[NEohioPAL]Berko: PERMANENT COLLECTION (Karamu)

[Roy Berko]

‘PERMANENT COLLECTION,’ THOUGHT PROVOKING, BUT
INCONSISTENT AT KARAMU

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

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

‘PERMANENT COLLECTION’ by Thomas Gibbons is presently
in production at the Arena Theatre of Karamu.  On the
surface the play is about museums, race and culture. 
But, as one probes deeper, it is about how each of us
perceives the world from our own perspective.

Gibson took his inspiration from the true story of the
Barnes Foundation, an educational organization focused
on art, located in Merion, Pennsylvania, just outside
Philadelphia.  The Foundation, which boasts one of the
greatest collections of post Impressionist art in the
world, has suffered great public turmoil since its
eccentric founder, Dr. Albert Barnes, died in 1951. 
In a mind boggling action, Barnes left  the
foundation’s operation to Lincoln University, a
historically black school.  Eventually, because of a
perceived racial divide, a number of lawsuits drained
the Barnes of its endowment.

In the story, Gibbons explores the conflict between
the newly-appointed African American director and the
museum's longtime Caucasian education director who
holds strongly to the museum's charter which forbids
any changes to be made in the way the museum’s art is
displayed.  Fueled by an overzealous newspaper
reporter, the private debate becomes public, and both
men face off across the great racial divide.

The conflict is captured in a speech by the African
American director who states, 'We pretend all things
are equal, no culture is higher than another -- but in
our hearts we know it's a lie.  Shakespeare is better
than folk tales.  Bach is better than rap."

The play lays bare assumptions, beliefs, and bigotry
as it defines itself.

Audience members are very likely to state, “He
(Sterling North, the African American director) is
right.”  “No, (Paul Barrow, the caucasian director) is
right.” No, North.  No, Barrow.  Gibbons’ well
conceived use of language and plot devices carries us
along on a journey of ever shifting darkness and
light.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the play is
that Gibbons is a white male.  As he did in his
wonderful ‘BEE LUTHER HATCHEE,’ which got a fine
production at Karamu several years ago, Gibbons treads
the line between the races with a deft and articulate
hand. 

The Karamu production does not live up to the
potential of the script.  The cast is inconsistent. 
Director Terrence Spivey failed to work with some of
the actors on texturing their performances.  Many of
the lines are tossed away and lose their meaning. 
Yelling consistently substitutes for frustration and
distress.  In spite of this, some of the performances
are acceptable.

John Busser is excellent as Barrow, but even he fades
in the final scenes and seems to lose his
characterization.  Joseph Primes (Sterling North) has
some excellent scenes as the museum director,
especially those in which he is presenting controlled
feelings.  But he loses control of his voice and the
character when he needs to show frustration and
strength and fades into an unbelievable shell of the
character.   

Katrice Monee Headd nicely develops the role of
Kanika, the African American assistant.   Anne McEvoy
consistently develops the role of a reporter, though
she needed to be more cunning trying to develop the
conflict into her fifteen-minutes of journalistic
fame.

Rollin Mac Michael displays no understanding of how to
effectively develop a role.  He overacts and screams
unnecessarily.  Iris D. Tucker-Berry says words,
avoiding the fact that those words have meaning.  

John Konopka’s set design is wonderful.  The floor of
the theatre-in-the-round is a series of well-created
impressionist art.   Richard Morris, Jr.’s lighting
design allowed  for clear transitions.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  ‘PERMANENT COLLECTION’ is an
excellent script which has a powerful and
though-provoking message.  Unfortunately, the Karamu
production fails to give full-life to the author’s
powerful words and message.

‘PERMANENT COLLECTION’ runs through February 11 at the
Arena Theatre of Karamu.  For tickets call
216-795-7077.

Karamu’s next productions are the world premiers of
‘GREENSBORO FOUR,’ which runs from January 27 through
February 18 in the Jelliff Theatre, and ‘JIM:  FLESH
AND BLOOD,’ a play about football player Jim Brown.




Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2002 through 2007, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info
      
Roy's theatre and dance reviews appear regularly on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.  His dance reviews also appear on www.coolcleveland.com


 
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