Saw this play at Timeline Theatre yesterday afternoon. Powerful, shocking, gut wrenching experience. Story is set in the mid-50's, depicting the rehearsal of a Reconstruction era Broadway play about a black mother trying to save her son from a lynching. The overbearing white director wants the black actors to portray the characters in a stereotypical fashion (like in Gone With the Wind). However, Wiletta, a veteran actress, insists on bringing truth to the role.
Searing, raw dialogue is delivered like a kick in the stomach. The confrontation between this black woman and a white man just feet in front of my face is like nothing I have witnessed on a stage in a long, long time. Must see theatre! It's running through Dec. 18th. |
