[NEohioPAL]Berko review: CUTTIN' UP (Cleveland Play House)

[Roy Berko]

Play House’s ‘CUTTIN’ UP’ a valiant try, but...

Every once in a while a play has good intentions, but
misses the mark.  This is the case with  ‘CUTTIN’ UP,’
now on stage at the Cleveland Play House

In his book Cuttin' Up: Wit and Wisdom from Black
Barbershops, Craig Marberry, who conducted interviews
in black barber shops across the country, delves into
the world of black men and their relationships.  In
his research he found that the barber shop is, to many
African American males, the place to talk, “solve the
world’s problems,” and get a unique haircut which is a
significant part of their identity.  It is for men
what the church is for many Black women.

Charles Randolph-Wright’s script, which is based on
Marberry’s book, is set in a barber shop in Cleveland.
 Unfortunately, rather than having a central theme
which follows a logical course, the script jumps
around, often not completing one story before it
segues into another.  The material would have been
much better as a series of vignettes that took 60
minutes, rather than an almost two-and-one-half hour
production.  The intermission 

Director Craig Marberry doesn’t help the matter.  The
pace is slow, the action sparce, and the impact
generally missing.

The cast ranges from adequate to excellent.  In the
latter category is Dorian Logan as the youngest of the
barbers.  He has a vitality and a “real” quality which
is missing in some of the other performers.  Darryl
Alan Reed (Andre) , as the barber with a past, gives a
creditable performance.  Adolphus Ward as the wise
veteran haircutter fails to project and many of his
lines are lost.  His character comes and goes, making
this a surface level performance.  Of the rest of the
cast, who often play multi-roles, Bill Grimmette is
delightful as the pompous Reverend Jenkins and Don
King.

This is an intimate play.  The large stage of the
Bolton Theatre does not lend itself to a small
three-chair barber shop, in spite of a spiffy set
design by Michael Carnahan.  The poor acoustics of the
Bolton cause hearing problems.  Many of the lines get
lost in the towering ceiling and side balconies.  It’s
really a shame that the Play House does not have an
intimate thrust or black box theatre that lends itself
to a play like ‘CUTTIN’ UP.’

Capsule judgement:  It’s too bad that “CUTTIN’ UP’ is
such a weak script and receives such a weak production
because the message it attempts to present is
important and could have added significantly to Black
History Month.

The play runs through February 25.  For tickets call
216-795-7000.




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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