"Clyde's" at Berkeley Rep

 

Berkeley Rep production photo by Kevin Berne or Muriel Steinke

A new play by Lynn Nottage is always an exciting thing. She's won numerous awards (try two Pulitzers and a Macarthur Foundation "Genius" award), and I've really appreciated seeing her plays. In particular, Sweat, which we saw at Ashland in 2015 (before I started theater blogging, unfortunately), has stuck with me. This new show, Clyde's, is getting productions all over the country right now, and it revives one of the more interesting (and problematic) characters from Sweat.

The Play

Our story is set in the kitchen of a sandwich shop frequented by truckers called Clyde's. The eponymous Clyde is the owner, who is a formerly-incarcerated woman who hires other ex-cons to work in the kitchen. Clyde is pretty mercurial, and treats the staff poorly, but they have limited options with their backgrounds. So they work in the kitchen, dreaming about making something more out of it. The oldest of the staff, Montrellous, is kind of the sandwich guru, describing ingredients and techniques that would seem to have no place in a truck stop. The experienced staff include both Letitia, a divorced single mother of a child with severe health issues, and Rafael, the master of the fryer and young, aspiring chef.

All of these characters are people of color, so when Jason and his white-supremacist tattoos arrive, there is a certain amount of tension (to put it mildly). Jason is the carryover character from Sweat, and the assault that put him in prison was part of that play.

As the play progresses, the sandwich cooks bond in their resistance to Clyde's domination, and eventually each spills the story of how they ended up behind bars. It's an interesting if sometimes heavy-handed examination of the lives, choices, and options of formerly incarcerated individuals, along with some rather random investigations of the wonders of the sandwich.

The Production

The cast is strong, and many have local roots and connections. Harold Surratt as Montrellous makes the most of what is a somewhat baffling character at times. Cyndii Johnson as Letitia is a strong presence throughout--she's kind of the moral center of the show, and probably the character that is most fully and convincingly developed. Louis Reyes McWilliams is Jason, a truly difficult role, and he does it well. Nottage has said that crafting that character was the most difficult part of the play for her, and she has clearly given it much thought and nuance. McWilliams is up to the task. Wesley Guimarães is a charming and fun Rafael. I'm a bit befuddled by April Nixon as Clyde: she does it well, but I just don't understand the character. I think that's on the playwright, or maybe the director (Taylor Reynolds), but I have real difficulty figuring out what I'm supposed to make of Clyde.

And although the props onstage do look pretty much like a sandwich kitchen, the overall effect isn't very convincing. They seem neither very busy nor well-stocked. The kitchen is awfully clean, bright, and spacious for what it's meant to represent.

Bottom Line

There's a lot to like about this show, and that might be part of its problem. For a bunch of ex-cons, this is an awfully likeable group of people, and they get along pretty well. Other than the obvious conflict with newcomer Jason, I don't feel much tension within the group, other than what they direct at Clyde. And we never get an explanation of why Clyde treats everyone the way she does.

So, there's some good writing here, some good characters and scenes. But it doesn't really feel like a full, finished play. If you take out the lengthy riffs on aspirational sandwich ingredients and such, this is probably less than an hour of real material, and that could use some more clarity.

Overall, I guess I'm disappointed because my expectations were so high. I hoped for more. What we got was just OK. The play continues through the coming weekend, closing February 26th. There are better options available.

"Paradise Blue" at Aurora Theatre Company

 

Aurora Theatre Company production photo

I have been looking forward to this show for a while. Having seen Aurora's production of Dominique Morisseau's Detroit '67 a few years ago, I was looking forward to another installment from her trilogy (the third part of which, Skeleton Crew, I missed in a couple of venues not long ago). And we were blown away by Morisseau's Confederates last summer at Ashland. So there's a lot to look forward to.

The Play

Thematically, this seems very similar to August Wilson's Two Trains Running, which we saw recently at Marin Theatre Company. That play deals with urban renewal in Pittsburgh, but many of the issues feel familiar here in Detroit. Instead of a diner we have a jazz club, the Paradise Club, struggling to survive as its owner, Blue, considers selling the club to the city. Blue is struggling with memories of family conflicts past, haunted by memories of his father who owned the club before him. And he has either fired or caused to resign the bass player from his quartet, leaving pianist Corn and drummer P-Sam wondering about their future.

Meanwhile, Blue's girlfriend, Pumpkin, is learning to recite poetry while she cooks, cleans, and generally cares for everyone in the club. And then the femme fatale Silver arrives from out of town, bringing chaos in her wake.

Morisseau draws all five of the characters brilliantly: everyone's got issues, but they've all got strengths and interdependencies, too. No one is just there to advance the plot for someone else.

The Production

The designers have done some great work on this one, managing to maintain two spaces on Aurora's small thrust stage without causing unnecessary movements. The Paradise Club proper takes up the back of the stage, including a little bar in the corner with a few tables and chairs that mostly stay in place. The front of the stage holds Silver's rented room above the club, dominated by the bed. But with good lighting (designed by Stephanie Anne Johnson) and clever management of entrances and exits, neither room interferes with the other, and sometimes we can watch what's happening in both. Really nice work there.

Director Dawn Monique Williams gets a lot out of her cast. Titus VanHook (Blue) isn't totally convincing as he mimes playing his trumpet (while recordings of Geechi Taylor provide the sound), but he definitely embodies the emotional turmoil brewing below the surface. Michael J. Asberry (Corn) and Kenny Scott (P-Sam) do a terrific job trying to work together to preserve their band, while also defending their individual interests. They embody "coopetition". Having seen Scott in three or four different shows recently, I have to say this is definitely his best work overall.

I find it kind of ironic that I chose the photo of the three men above, which I thought captured a lot of the energy of their relationship in the play, because the play is really dominated by the two women From the opening words, where Pumpkin (Anna Marie Sharpe) is trying to learn a poem while sweeping up the club, through many scenes of her trying to manage the volatile Blue and the other men, it's clear where the real conflict in this show lies. And Rolanda D. Bell as Silver dominates every scene she's in, whether she opens her mouth or not. 

Bottom Line

Once again, I'm blown away by a Dominique Morisseau script. She is a terrific playwright, quickly becoming one of my favorites. And Aurora is really hitting its stride, I think, under the new management of Artistic Director Josh Costello and Asssociate A.D. Williams. I missed their last show, but the season opener (This Much I Know) was really terrific. I look forward to seeing the rest of the season.

Paradise Blue runs through February 26th, so you can still catch it!

"Bars and Measures" at Mosaic Theater Company

 

Mosaic Theater Company production photo by Chris Banks

Another day, another new theater! This one came recommended by a friend, so we felt pretty good about choosing this play, although the theater is well away from any part of D.C. that we'd been to before. [I should note that D.C. has changed immensely since I lived there more than 30 years ago. I'd never even heard of this area, called the Atlas District, where Mosaic is located.] Anyway, with the company recommended, and a play by Idris Goodwin, it seemed like a good bet!

The Play

The play centers around two brothers, both musicians. One, Eric, is a classical pianist, while his older brother Bilal plays jazz. Bilal has converted to Islam, and is currently in jail awaiting trial, accused of providing support to Islamic terrorist groups. Eric and others have rallied around Bilal to support him, including raising money for his defense with a big concert, where Eric will play jazz.

The show revolves around the relationship of the brothers, both musical and emotional, and the strains put on that relationship by Bilal's incarceration and trial. Bilal struggles as he's kept in solitary confinement for an extended period, with Eric as his only real contact outside. Eric is trying to keep afloat by working as an accompanist, particularly with Sylvia, as he tries to master enough jazz to play in support of his brother.

The Production

First off, the cast is amazing. Much of the play involves a fair amount of Eric (Joel Ashur) and Bilal  (Louis E. Davis) trading jazz riffs by scat singing, which is not easy to pull off, but they do it with apparent ease. And Sylvia (Lynette Rathnam) is a serious classical vocalist, and her voice is strong and sure. [Side note: we had seen Rathnam in Ashland last December in the ensemble for It's Christmas, Carol. Very different role, but she was terrific in both.] The show is a tight 80 minutes with no break, but it goes by very quickly, if intensely.

The set is clean and sparse, but evocative. Eric's small apartment on one side of the stage contrasts with the spartan room where Eric can visit Bilal in jail. And in the middle of the set, quietly dominating everything, stands Bilal's upright string bass. That's a particularly nice touch, since Mosaic has arranged with the DC Jazz Festival to have a live performer onstage before the curtain, playing the bass. Director Reginald L. Douglas has done a nice job of putting together a strong, coherent cast. We saw the opening performance of the show, and it was a smooth run.

Bottom Line

I'm really impressed with this show and with Mosaic. This is not an easy play, but they've done a terrific job with it. My only concern, really, is that they didn't have a very large turnout for the opening night. I trust the crowds will grow as word gets out about this production. Apparently it was their first live performance since COVID lockdown, so perhaps there is just unease at coming back. I trust more people will get to see this lovely show.

I should also give a quick plug to the neighborhood. The theater is in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, which is at 1333 H Street NE. That's in an area that I was completely unaware of when I lived in D.C., but it seems to be a thriving hub of art and culture, with numerous good-looking dining options nearby. I plan to check out the neighborhood more on subsequent visits.

I should also note that the next show Mosaic is undertaking is Mona Mansour's Unseen, which was the best show we saw last summer in Ashland. I wish we were going to be in town to see it! I will definitely have Mosaic on my radar for future viewing.

"Ride the Cyclone" at Arena Stage

Arena Stage production photo by Margot Schulman

Finding myself with no particular plans on a weekday afternoon in D.C., I decided to check out a matinee of a rather bizarre-sounding musical at the Arena Stage. Also, I'd never been to this theater, so it all sounded like fun. The website describes it a "a quirky cult musical". Let's hop on the roller coaster, then, shall we?

The Play

First off, the blurb on the website says this:

In Ride the Cyclone, the lives of six teen chamber choir singers are cut short in a freak roller coaster accident. Stuck in the afterlife, a mechanical fortuneteller gives them a chance to sing their way back to earth.

Not exactly the sort of set-up one expects for a musical. I'm kind of anticipating a weird cross between Big: The Musical and Forever Plaid. After seeing it, I'd say that's somewhat accurate, but add in a smattering of Zombie Prom, too.

The blurb is not wrong. This is exactly what we signed up for. Each of the six teens will get a solo number in which to make a case for why they should be the one to get to live again. The songs are actually pretty clever, and the rest of the cast gets to perform backup roles.

I should note that while waiting for the show to start, I read in the program that the show is set in "a dilapidated warehouse in Uranium City, Saskatchewan, Canada" and I had time to do a little quick Internet research. Uranium City is a pretty interesting story in itself, and having a little familiarity adds a bit to the enjoyment of the show.

Anyway, considering I came in with pretty mild expectations, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the script.

The Production

I thought Arena did a nice job with this. It's a co-production with the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ, so the show had already run for a while with many of the same artists there. But there are new/local artists involved. For the matinee I saw, one of the characters (Katie Mariko Murray as Jane Doe) was making her first appearance in the show, having just finished a run as Cinderella in Into the Woods at another local stage the preceding weekend. She was terrific, especially considering she'd had one full rehearsal (I learned at the post-show talkback).

All told, I was impressed with the production. The set is quite cool looking, definitely giving the vibe of a dilapidated warehouse full of carnival stuff. One has to wonder why the mechanical fortune teller booth is plugged in (it's a plot point, so just go with it), but Marc Geller (The Amazing Karnak) gets big points for spending the entire show crammed into that little booth space while acting like a mechanical man.

All of the actors do a good job bringing their characters to life (so to speak). And though I can't say I was surprised at the ending, I will say that it manages not to feel inevitable, which is a credit to both the script and the production.

Bottom Line

I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the show and the Kreeger Theater. And the post-show talkback was good, too. All of the cast members involved obviously enjoy being in this show, and seem eager to share it with the audience.

The show has been extended to March 5th, so if you're in the D.C. area and looking for a fun show, this could be your ticket!