Heads Up


Reviewed 1/20/06

A musical based on a coffee table book of quotes and black and white photographs doesn’t sound like it would be inspirational and empowering. However, Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry’s Crowns is not your usual picture book. The gorgeous photography is a testament to the longstanding tradition of African American women of the south wearing hats of all styles to church. The quotes, directly from the women donning their “crowns,” explain everything from hat etiquette through justification of styles to the significance of coming to God’s house as well-dressed as possible. The book made a splash when first published in 2000, and when I heard that Philadelphia’s McCarter Theatre had commissioned talented performer Regina Taylor to transform it into a musical, I could see its potential. The show had an off-Broadway run and has lived on in the regional theatres. Arizona Theatre Company, in a co-production with regional powerhouses Actor’s Theatre of Louisville and Portland Center Stage, is bringing this inspirational musical to the desert. Directed by Andrea Frye, the show looks great and moves beautifully through Mercedes Ellington’s use of various styles of choreography. The actresses have beautiful voices and look like real women, which enhances the show’s theme. The only hitches on the opening night in Tucson were technical ones stemming from miscues in Bret Torbeck’s stage management.

While you would expect a musical about church to feature a host of hymns and gospel music, Taylor has drawn deeply on all elements of African American culture, incorporating African rhythms, blues, and even rap, highlighting the continuity within the styles. It is the through story of Yolanda (Crystal Fox), a Brooklyn teen sent to the home of her grandmother Mother Shaw (Pat Bowie) in South Carolina after a family tragedy, that propels the plot. Her journey of cultural and self-discovery is timed to a church day, from morning to evening processional, featuring a wedding, a funeral, and a baptism. If there’s a problem with this inspirational show, it is that the talented ensemble of six women (featuring April Nixon, Angela Karol Grovey, Erika LaVonn, and Julia Lema) and one man (Thomas Jefferson Byrd) that play the myriad of South Carolina churchgoers shift through so many characters who have a lot of similar things to say that the message skirts repetition. Still, there are a lot of memorable moments and quotes to keep the evening educational and fun.

The ensemble is impeccable. Not a single woman stands out in either direction. Fox’s character arc from confused to self-assured is strongly presented. The rest are engaging, often vivacious, and all do an excellent job performing Ellington’s visually interesting choreography.

A key to the power of the performance is the music directed by James L. Calhoun that features Mahmoud Khan on keyboards and S-Ankh Rasa’s incredible percussion. Marjorie Bradley Kellogg’s set is a nebulous, colorful world with occasional pieces of reality brought in for effect, and Dawn Chiang’s lighting creates many appropriate moods, though Torbeck’s cues were consistently and annoyingly muffed on opening night. Reggie Ray’s costumes are adept creations that allow the women to alter their characters, including some really impressive hats.

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