[NEohioPAL]National Back Stage Review: The Colored Museum (at Karamu)

Thu Feb 16 18:43:41 PST 2006

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Three More Days to Tour The Museum at Karamu!
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Review: The Colored Museum=20
February 15, 2006
By Fran Heller

The right cast can shore up an uneven production, and The Colored =
Museum, at Karamu Performing Arts Theatre, is a case in point.

The revuelike format of George C. Wolfe's 1986 satiric riff on what it =
means to be black in America consists of 11 skits not all of equal =
merit. But under Caroline Jackson Smith's direction and with a =
first-rate cast, the weaker vignettes are propped up, resulting in an =
entertainment that is laugh-out-loud funny with an undercurrent of pain.

Coupling irreverent wit with deep compassion, Wolfe's play tackles and =
topples the myths and stereotypes of black culture, from slavery and =
Ebony magazine to hairstyles and Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in =
the Sun. All the sketches revolve around identity issues: the loss of =
it, the escape from it, the search for it.

The centerpiece of the play -- and its most familiar sketch -- is "The =
Last Mama-on-the-Couch Play," a farcical send-up of the Hansberry drama, =
Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls., and the kind of black musicals that =
white audiences, Wolfe suggests, are conditioned to expect.

The charismatic Stephanie Stovall is a hoot as the weary, Bible-totin' =
mama who is not above swatting her adult son when he takes the Lord's =
name in vain. Jimmie Woody is dead-on as the aggrieved son, whose beef =
is with the Boss Man, not the man upstairs. Meanwhile, Kimberly Brown's =
Lady in Plaid parodies the style found in Shange's famous work, while =
Katrice Monee Headd as Medea Jones speaks in the classical tongues she =
learned at Juilliard -- which nobody gets. Eventually, each actor tries =
to out-emote the others and win an Oscar from the Narrator (G. Carlos =
Henderson). The segment ends with a manic rendition of an all-black =
musical, in which dervishlike dancing slows down to a moment of =
self-awareness: It is music and dance that has helped people of color to =
survive.

Wolfe's most hilarious sketch is "The Hairpiece," in which Stovall, now =
wearing "Barbie-doll tresses dipped in chocolate," and Headd, sporting =
an outsized '60s Afro, mimic two bewigged talking heads vying for the =
crown of their bald mistress.

Henderson's campy impersonation of a drag queen and Brown's sultry =
portrait of an expatriate singer =E0 la Josephine Baker are two examples =
of the performances trumping the writing. The humor falls flat in =
"Cookin' With Aunt Ethel," a lesson in "colored cuisine," but Stovall's =
droll caricature of an Aunt Jemima prototype and Woody's =
moonshine-swigging sidekick are a gas.

In its 90th season, Karamu is the oldest African-American theatre in the =
nation, and Artistic Director Terrence Spivey is on record as wanting to =
restore its luster. With razor-sharp productions like The Colored =
Museum, he is headed in the right direction.

The Colored Museum runs Jan. 27-Feb. 19 at Karamu Performing Arts =
Theatre, 2355 E. 89th St., Cleveland. Tickets: (216) 795-7077. Website: =
www.karamu.com.

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/stage/article_display.jsp?vnu_c=
ontent_id=3D1002033363

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><STRONG><FONT size=3D3>Three More Days =
to Tour The=20
Museum at Karamu!</FONT></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><STRONG><FONT=20
size=3D3>----------------------------------------------------------------=
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><STRONG><FONT size=3D3>Review: The =
Colored=20
Museum</FONT></STRONG> <BR clear=3Dnone><I>February 15, 2006<BR =
clear=3Dnone></I>By=20
Fran Heller<BR clear=3Dnone><BR clear=3Dnone><FONT class=3Dbody>The =
right cast can=20
shore up an uneven production, and <I>The Colored Museum</I>, at Karamu=20
Performing Arts Theatre, is a case in point.<BR clear=3Dnone><BR =
clear=3Dnone>The=20
revuelike format of George C. Wolfe's 1986 satiric riff on what it means =
to be=20
black in America consists of 11 skits not all of equal merit. But under =
Caroline=20
Jackson Smith's direction and with a first-rate cast, the weaker =
vignettes are=20
propped up, resulting in an entertainment that is laugh-out-loud funny =
with an=20
undercurrent of pain.<BR clear=3Dnone><BR =
clear=3Dnone></DIV><!--startclickprintexclude-->
<DIV align=3Dcenter><!-- begin ad  //-->
<SCRIPT language=3DJavaScript>CM8ShowAd("Middle");</SCRIPT>
Coupling irreverent wit with deep compassion, Wolfe's play tackles and =
topples=20
the myths and stereotypes of black culture, from slavery and Ebony =
magazine to=20
hairstyles and Lorraine Hansberry's play <I>A Raisin in the Sun</I>. All =
the=20
sketches revolve around identity issues: the loss of it, the escape from =
it, the=20
search for it.<BR clear=3Dnone><BR clear=3Dnone>The centerpiece of the =
play -- and=20
its most familiar sketch -- is "The Last Mama-on-the-Couch Play," a =
farcical=20
send-up of the Hansberry drama, Ntozake Shange's <I>For Colored =
Girls</I>=85, and=20
the kind of black musicals that white audiences, Wolfe suggests, are =
conditioned=20
to expect.<BR clear=3Dnone><BR clear=3Dnone>The charismatic Stephanie =
Stovall is a=20
hoot as the weary, Bible-totin' mama who is not above swatting her adult =
son=20
when he takes the Lord's name in vain. Jimmie Woody is dead-on as the =
aggrieved=20
son, whose beef is with the Boss Man, not the man upstairs. Meanwhile, =
Kimberly=20
Brown's Lady in Plaid parodies the style found in Shange's famous work, =
while=20
Katrice Monee Headd as Medea Jones speaks in the classical tongues she =
learned=20
at Juilliard -- which nobody gets. Eventually, each actor tries to =
out-emote the=20
others and win an Oscar from the Narrator (G. Carlos Henderson). The =
segment=20
ends with a manic rendition of an all-black musical, in which =
dervishlike=20
dancing slows down to a moment of self-awareness: It is music and dance =
that has=20
helped people of color to survive.<BR clear=3Dnone><BR =
clear=3Dnone>Wolfe's most=20
hilarious sketch is "The Hairpiece," in which Stovall, now wearing =
"Barbie-doll=20
tresses dipped in chocolate," and Headd, sporting an outsized '60s Afro, =
mimic=20
two bewigged talking heads vying for the crown of their bald =
mistress.<BR=20
clear=3Dnone><BR clear=3Dnone>Henderson's campy impersonation of a drag =
queen and=20
Brown's sultry portrait of an expatriate singer =E0 la Josephine Baker =
are two=20
examples of the performances trumping the writing. The humor falls flat =
in=20
"Cookin' With Aunt Ethel," a lesson in "colored cuisine," but Stovall's =
droll=20
caricature of an Aunt Jemima prototype and Woody's moonshine-swigging =
sidekick=20
are a gas.<BR clear=3Dnone><BR clear=3Dnone>In its 90th season, Karamu =
is the oldest=20
African-American theatre in the nation, and Artistic Director Terrence =
Spivey is=20
on record as wanting to restore its luster. With razor-sharp productions =
like=20
<I>The Colored Museum</I>, he is headed in the right direction.<BR=20
clear=3Dnone><BR clear=3Dnone>The Colored Museum <I>runs Jan. 27-Feb. 19 =
at Karamu=20
Performing Arts Theatre, 2355 E. 89th St</I>., <I>Cleveland. =
Tickets</I>:=20
(<I>216</I>) <I>795-7077. Website</I>: <I><A=20
href=3D"http://www.karamu.com">www.karamu.com</A></I>.<BR =
clear=3Dnone></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dcenter><A=20
href=3D"http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/stage/article_display.j=
sp?vnu_content_id=3D1002033363">http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews=
/stage/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=3D1002033363</A><BR=20
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