[NEohioPAL]BERKO REVIEW: BE-LUTHER-HATCHEE/KARAMU

[Roy Berko]

SCRIPT OVERSHADOWS PRODUCTION AT KARAMU

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	


For many years Karamu Performing Arts Center was a
crown jewel in the Cleveland theatre scene.  This, the
oldest African-American cultural arts center in the
country, has produced the likes of Langston Hughes,
Ron O’Neal, Gilbert Moses, Diane McIntyre and Mel
Stewart.  It brought Reuben and Dorothy Silver, the
reigning king and queen of local theatre, to the area
to produce and direct the company’s shows for many
years.  

Unfortunately, the recent past has not been a period
of shining light at Karamu.  Recently, Terrence Spivey
was brought on board to revitalize this important
center as the true local voice for Black theatre. 
Spivey’s first season is entitled, “The Season of the
Woman.”  His latest offering is ‘BEE-LUTHER-HATCHEE’
by Thomas Gibbons.  

The story concerns Shelita Burns, a young black New
York editor who travels to the south in search of
seventy-two year old Libby Price, the author of the
award-wining Bee-Luther-Hatchee, meaning “the next
stop after hell.”  

(Side note:  If you are planning on seeing the
production stop reading now as I have to include the
plot twist in order to talk about the production).  

Okay, for those of you still with me… ironically,
Libby Price turns out to be a white male. 
Interestingly, the play’s author Thomas Gibbons is
also a white male who has authored a play centering on
the lives and history of Black Americans.

The play is very well written and has captivating
questions:  Do you have to be a member of a cultural
group to write about that group, to identify with the
feelings of that group?  Can a male really empathize
with a woman?    Can a Catholic view a Jewish-themed
play with any compassion?  Extending it further, can I
(this white male reviewer) have empathy for a play
centering on the female African American experience? 
I, and the white male character in the play say “Yes.”
 Shelita, the black female doesn’t agree.

As thought-provoking as the play is, the production
doesn’t live up to the challenge.  There are many
positives.  Renee Matthews-Jackson captivates as Libby
Price.  Richard Morris, Jr. has created a wonderful
workable set consisting of levels which appropriately
look like volumes of books.  Spivey uses the stage
well.  Scenes flow together seamlessly.  The problems
are the tedious pacing and the mediocre level of
acting.  Most of the cast is simply not believable. 
They fail to create real people.  There is too much
acting and not enough reacting.   There is a lot of
emoting and little feeling of the intent of the words.
 Gestures are phony, pantomiming is poor.  It’s too
bad as they had a wonderful vehicle with which to
work.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:   In spite of the weaknesses of the
production, the play is worth seeing.  It evokes
thinking and forces the viewer to ask questions about
himself/herself.  That’s not a bad thing for a play to
do, not bad at all.

'BEE-LUTHER-HATCHEE' runs thropugh April 4 in the
Jeliffe Theatre.  For tickets and information call:
216-795-7070 x226.  


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