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Last Updated: Dec 4th, 2007 - 08:33:39 |
There are walls created by societal evils—misogyny, racism, homophobia—that seem as massive as the Great Wall of China, never to be toppled.
Fear, misunderstanding and stubbornness support the erection of more walls. In Gloria Naylor’s “The Women of Brewster Place,” adapted by Tim Acito into a sparkling musical at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., a hopeful light is shed on the concept that women can transcend such barriers threatening their lives, and heal themselves in the process.
Set in the mid-1970s, the idealistic Kiswana (the excellent Monique L. Midgette) is determined to organize the women in an urban apartment building to tear down a wall that serves as home base for drug dealers and gang members. The first act is a bit uneven, yet everything comes together in the second act, with the story line of two of the women, a lesbian couple Tee (Suzzanne Douglas) and Lorraine (Harriett D. Foy). This particular story line differs, though, from Naylor’s novel and the change—along with the format of a musical— may strike some as taking away from the power of the original narrative.
Douglas, a veteran actor with a prominent list of film, Broadway and television credits, does a wonderful turn as the tough Tee who is wary about getting involved in the movement to challenge the gangsters. She resents the other women’s gossipy judgment of their lifestyle.
At the same time, Tee is warmly protective of the more hopeful Lorraine, who supports the Brewster women in the fight to tear the wall down. When the two sing together about the hardness of the world, there is a palatable chemistry between them underneath the soaring harmonies.
Of the varied story lines in the musical, Tee and Lorraine’s is the most well-defined and powerful. On the other hand, the men, none of whom are portrayed in a flattering light, are darkly-lit silhouettes. True to Naylor’s depiction, men are vague and frequently absent figures, only arriving on the scene to cause trouble.
Acito’s wonderful songs and clever lyrics allow each character to introduce herself to the audience in a memorable way. The young activist Kiswana tells how she channels all the great revolutionaries of the past. “I’m Che, Angela, Huey, all rolled up into one” she sings in an up-tempo beat with three background singers—one of them the spitting image of Angela Davis. The set design by Anne Patterson is also remarkable, particularly her use of the moving walls to transition into new scenes.
The women wander in and out during the first act, circling Mattie (the consistently wonderful Tina Fabrique), the strong, hardworking everywoman who is good at supporting others, yet has a hard time listening to her own voice and making a stand.
Her friend Etta Mae (the scene-stealing Marva Hicks) is judged by the other women because of her tight, short dresses and man-chasing ways. Mattie and Etta Mae’s differences bind them and they help each other wake up for some much-needed soul searching.
The ultimate truth, that the women share bloodlines that transcend their seemingly outwardly differences, is rendered through loss. Tee and Lorraine represent all the women of Brewster Place, beautiful and endangered, yet possessing immense depth and so much to offer the world—as long as they can bust through the wall.
“The Women of Brewster Place” is at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., through December 9. For tickets, call 202-488-3300
© Copyright 2006 SeeingBlack.com
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