Sugar and Spice

Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years -Goodman Theatre

 

The Delany sisters, two charming, lovable African American spinster ladies (who preferred being called “colored” or “Negro”), share a home in upstate New York. They’re remarkable for so many reasons. Annie Elizabeth “Bessie” Delany was born in 1891. She was only the second African American woman to become a licensed dentist. Her older sister, Sarah Louise “Sadie” Delany, was the first African American woman to teach science in a New York high school. The sisters, who were the two of ten children born to Henry Delany, a former slave, and Nanny Delany. Suffice it to say that when asked about their long lives, the Delany sisters had a lot to say.

 When Amy Hill Hearth, a young journalist for the New York Times, interviewed the two sisters in 1991, the article led to a best-selling biography that was published two years later. In 1995, Emily Mann adapted the book into a two-character play in which Bessie and Sadie break the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience. In this production, the ladies graciously welcome the audience into their home for tea and then share photographs and stories about their long lives together that spans over 100 years of history, both national and personal.

Following a successful Broadway run, this wonderful play enjoyed a well-received sitdown production at Chicago’s Briar Street Theatre, just before that venue became the permanent home to the long-running Blue Man Group. Returning to the Windy City, and marking the 25th anniversary of the original book, director Chuck Smith presents a remarkably genteel and kind, captivating production that’s filled with love. His production stars two very accomplished, articulate, amusing and adorable mature actresses as the Delany sisters. 

Ella Joyce plays Bessie and Marie Thomas portrays Sadie, each actress bringing her own special, powerful personality to the character she plays; each equally deft in creating these warm, wise, wonderful women. They breath life into this pair of real-life pioneers who survived decades of prejudice, racism and bigotry. But, through the years, these two ladies learned from any negative experiences, turning them all into positive, learning moments. Bessie and Sadie are the poster girls for the loving, supportive family, a community of people who were always there for each other, no matter the cause.

The play’s technical artistry is much like the original Broadway production. Chuck Smith’s marvelous production boasts a detailed scenic design by Linda Buchanan. Her set features both a living room and a working kitchen on a giant turntable that allows the sisters to cross from room to room with ease. As they share family photos with the audience, Mike Tutaj’s spot-on projections allow theatergoers, even those sitting in the back row of the balcony, to view the treasured pictures. Enhanced by John Culbert’s wash of lighting and Birgit Rattenborg Wise’s modest costumes, Smith’s production feels intimate and homey.

This delightful adaptation of “one of the Best Books of 1994” is a welcome addition to the Spring season of Chicago theatre. It’s an uplifting, thoughtful, humane and empathetic play—just the kind of entertainment we need now in this country. Often, Emily Mann’s inspiring adaptation of this oral history is as humorous as it is heartbreaking. Brought to life by veteran director Chuck Smith, and featuring two talented and affable actors, there’s much to be appreciated and gleaned from this heartfelt piece. It’s the perfect introduction for middle and high school students to hear about history from individuals who actually experienced it. Older adults who remember learning about the Civil Rights Movement, the Harlem Renaissance, Jim Crow Laws, Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King will appreciate the life’s journey traveled by the Delany sisters. A pair of loving, always supportive ladies, the Delany siblings describe their contrasting personalities as sugar and spice, with Sadie as the kinder, gentler sister and Bessie, who always enjoys a good fight. But, what we ultimately learn is that the world is big enough for both.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas    

 

Presented May 14-June 10 by the Goodman Theatre in the Albert Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the Goodman box office, by calling 312-443-3800 or by going to www.GoodmanTheatre.org/HavingOurSay.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.