(out of 
)Celebrating Black History Month, the Black Theatre Troupe has called on one of the African-American communities most prolific and enjoyable writers, Zora Neale Hurston, to offer three tales of rural and urban African-American heritage. As adapted by George C. Wolfe, the acclaimed playwright of The Colored Museum, Spunk is a reader's theatre-style look at Florida and Harlem of the early twentieth century, converting three of Ms. Hurston's short stories into morality plays with not a racial agenda, but a humanitarian one. Infusing the script are interludes of song and dance that help to keep this oddly distant performing style consistent.
Two of Ms. Hurston's stories are set in rural Florida, while the
other is set in the Harlem Renaissance but peopled with southern
transplants. They often deal with morality, and expectations,
and are thoroughly infused with the language of sub-culture. One
of the pieces, in fact, is a celebration of Harlem slang that
is quite enjoyable.
These three tales are narrated by a character named the Guitar
Man, played by Mel Morris, and Blues Speak Woman, sung
and spoken by Helen Jones, as well as the rest of the ensemble
(Ellishequea Bishop, Rod Ambrose, Melvin P. Bridges, and
Kenny Grimes). It is jarring when the reader's theatre-style
is first encountered, as these plots unfold with the actors constantly
breaking character to explain certain actions or feelings. Once
an audience member has gotten used to the distancing effect of
this technique, the choice that Mr. Wolfe has made actually helps
in the progression of the stories.
The performances on this preview night were low in energy, as
can be expected on the night before opening while still trying
to deal with the technical aspects of the show. There were definite
flubs and hesitations, such as Ms. Jones' carrying of the script
through certain sections, and gaping holes where dropped lines
resided, but there was also a real sense of community. This ensemble
worked well together, and Mr. Morris' guitar playing, Ms. Jones'
singing, and Ms. Bishop's wonderful performances pretty much made
up for the problems that needed to be worked out before opening
night. The rest of the ensemble was solid, but Ms. Bishop seemed
to have gotten the style where the others where hesitant. Most
impressive was her performance as a stylized young thing being
hit upon by two gigolos. There was an automation to her performance
that worked perfectly with the theme of the piece.
The production was a visual hit-and-miss, though. While Thom
Gilseth's scenic design was one of the more horrendous problems
of the night, creating a stylized barn-like structure of limited
planks and hideous color, Michael J. Eddy's lighting, utilizing
gel scrollers and wonderful colors, was one of the highlights
of the evening. Carol Simmons' costumes were generally
on-target, while Josh Ellis' sound was as full of holes
as Mr. Gilseth's set. Featured in the show were the masks of Zarco
Guerrero, though only a few masks were used. When used, they
worked well, but there was a sense that either more should have
been done, or less: Having only a few masks, and one puppet, seemed
a hesitant choice.
Director and Choreographer Reggie Kelly, greatly aided
by BTT's Artistic Director, David J. Hemphill, has put
together a show that is endearing and distancing all at once,
and that has great moments of life balanced by stylized performances
and attitudes that jar an audience member. One senses that the
unpolished feel of the production is Mr. Kelly's legacy, while
the communal feel of the cast honors Mr. Hemphill's assistance.
While the choice of a reader's theatre style for the presentation
of these three short stories by Ms. Hurston both helps and hurts
the production, there is ultimately one way to really get past
this, and that is to listen closely to Ms. Hurston's beautiful
prose that Mr. Wolfe has preserved. As one of the great voices
of African-American literature, Ms. Hurston's beautiful and sensual
prose is the biggest star of the evening, and worth the presentation.
Production Details:
Spunk by Zora Neale Hurston, as adapted by George
C. Wolfe
The Black Theatre Troupe
The Helen K. Mason Center for the Performing Arts, Phoenix
(602) 258-8128
February 11th - February 28th, 1998