She Shall Overcome

From the Mississippi Delta

The late Ida Mae Holland took the first name Endesha later in life, as a tribute to her African roots. She earned a bachelors degree in African-American Studies at the University of Minnesota, followed later by a Masters and a PHD degree in American Studies. She wrote six plays, one of which was adapted from her memoir, From the Mississippi Delta. Dr. Holland won the Lorraine Hansberry Award, as a playwright, and taught at the State University of New York, in Buffalo, then became a professor of theatre at the University of Southern California. If someone had told the young Ida Mae Holland that these impressive accolades and achievements would eventually be a part of her future, she would’ve told them that they were crazy. But, to paraphrase the Pete Seeger folksong and the words of Martin Luther King, although Ida Mae didn’t know it at the time, She Shall Overcome.

Rising from a humble childhood in Greenwood, Mississippi, Ida Mae experienced so many unbelievably traumatic moments in her young life. As a youngster, Ida Mae was raped by a white employer for whom she was babysitting. She was expelled from school for her behavior. Then she turned to prostitution, in order to earn a living, and eventually became a unique kind of exotic dancer.

 After a series of violent occurrences, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee came to Greenwood. Ida Mae initially thought she could make a little cash there by offering her favors to the male employees. But instead, she became so impressed by seeing African-Americans working as professionals and running an inspiring business that helped people, like herself. Ida Mae then began volunteering in the office and in the field, becoming a part of the early Civil Rights Movement. But eventually there were repercussions: the KKK set fire to Ida Mae’s house, killing her mother, a woman known as Ain’t Baby. Ida Mae’s mama had become a highly respected midwife and helped deliver babies around the Mississippi Delta. She was even called “The Second Doctor Lady” for her miraculous medical expertise.

These are just a few of the many vignettes from the life of this surviver that are dramatized in this autobiographical play. Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland bravely overcame poverty and a violent beginning to become a proud, self-made African-American woman. All these incidents happened during the Jim Crow era, a time when the odds were definitely not in her favor. Fragments of her life experiences occur between the 1950’s through the 1980’s and depict the story of Ida Mae, as well as her loving mother, Ain’t Baby.

The production is guided with spirit and sensitivity by Lifeline’s Artistic Director, ILesa Duncan. Ida Mae’s story, narrated and enacted by three incredibly gifted actresses, is filled with both heartache and hilarity. LaKecia Harris, who was so wonderful in Manuel Cinema’s “A Christmas Carol,” is magnificent as Woman 1. Jenise Sheppard is wonderful as Woman 2, having impressed audiences and critics alike in “Ruined” at Invictus Theatre. And seen recently in Steppenwolf’s surreal production of “…Miz Martha Washington,” Arielle Leverett is astounding as Woman 3. These three magnificent performers play a variety of characters of a both genders and of all ages. 

One of the funniest moments in this play involves a feisty elderly woman named Miss Rosebud, who stands guard over her water meter like a pit bull. She was told by a city worker that if no one stepped on it she wouldn’t have to pay as much for her water.

The production is staged on Angela Weber Miller’s impressive, multilevel, wood-hewn scenic design, skillfully lit by Levi Wilkins. The actors frequently pepper their performances with moving and beautifully sung spirituals, courtesy of music director Ricky Harris. And Tanji Harper contributes some wonderful, stylized movement and choreography to the entire production.

This memory play is stuffed to the gills with many incidents from the background of a woman who survived. She overcame so many obstacles, and this play reveals both the serious and the side-splitting aspects of her life. In the end, theatergoers will take with them the portrait of an African-American trailblazer whose accomplishments and rise to prominence are as impressive as they are seemingly impossible. But, after this production, no one will ever forget Miss Ida Mae Holland.      

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented April 27-June 18, in a joint production by Pegasus Theatre Chicago and Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available at the theatre box office, by calling 773-761-4477 or by going to wwwlifelinetheatre.com.