to the audience. Whenever I see a Pillsbury House production, it's never just a pleasant, nice night out at the theater. Challenging, awkward, difficult, but always thoroughly engaging and rewarding. At the end of the play there's a rain dance to end the long drought, and whatever they were doing on that stage worked. When I left the theater it was raining like it hadn't rained in months. By the time I got to my car I was soaked and freezing, but it somehow felt appropriate, like it was part of the experience to be cleansed by the waters that Horse Power called down upon us all. Playing through the end of the month, I can't guarantee rain, but I can guarantee a fascinating and epic experience.

"Stick Fly" at Park Square Theatre

Why is watching a dysfunctional family on stage or screen so much fun? Maybe it's because it makes our own family look a little less dysfunctional in comparison. Such is the case with the LeVays, the upper class African American family at the center of Stick Fly, the 2011 Broadway play* making it's regional debut at Park Square Theatre. We spend a few days with the LeVays in their home in Martha's Vineyard, where they have intense conversations about race, class, gender, education, relationships, and family. It's the kind of play that draws the audience in and makes you pay close attention so as not to miss a moment of the rapid-fire dialogue. The compelling cast really feels like a family by the end of the play, with many of their issues still unresolved, forever changed by the weekend.

The patriarch of the LeVay family is a neurosurgeon who marries into one of the few African American families to have a home on the Vineyard. Elder son Flip is also a doctor (but in the less prestigious field of plastic surgury) and a womanizer. He brings his new girlfriend Kimber to meet the family. She's white, but comes from the same upper class background as the LeVays. Younger son Kent is the sweet, sensitive artist type who doesn't quite fit in with this family of overachievers. He wants to be a writer, of which his father definitely does not approve. He too brings his girlfriend, or rather fiance, Taylor, to meet the family. She's the daughter of a famous author who grew up middle class with a single mother, a stark contrast to the LeVays' lifestyle. Add to this mixture the daughter of the longtime family maid, who grew up almost a part of the family but always outside of it, and you have plenty of conflicts just ripe for exploding. And they do. Mrs. LeVay is often spoken of but never appears. Dr. LeVay's excuses don't cover the fact that there's something going on there. When the reason is finally revealed (it's a fairly predictable secret, I've watched enough soap operas to see it coming a mile away), it causes all of the conflicts of the weekend to come to a head.

just a friendly game of Scrabble
(photo by Petronella Ytsma)

This capable six-person cast is directed by the always excellent Marion McClinton. James A. Williams (who has worked with Marion in two plays from Pillsbury House Theatre's "Brother/Sister" trilogy, with the third hopefully coming soon) is the strict but genial dad, who soon reveals a darker side. Darius Dotch and Darrien E. Burks create distinct personalities as the elder and younger sons, and also share that brotherly love as well as conflict. Tracey Maloney (one of my favorites) is Kimber, the calm outsider at the center of the storm, and Traci Allen steals several scenes as the passionate Taylor. Last but not least is Brittany Bradford as the maid's daughter. I've enjoyed her performances of such diverse singing roles as Gary Coleman, Natalie, and Sarah Brown Eyes, and I'm happy to discover that she's just as compelling in a non-singing role. She believably takes her character from a hard-working and happy young woman to someone who's entire world has changed.

Besides the actors, the other star of the show is the set, designed by Christopher Mayer. It's a beautiful home that's nicer than any I've lived in! The living room and kitchen are side by side, separated by an invisible wall, that allows for two conversations to be going on at once. The space is well used, with people often congregating in the kitchen as happens in real life, or for a friendly game of scrabble in the living room.

This is a smart, engrossing, challenging (with several jaw-dropping moments of - they did not just say that!), thought-provoking, emotional, funny, and very real play. The opening-night audience was very engaged and responsive (I think I even heard an "Amen!" at one point), which is always fun to see. If that's the kind of play that interests you, it's definitely worth seeing. (Playing now through May 19 at St. Paul's Park Square Theatre.)



*HBO is reportedly going to produce a movie version of the play, adapted by playwright Lydia Diamond. I'll watch that!

"Buzzer" by Pillsbury House Theatre at the Guthrie Studio Theater

The new play Buzzer by Tracey Scott Wilson premiered at Pillsbury House Theatre last year. It explores issues of race, class, gender, and gentrification in this seemingly post-racial world. It's one of those plays that'll leave you with a slightly uneasy feeling because of the very real and intense issues it brings up. Like all theater by Pillsbury House, it's more than just a play, it's an exploration of ideas, conflicts, and issues that are extremely relevant to the world we live in, but that we may be reluctant to face. That's what great theater does, make us face those issues head on. If you missed it last year, you have a second chance to see it at the Guthrie studio (playing now through March 3), where the entire cast and creative team has reassembled. The play may have been tweaked a bit since its last run, but I didn't notice any drastic changes from when I saw it last year; it's as if the entire production was plucked out of Pillsbury House and placed intact in the Guthrie Studio. It was one of my favorite plays last year, and the kind of play that almost requires repeat viewing, so I was more than happy to see it again.

Tracey Scott Wilson has crafted an intense one-act drama, with the action and the tension constantly building. Scenes overlap; a character will be having a conversation, then turn and begin a new scene and conversation with another character without taking a breath. It never lets up, until the final painful confrontation. Here's the plot summary I wrote last year:

Jackson is a successful lawyer who grew up poor in a neighborhood filled with drugs and violence, and was able to get himself out and make a better life for himself. He rents (to own) a newly remodeled apartment in his old neighborhood, which is transitioning from a "bad neighborhood" to one with coffee shops and lofts and restaurants. He and his girlfriend Suzy, a teacher in the inner-city schools, move in. Jackson convinces Suzy to let his down-on-his-luck best friend Don move in with them, despite her reluctance. Don is from a privileged background, and despite constantly getting himself into trouble, has been able to get out of it thanks to his rich and powerful father. Jackson was given nothing and worked hard to achieve the life he wanted, while Don squandered every opportunity he had. But somehow the two men remained friends. Their friendship is tested when Suzy tells Don that she's being harassed on the street, and they grow closer. Each member of the trio has their own plan to end the harassment. Suzy thinks that if she stays strong and ignores the bullies, they'll eventually stop. Jackson wants to threaten them with violence, while Don thinks reasoning with them and being friendly will solve the problem. The conflict grows inside the apartment and outside on the street.

Namir Smallwood, Sara Richardson, and Hugh Kennedy

Hugh Kennedy won an Ivey Award for his performance as Don, and seeing it again it's even more clear why.  He completely embodies this damaged character struggling with his demons and trying to live a better and sober life. It's a very physical performance; Don's addiction is apparent in his jittery hands and frenetic energy as he moves uneasily around the apartment. Namir Smallwood and Sara Richardson are also great as the troubled couple Jackson and Suzy. Each of these three actors creates a complex character, all of whom make bad choices at times but are very real and relatable. Marion McClinton returns as director and brings all of this complexity together in a cohesive way (check out this feature on MN Original about his amazing career journey). Lastly, the simple and elegant set by Dean Holzman (which looks very similar to what I remember from last year's production) provides a great space for the story to take place.

The title refers to the broken buzzer in the apartment building, and who the residents are willing to let in based on their own prejudices and assumptions, which may not agree with what they claim to believe. In the program notes, the playwright says, "The young characters in Buzzer think they are beyond race. They were raised on ethnic food, multi-cultural TV and hip-hop. They don't discuss race because they don't see race. They know slavery was an abomination and all men are created equal. What's to discuss? They discover that there is a lot to discuss and keeping silent is much more destructive than speaking the truth." This play breaks through the silence and speaks the truth, at least from the point of view of each of these three complex characters. It doesn't offer any solutions, but addressing the issues and bringing them to light is a great beginning.

"The Brothers Size" by Pillsbury House Theatre at the Guthrie Studio

The "Brother/Sister Plays" by young playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney are a complex and intense "series of stories" that tell universal stories of love, loss, family, and relationships through a specific set of characters in Louisiana, who happen to be named for gods in the Yoruba mythology of Nigeria. Pretty heavy stuff, and pretty rich material too, with which Pillsbury House Theatre is doing a pretty amazing job. Last summer they presented the first play in the trilogy, In the Red and Brown Water, at the Guthrie Studio Theater. This fall they're doing the second play, The Brothers Size*, which includes two of the same characters but a different focus. I can only hope they'll complete the trilogy next year with Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet. I'd really love to see all three done in repertoire, which would be a huge undertaking, but also hugely rewarding to see all the stories and characters within a short time period. It takes a moment to get into the language and the structure of the plays, in which characters speak their own stage directions ("Oshoosi sleeps," "Ogun exits"). But once you do you really come to know and love (or hate) these characters.

In the Red and Brown Water tells the story of a young track star named Oya whose dreams are put on hold when she stays home to tend to her dying mother. It ends pretty tragically for Oya, and The Brothers Size picks up where it left off, although not with Oya**. The focus of this play is her ex-boyfriend Ogun Size and his brother Oshoosi, along with her little friend Elegba who is now grown and has befriended Oshoosi in prison. They're both out now, and Ogun is trying to get his brother back on track, giving him a job in his "carshack." Unfortunately, Elegba is there to drag him back in. This one ends pretty tragically too. Oshoosi and Elegba are best friends and share a lot in prison (just how much is only hinted at), but the truest relationship in this piece is between the brothers. Their parents died when they were young, so they've only had each other their whole lives. Elegba tells Ogun how Oshoosi cried for him when he was first imprisoned, and it's just heartbreaking. Ogun feels responsible for his brother; when Oshoosi went to prison he felt like he let him down somehow, and is determined not to let that happen again.

This play features a three-person cast, much smaller than the last one, and they're all spectacular. Gavin Lawrence is a captivating actor (including a dynamic portrayal of the poet Langston Hughes earlier this year). This version of Elegba is less likeable than what I remember from the last play, but just as compelling. James A. Williams also reprises his role from In the Red and Brown Water, and is convincing as the loving but frustrated brother. Namir Smallwood is new to the trilogy but not to Pillsbury House; he appeared in Buzzer earlier this year (which will be reprised at the Guthrie Studio next year). His Oshoosi is young and playful, but with a dark undercurrent from his years in prison. You can definitely feel the strong bond of family between the brothers Size.

Music is woven into this play in a really lovely way. There's a bit of singing, including a very entertaining version of "Try a Little Tenderness" by the brothers. In addition to the singing, Ahanti Young (who I've known previously as an actor, but who it turns out is also a very talented drummer) plays percussion throughout the piece, adding a soundtrack to accentuate what's happening on stage. He's playing as the audience files in before the show, which makes the pre-show waiting much more pleasant.

The Brothers Size is playing at the Guthrie Studio through the end of the month. If you saw In the Red and Brown Water last summer, you'll want to see this one too. But even if you didn't see it, it's certainly not necessary to appreciate this well-acted, well-written, moving, intense, and unexpectedly musical piece.



*I received two complementary tickets to The Brothers Size as part of the Guthrie's "Blogger Night."

**Oya was not a character in this play, but her portrayer, the lovely and talented Christiana Clark, was in the audience. I wonder if she was as upset about poor Oya's fate as I was!

"In the Red and Brown Water" by Pillsbury House Theatre at the Guthrie Studio

When I go to the Ivey Awards this fall, I'm going to recognize many more theater companies and productions than I usually do.  In the last year I've attended many shows by theater companies that I was previously unfamiliar with, and last night I crossed another one off the list: Pillsbury House Theatre (thanks to the Guthrie Studio Theater for bringing many of them into a space I'm familiar and comfortable with).

How can I describe In the Red and Brown Water?  Fortunately there was a post-show discussion that helped me understand it a little better.  On the surface the story's pretty simple.  A young woman loses her mother and her dream of becoming a track star, and wanders through her life looking for something to cling to.  The staging is very simple too; there's nothing on stage but a dozen lawn chairs on an upward sloping reddish brown floor.  But the themes are more complex; it feels like a piece I need to see a few times to fully comprehend.  Lucky for me, Pillsbury House Theatre is producing the play again in 2012, along with the other two plays in the Brother/Sister trilogy by emerging playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney.  I really grew to know and love these characters over the course of the play, so I'm curious to find out what happens to them next.  Stay tuned.

The characters in In the Red and Brown Water are named after gods in the Yoruba mythology of Nigeria; the child/prophet Elegba, the attractive bad boy Shango, the good and stable man Ogun, and our heroine Oya.  A unique feature of this play is that the characters speak their own stage directions aloud.  "Shango enters," "Elegba exits," "Oya weeps."  It was a little jarring at first, but once I got used to it I really liked it.  As was discussed in the talkback, it's another opportunity to more deeply understand the characters.  The way the actors say the stage directions gives the audience insight into their feelings: sad, angry, confident, joyful.  Towards the end of the play Oya begins to say everyone's stage directions, perhaps because she's starting to take control of her own life.

Oya is a high school track star from the projects in San Pere, Louisiana.  She turns down an opportunity to run for the state college so she can stay with her dying mother.  Oya is devastated by the loss, but is comforted by the love of Shango.  She's devastated again when that relationship ends, and her sweet friend Ogun helps pick up the pieces.  Having missed her chance at her dream of running, she clings to a new dream - starting a family with Ogun.  But that never happens either, and Oya goes to drastic lengths to give something of herself to someone.  She is completely depleted.  And then she gets up and starts running.  As director Marion McClinton said in the talkback, sometimes it's the running of the race that matters, not the outcome.  There's glory in the running.  (I'll be thinking about that as I run my fourth half marathon in four weeks on Sunday in Minneapolis, in a race I like to call the Run to the Guthrie. :)

This is a top-notch production and the cast is amazing; I will definitely be checking out other productions at Pillsbury.  Christiana Clark plays Oya.  Not only does she look like an athlete, but she also beautifully embodies Oya's spirit - her confusion, desperation, and determination.  Gavin Lawrence plays the delightfully devilish Elegba, who grows from a boy to a young man.  Elegba is one of those characters who seems simple, but is actually quite wise and profound (the title of the play comes from a dream he has about Oya's future).  Gavin is very convincing in that transition, and has a lovely voice when he sings for Oya.  From Sonja Parks as Oya's mother, to Ansa Akyea and James A. Williams as her suitors, to the great Greta Oglesby as her aunt, to every last member of the ensemble, the cast is just beautiful.

I can't say it better than this, from the Guthrie's publicity postcard about the show: "Lusciously theatrical and boldly original, this play weaves together elements of urban contemporary realism with West African mysticism for a lyrical experience that is at once joyous and challenging, raucous and raw, and brazenly beautiful."