A Bittersweet Memory Play

Crumbs From the Table of Joy – Raven Theatre

 

Audiences will be charmed by this bittersweet memory play penned early in the career of two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, Lynn Nottage. Set in 1950, and gently narrated by his eldest daughter, Ernestine, African American widower, Godfrey Crump decides to move his two daughters and himself from Florida to Brooklyn. Still grieving over his wife’s recent death, Godfrey is simply following his gut. Subscribing to his mentor’s newsletter, Godfrey is blindly guided by the teachings and writings of a religious man called Father Divine. While trying to model his life after the spiritual leader, Godfrey jots down all the questions he wants answered on scraps of paper, and saves them in a box. Godfrey’s ambition is that he’ll finally meet this guru in person, somewhere in the Big Apple, and be able to bring order to his tumultuous life.

Ernestine, or Ernie as she’s nicknamed, is a quietly reserved 17-year-old, who spends most of the play patiently sewing a dress for her high school graduation. Ernie doesn’t make friends easily, and thus spends most of her time with her sassy younger sister, Ermina. The two girls share time together, dreaming of owning a television set, watching the neighborhood white kids hanging out in the park or just reliving memories from the past. Sometimes the sisters go to the movies or listen to music on the radio that Mama won, just before she passed away.

Suddenly Lily Anne Green, Mama’s gorgeous, gregarious sister, arrives at their doorstep, with suitcases in hand. The feisty Ms. Green had always harbored a secret lust for Godfrey, so she’s decided to move into the crowded apartment with her brother-in-law to see what would transpire. Dressed up in her flashy finery, Lily goes out every night, dancing and drinking until dawn, while idling the day away in the apartment. She supports the doctrines of the Communist Party and administers her undisciplined advice to one and all, much to Godfrey’s chagrin.

One day Mr. Crump chances to meet Gerte, a spirited, young German immigrant, while riding the subway. Following in the footsteps of Father Divine, Godfrey proposes and marries this provocative white woman. Soon, life around the Brooklyn apartment is in constant turmoil, with the presence of a German-speaking white woman living with the family. Ernie is more accepting, but Ermina, and particularly Lily, become increasingly annoyed at Gerte’s company. The play moves forward through some major conflicts and minor disagreements, ending with Ernie’s graduation and her reflections upon each of her family member’s future.

This production, perhaps because of the play’s episodic nature, feels a little choppy. Director Tyrone Phillips has led his five-member cast through a story that’s sentimental and almost adolescent in its style. Phillips has staged his production upon Arnel Sancianco’s spacious, sprawling scenic design. While it’s meant to represent the Crump’s modest basement apartment, it doesn’t feel like a cramped and crowded garden-level flat. We also have scenes that take place elsewhere, but the majority of this play occurs in the home.

The acting is a little bit all over the place in this production. Terrence Sims is strong and impressive, but primarily in his quieter, more cerebral moments. There are too many instances when Mr. Sims’ histrionics make him difficult to understand. Whenever the actor plays annoyed or angry, all we hear is a character whose words are lost in his emotions. This could be an easy fix if Phillips will simply guide this talented actor with a firmer hand, imagining what it’s like to not already know Godfrey’s words.

By contrast, as Ernestine, Chanell Bell is calm, collected and completely in control. She speaks clearly and quietly, sometimes drowned out by the other actors who share her scene. Ms. Bell’s wide-eyed dignity and her character’s developing maturity and judgment is nicely understated, but much welcome. Her best comedic moments come when the audience discovers that the bizarre scene they’ve just enjoyed is actually a figment of Ernie’s imagination.  

Brandi Jiminez Lee, who was such a standout in Adventure Stage’s excellent “Akeelah and the Bee,” is superb as Ermina. She delivers her lines with complete honesty and offers a natural believability as this rebellious, 15-year-old African American, especially a character living in New York during the 1950’s. Ms. Lee’s also a master of silence, of the unspoken, employing subtle looks that speaks volumes. Hopefully we’ll see a lot more of this talented young actress in future productions.

Emily Tate portrays Gerte with stature and authority. She has a difficult role, as the newcomer of the household. She’s also a German white woman who’s looked upon with suspicion, especially by Lily. Trying hard not to become “the stepmother,” Gerte does everything she can to show love and support while trying to be accepted into an already hostile household. The young woman is up against a great deal of prejudice and animosity but, in what seems like an unrealistic change of heart, the script suddenly makes the second Mrs. Crump appear to be more welcomed.   

The actress who audiences will remember the most from this production is the vivacious, multitalented Brianna Buckley. Playing a role that’s obviously written to be over-the-top, Ms. Buckley makes a bold, brassy Lily Anne Green. As a character who knows what she wants, if not exactly how to get it, this actress takes the stage with passion and turns every scene into her own. It helps that Costumer Christine Pascual has clothed Ms. Buckley, especially in her first entrance, in well-tailored, often scarlet outfits that scream, “Look at me!” Sometimes a little overpowering, Brianna is definitely a gifted actress who makes this production sing. 

Lynn Nottage’s first professionally produced, full-length script doesn’t have the depth and resonance of her later works, such as “Intimate Apparel,” or her two Pulitzer Prize-winning plays “Ruined” or “Sweat.” But, like many of the plays of Tennessee Williams, and Lorraine Hansberry’s extraordinary “A Raisin in the Sun,” Nottage’s drama is both a nostalgic memory play about growing up in the city during the 1950’s, while exploring what it was like to be African American during the Eisenhower years. In this respectable launch of their new season, Raven Theatre can boast an entertaining, thought-provoking, somewhat autobiographical production that’s sure to linger in the heart and mind of every theatergoer.

Recommended          

Reviewed by Colin Douglas       

 

Presented October 4-November 18 by Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark, Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling them at 773-338-2177 or by going to www.raventheatre.com.

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