The Essential Theatre brought FAMU students a little “Spunk,” in a creative and energetic adaptation of three works written by Zora Neale Hurston.
The play consists of three different tales.
The first tale, “Sweat”, about a timid housewife Delia (April O’Bryant) who endures physical and mental abuse from her husband Sykes, (Prince T. Bowie). Bowie, a senior theatre education major from Miami, has a slew credits under his belt, including “Once on this Island” and “The Colored Museum.”
Bowie played his characters provocatively, and although this is his last Essential Theatre production, it’s certain that if Bowie continues professionally, his talent will definitely flourish.
“Story in Harlem Slang” is the second tale. It is about Jelly (Alfred Thomas) and his experience in Harlem after leaving the South behind to pursue a more lavish and exciting life in the city chasing women and running the streets with his friend Sweet Back (Dean Wilson), a fast talking, smooth “player.”
Thomas, a sophomore theatre education major from Miami was, in a sense, the “comic relief”, providing laughs throughout the entire show. It is apparent that he and Wilson have great stage chemistry, which shone through in Jelly and Sweet Back’s silly competitive friendship in the Harlem tale.
“Gilded Six Bits” tells of how a simple, poor man Joe Banks (Wilson) doesn’t have much, but all he needs to make him happy is his wife Missie May (O’Bryant) and their love.
Wilson is a freshman theatre performance student from Sarasota. He gave a whimsical and diverse performance. Adding his own flavor to his roles, especially the slick-talking, loud-mouth player in “Story in Harlem Slang”, Wilson seemed to have the confidence and talent needed when not only performing, but performing in front of a FAMU audience is necessary.
O’Bryant gave emotional and comical performances, as well. A senior theatre education major from Miami, her credits include various plays such as “Medea”, “Once on this Island,” and “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters,” just to name a few. Her character was believable, and captivated the audience.
With a combination of excellent costumes, lighting and set design (with the exception of “Story in Harlem Slang”), “Spunk” entertains audiences, and captures the essence of black culture in the same way Hurston does in her novels and other works.
The small cast put together enough charisma to make a play into an entertainment production.
The costume design was fantastic. The wardrobe reflected the eras of the stories, yet it also drew attention to the characters’ personality, and added “spunk” (if you will) to the production as well. The flapper dresses and bright suits of the Harlem era were a favorite among audience members.
The scenery was good. However, the jagged “country” picket fence did not fit the scene for “Story in Harlem Slang”. It made sense when the scene was set in small Southern black towns.
But when the scene changed from the town to Harlem, N.Y., it’s kind of hard to picture there being a wooden fence right below skyscrapers and nightclubs.
The lighting reflected the scene changes (in terms of sunlight, and night), but could have been a little more creative to reflect the mood in various parts. I
f the characters were angry, perhaps the lighting should have switched to a different color to reflect that mood, or perhaps the backdrop color should have changed to enhance the climax of the scenes.
The backdrops were creative as well, (especially in the Harlem scene with pictures of night clubs, and signs in bright lights), and overall, the show was a success.