Urban Zulu Mambo
By David Sheward
Tuesday, February 27 2001
Tuesday, February 27 2001
Published on AllBusiness.com
The three short solo plays that make up "Urban Zulu Mambo" present a trio of vastly different African-American women and the varying voices of their authors.Playwright-actress Regina Taylor zestfully embodies themall, in addition to writing the title poem which serves as a transition piece between the vignettes. This Signature Theatre production is conceived as a tribute to Adrienne Kennedy, a previous Signature playwright-in-residence, and a pioneer black female dramatist. In works like "Funnyhouse of a Negro" and "A Rat's Mass," Kennedy dared to venture away from kitchen-sink realism in her depiction of the African-American experience.
The three pieces here are equally fantastic in their use of presentational elements to convey gritty reality. Suzan-Lori Parks' "Talking to Jupiter" starts the evening and is the strongest segment. The main character is Hettie, a homeless woman who refers to herself in the third person and has a talking German shepherd named Jupiter for a protector and constant companion. This bizarre animal talent is somehow made plausible by Parks' compassionate writing and Taylor's non-condescending performance.
"Liliane" is Ntozake Shange's poetic meditation on an artist's fascination with a beautiful man with dreadlocks. The joy and intoxication of physical attraction and the transcendent power of art are feelingly portrayed.
In the third piece, "Safe Box," Kia Corthron indulges in her penchant for quoting statistical data. Rame is a victim of breast and ovarian cancer burning all of her diaries on New Year's Eve 1999. She wants to start the new millennium fresh. But she spends so much time spewing percentages of carcinogens and poison gases in the atmosphere, the monologue sounds like a report from the Environmental Protection Agency. The actress manages to overcome this flaw and make us care about Rame.
Henry Godinez's direction gives us enough different notes to make for vibrant 90 minutes. The set by G.W. Mercier is versatile, as are Brenda Rousseau's costumes and Jane Cox's lighting.Unfortunately, Robert Kaplowitz's fuzzy sound design rendered transitional voice-overs almost unintelligible.
Come to the Cabaret We're currently working on this week's Back Stage which is our annual Cabaret spotlight. Our Bistro Bits columnists John Hoglund, David Finkle, Barbara and Scott Siegel ask performers, publicists, and bookers how to fill a cabaret room. Editor in Chief Sherry Eaker interviews Bistro Award winners on their love affair with this intimate art form in her Center Stage column. Monday, March 5 is the big night itself-the Back Stage Bistro Awards&..Last night, I watched the first half of ABC's Judy Garland bio TV film on tape. Can't wait to catch the rest when Judy Davis enters the picture as the adult Judy.
The three pieces here are equally fantastic in their use of presentational elements to convey gritty reality. Suzan-Lori Parks' "Talking to Jupiter" starts the evening and is the strongest segment. The main character is Hettie, a homeless woman who refers to herself in the third person and has a talking German shepherd named Jupiter for a protector and constant companion. This bizarre animal talent is somehow made plausible by Parks' compassionate writing and Taylor's non-condescending performance.
"Liliane" is Ntozake Shange's poetic meditation on an artist's fascination with a beautiful man with dreadlocks. The joy and intoxication of physical attraction and the transcendent power of art are feelingly portrayed.
In the third piece, "Safe Box," Kia Corthron indulges in her penchant for quoting statistical data. Rame is a victim of breast and ovarian cancer burning all of her diaries on New Year's Eve 1999. She wants to start the new millennium fresh. But she spends so much time spewing percentages of carcinogens and poison gases in the atmosphere, the monologue sounds like a report from the Environmental Protection Agency. The actress manages to overcome this flaw and make us care about Rame.
Henry Godinez's direction gives us enough different notes to make for vibrant 90 minutes. The set by G.W. Mercier is versatile, as are Brenda Rousseau's costumes and Jane Cox's lighting.Unfortunately, Robert Kaplowitz's fuzzy sound design rendered transitional voice-overs almost unintelligible.
Come to the Cabaret We're currently working on this week's Back Stage which is our annual Cabaret spotlight. Our Bistro Bits columnists John Hoglund, David Finkle, Barbara and Scott Siegel ask performers, publicists, and bookers how to fill a cabaret room. Editor in Chief Sherry Eaker interviews Bistro Award winners on their love affair with this intimate art form in her Center Stage column. Monday, March 5 is the big night itself-the Back Stage Bistro Awards&..Last night, I watched the first half of ABC's Judy Garland bio TV film on tape. Can't wait to catch the rest when Judy Davis enters the picture as the adult Judy.
