|
One of the greatest pleasures in being a reviewer is having the opportunity to shout to the rooftops when something is really special. So, listen up, everybody: Shay Youngblood's "Talking Bones" at Karamu Performing Arts Theatre is unadulterated theatrical joy, a gorgeous production of a magically funny play.
The magic is everywhere in "Talking Bones", but it starts with Youngblood's sassy, wise script, which won the 1993 Lorraine Hansberry Award. Three generations of women are the struggling owner-caretakers of an odd Southern cafe, Ancestor's Books and Breakfast. It's one of those enchanted places out of fairy tales, where the World Beyond constantly breaks through -- people hear strange music and suddenly begin to prophesy, visitors get their feet rooted to the floor if they aren't supposed to leave.
What makes Youngblood's enchantment so potent is its rich surreal mixture of poetry, heart, and down-home humor. Her vision is exquisitely realized by director Jaye Austin-Williams, who manages all the sleight-of-hand shifts of tone like a master conjuror. Austin-Williams has also rounded up a top-notch cast and a crack team of designers who constantly enhance the play's many levels with intelligent choices.
As matriarch Ruth, Juanita Cannada crackles as sharp as the Ancestors' voices she hears through her broken hearing aid. With a face carved out of ironwood, she is fiercely funny, and implacable in her desire to hold on to the family legacy.
Her chief antagonist, daughter Baybay, wants to sell the shop and "follow her own dream" -- but her dreams come from Harlequin romances and Hollywood cliches. Lillie Ann Brown-Oden sashays around in a cheap blonde wig, floozy hats, and a variety of tacky-glamorous outfits (JoAnn Hawkins' costumes, from snake-skin jumpsuits to Mae West red dresses, are drop-dead funny), and manages to be absurd, sexy, aggravating, and sympathetic all at once.
Charles Brown as her suitor, the money-chasing Mister Fine, is a comic treasure, from his moist round eyes to his deep plummy voice, pouring out promises and big plans as grandiose as they are hilarious.
Cassandra R. McCree is a most appealing granddaughter Eila, whose quiet down-to-earth demeanor is punctuated by bursts of second sight. Whether she is spouting hair-raising prophecies or calmly ripping out book pages to stir up into a magic soup, she radiates a sweetness that stabs at the heart.
She is beautifully paired with Daryl Donnell Trammer, who plays her suitor, the tap-dancing flower delivery boy Oz. Trammer is pure joy -- his sudden yips and explosive footwork, his goofy grins and puppy-love looks, send the play soaring to some of its dizziest heights.
The production's magic is enhanced by a myriad of special effects, from Matthew Saxton's set, with its scrim walls and flickering portraits, to Michael Boll's quick-change lighting. Especially impressive is Robert Williams' sound score -- from Motown to "Over the Rainbow" to the insistent snake-rattle of the bones.
"Talking Bones" is a marvelous human comedy -- a play with resonant themes and rich, engaging characters working at cross purposes, where the playwright and director manage to make you care about everybody. It's also a tribute to the healing and inspirational powers of art, language, and legacy. See it.
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|