‘The Man of Her Dreams’ comes to Lee Hall

“The Man of Her Dreams” starring Shirley Murdoch, Jackee, Harry and Clifton Powell took place Wednesday in Florida A&M University’s Lee Hall Auditorium.

Every woman dreams of the perfect man to come sweep her off her feet! Margaret is a happy wife and mother with the perfect husband who provides well for his wife and two children, Erica and Tyrone. Margaret’s husband, Sen. Marcus Gordon, is a proud husband and father who will only allow the best for his family, but he has been holding a dark secret.

Eighteen years after leaving her family without saying goodbye, Margaret’s sister, Louise, finally shows her face, along with her “adopted” daughter, Chania. Chania, an 18-year-old woman, is waiting for the Lord to bless her with a good man.

Chania finally finds him in Tyrone, her cousin, and they plan to get married. Although they are cousins, they believe that it is OK to wed because Chania is adopted, but this comes to an end when Chania tells her mother. Louise, filled with guilt, tells the family the dark secret that she and Sen. Gordon had an affair 18 years ago, and she got pregnant. Everyone finds out that Chania is not Louise’s adopted daughter, but indeed her biological daughter. This means Tyrone is Chania’s brother. Margaret is in disbelief and immediately kicks Louise and Sen. Gordon out of her house.

Not only that, but Erica reveals to her mother that she has been cheating on her boyfriend, Kevin, with her sugar daddy, Jamal. Erica also tells her mother that Jamal has been physically abusing her because she is pregnant with his baby.

Nothing more could go wrong in Margaret’s life. The butler, Cletus Jones, lets her know God will not put more on her than she can handle. At the end of the play, Louise writes a letter to her family, apologizing for all of the problems that she has caused.

“I put a twist in this play to make the audience not be able to predict the ending,” said Donald Gray, the director, playwright and character Pastor Brown.

Gray has written and directed numerous plays, including “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” “My Grandmother Prayed for Me” and “Things that Lovers Do,” which starred singer Kenny Latimore.

Jesseka Forbes, 19, a sophomore pharmacy student from Tallahassee, said, “The message that I gained from the play is that God is always in control!”

Actor Tyga Graham, who played Kevin, is a former FAMU student. Graham majored in pharmacy and participated in the Marching 100. He began his career as a member of the R&B group Silk.

“Plays that help people are what inspire me to act, and in this particular play, the story is strong and real,” Graham said.

Powell, who played Sen. Gordon, has been acting for 35 years. He may be remembered as Pinky from “Next Friday.” He has played in other plays such as, “Fabric of a Man” and “Things that Lovers Do.”

“Plays are different from television because they are more linear and live,” Powell said.

Shakita Gordon, a FAMU alumna from Miami, said, “The message that I gained from the play was that no matter what, you have to have faith in the Lord.”