Displaying items by tag: Tuesdai B Perry

HONEYPOT originated as a creative nonfiction book by E. Patrick Johnson, Dean of the School of Communication at Northwestern University. Johnson has a passion for oral history; for HONEYPOT he interviewed a number of Black Southern women, documented in his book of the same title. Johnson always imagined the work being staged as an ensemble piece; he also “wanted to see what someone else would do with the material”. That someone else proved to be D. Soyini Madison, Professor Emerita at Northwestern, which thrilled Johnson as “it was she who introduced me to oral histories and adapting them for the stage.” Talk about full-circle magic! Madison emphasized the role of co-director Tim Rhoze: “it seemed to be a wonderful fit of intersectionality between traditional theater … with oral history,” said Rhoze.

The stage at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre is open, with no curtain, so before the action begins we could contemplate and enjoy the set, designed by Tim Rhoze and Kotryna L. Hilko. The murals by Sholo Beverly were spectacular, and as the play developed, we realized some of the images were in fluorescent paint, so they changed with changes in the lighting (Josiah Croegaert, Lighting Designer). The production blends original music (Sound Designer Ethan Korvne), choreography (Marsae Lynn Mitchell), and poetry to reveal the women’s stories, and Stage Manager Rich Oliver, with assistant Eldridge Shannon III, kept it flowing seamlessly.

The main character is Jelani Julyus as “Dr. EPJ”, a stand-in for author Johnson. EPJ, a gay Black man, finds his vivid dreams becoming reality when he’s kidnapped by “Miss Bee” (Tuesdai B. Perry), Queen Bee of the Hive. Under Miss Bee’s direction, EPJ observes and chronicles the stories of the various women inhabiting a metaphysical place variously called the Hive and the Hymen. The honeycomb and bee imagery of the set kept us moored in the communal nature of honeybee communities.

The ensemble included Angelena Browne, Kaitlyn Fields, Nehanda Julot, Santina Juma, Jasmine "Jaz" Robertson, and Sadie Stickler; each performed multiple roles to bring the women’s voices to life.  The actors were a wide range of sizes, skin shades, and general appearance; the sole common characteristic was, as the title states, they were all queer, and Intimacy Coordinator Chels Morgan gave them free reign to commune and consort onstage.

They did talk about being queer – at times with splendiferous jubilation and delectable delight! – but virtually no reflection their being from the South. Perhaps the author did not consider this issue very important, but if so, why include it in the title? There was also no discussion of the issue of being Black – aside from the visual statement that they all were. I was interested in how things were for black lesbians in the South, but I never really learned.

Musical interludes served as transition points, from blues to African-inspired chants, often with drums to accompany the splendid vocal harmonies. The costumes, designed by co-set designer Kotryna L. Hilko, were fairly simple so as not to distract us from the stories, the synchronized voices, and the dancing (choreographer Marsae Lynn Mitchell).

The stories were presented as replies to EPJ’s questions, and Miss Bee prompted each woman in turn to provide her response. The questions covered a wide range of topics, from motherhood to drug addiction to political activism.  Just before intermission there was a long and explicit section on early sexual abuse. Every one of the women provided an unexpurgated account … each different, all wrenchingly the same.

I was puzzled by the presence of a man in this piece that was supposed to be about women and, quite frankly, I couldn’t understand why all these dykes were baring their souls to a man!  Specifically, I became troubled by his interrogatory question: “Did you tell?” I’ve done many examinations on abuse survivors, and I recognize that their reaction to whatever happened when they ‘told’ is critically important. My problem was not with EPJ asking, but with the manner of his inquiry. Every time he used the same three words: ‘Did you tell?’, which sounded more intrusive with each repetition. By the end of that segment I could no longer write it off to inexperience or indelicacy; I experienced the questions as prurient and voyeuristic. The second act provided no segue from the painful revelations we’d just heard but simply began careering through the lives of the different women, their lovers, and their political activities.

I’m fairly sure HONEYPOT did not deliberately set EPJ as the main character, but that was my indelible impression. For me, this decentered the stories of the women in a play that was supposed to teach us about black southern women who love women. Instead, I learned quite a bit about EPJ, from his marriage to his mother's favorite song, but not much about BLACK SOUTHERN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN.

I was really excited to see this show and truly wanted to love it. Sadly, I didn’t.

HONEYPOT: BLACK SOUTHERN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in Evanston is playing through June 1^st.

*By Sarz Maxwell with much assistance from Arcenia Harmon

*This review is also featured on https://www.theatreinchicago.com/! 

OBAMA-OLOGY is about privilege, as experienced and explored by Warren, a young gay Black man, recently graduated from college who takes a job with the 2008 Obama campaign. He arrives in a near-frenzy of excitement, but his ardor rapidly shrivels in the bleak streets of East Cleveland. Warren, ably played by David Guiden, is bewildered at the other volunteers’ indifference – even hostility – to his college education.

Warren is mystified at his volunteer peers’ indifference to his accomplishments, and only gradually does he become aware of the hierarchy he unconsciously assumes – with himself, naturally, at the top of the food chain. Guidan’s depiction of Warren’s grossly overblown excitement when one of his recruits shows up at volunteer headquarters is brilliantly acted. Still, we fully understand Cece’s hesitancy. Warren’s shock at finding her ‘functionally illiterate’ further alienates her; we’re impressed that she hangs in so long, and almost relieved when she drops out after Warren’s offer to fix her with adult literacy classes.

Scenic Designers Tim Rhoze and Evan Sposato choose bright colors for a seemingly simple set design that is surprisingly versatile. Stage/House Managers Barbara Reeder and Lexx Dyer use it very effectively to punctuate the brief, rapidly moving scenes, assisted by Lighting and Sound Designers Michael Rourke and Daniel Etti-Williams. Simple announcements, (e.g., “campaign headquarters”) keep us grounded in time and space. Casting director Lynn Baber selects a small (and excellent) cast: David Guiden is Warren, with all other characters beautifully played by Chris Jensen, Tuesdai B. Perry and Em Demaio. Baber’s costumes help us tell one character from another, but this differentiation is largely accomplished by the actors’ skill and the excellent direction by Fleetwood-Jourdain’s Artistic Associate Bria Walker. I admit I arrived at the theatre ten minutes late (damn the Red/Purple Line Howard Station balls-up!); still, I very quickly caught up with what character(s) were currently onstage.

OBAMA-OLOGY is billed as a comedy and there were indeed some hilarious moments: the local volunteer trainee whose idea of outreach runs along the lines of ‘Yo! Niggah! Git yer black ass to the polls!’, and the aggressively ‘woke’ couple who address other volunteers as ‘sistah soldier’. Excellent acting makes these scenarios truly droll without descent into slapstick. OBAMA-OLOGY is also advertised as drama; there are definitely some dramatic scenes, particularly those involving Warren’s parents exiling their queer son. My companion is into neologisms and called OBAMA-OLOGY a ‘dramedy’, but I would have liked it better if it had been one or the other.

OBAMA-OLOGY’s primary appeal for me was its portrayal of how easy it is to oversimplify the deeply complex phenomenon of privilege in our society. Wikipedia says of playwright Aurin Squire: Many of Squire's plays revolve around multiracial societies in transition or America's changing cultural make-up. His work reflects the Latino, African, Caribbean, African American, and Jewish cultures he grew up around in South Florida. Given this heritage, I’m disappointed at how superficially Squire (through Warren) approaches the critical issue of racial hierarchy in America.

When Warren is told, he must speak to people on their level, he not only cheapens that to speaking in Ebonics but, more importantly, clearly views it as a descent for him. His reaction to Cece’s literacy – the urge to ‘fix’ her – is so very white! Only near the end, when he and his partner endure a traffic stop, does Warren begin to get the memo about black and white in East Cleveland. That vignette could have been crucial, but it’s demeaned by its vanilla outcome. True, OBAMA-OLOGY was written in 2014, pre-George Floyd, but not pre-Rodney King! The play’s ending is equally classic white fairy tale: Cece has (1) gotten her GED, (2) gotten a job, and (3) gotten pregnant – and this is meant to be a happy ending! There a thousand far more interesting things Squire could have done with Cece.

I don’t much care for comedy; I chose OBAMA-OLOGY because shows I’ve previously seen at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre were exceptional, and I will continue to watch the Fleetwood-Jourdain’s seasons hoping for more. OBAMA-OLOGY was light, pleasant, and fairly funny, but definitely not thought-provoking.

Through June 25th at Fleetwood-Jourdain at the Noyes Cultural Center. For tickets and/or more show information, click here.