'Slave Play,' A Painful and Cathartic Experience

 

Antoinette Crowe-Legacy and Paul Alexander Nolan

By Darlene Donloe 

This is a painful play to watch, feel and experience! 

There is a lot to unpack in Jeremy O. Harris’ Slave Play, now running at the Mark Taper Forum through March 13, 2022.

With themes like race, sex, power relations, trauma, and interracial relationships, it’s not an easy show to watch. That’s because there is an uneasy, uncomfortable realness to all of those issues that aren’t easy to witness, especially while in the midst of a mixed audience sitting silently within a theater. And yet, it’s the perfect place to do just that.

There were many moments in this complex show when it was quite clear some white people didn’t know if it was appropriate to laugh. There were many more moments when they laughed in places that were totally inappropriate – and literally were not funny.

This play, which takes place on a Southern plantation co-opted for therapeutic purposes, makes you think - hard. And just like the characters, the audience finds itself in the middle of a therapy session. 

The first act of the play is a send-up of tongue-in-cheek, sex-filled, master-slave vignettes that take place during slavery. It’s all part of the therapy.

One vignette has a Black, female slave enticing an overseer, another has a mistress enticing a male slave and yet another has a white, male slave and a Black overseer. 

Jonathan Higginbotham and Elizabeth Stahlmann

The play, which earned a record 12 Tony nominations, the most for any play in the history of those awards, focuses on three interracial couples.  One is comprised of a Black woman and a white man (Antoinette Crowe-Legacy and Paul Alexander Nolan), the next with a mulatto male and a white woman (Jonathan Higginbotham and Elizabeth Stahlmann), and a Black man and his white male lover (Jakeem Dante Powell and Devin Kawaoka).  Each brings their own drama while dealing with some form of actual or perceived racism. 

Jakeem Dante Powell and Devin Kawaoka

The question becomes just how far racism has or hasn’t evolved since the abolition of slavery. 

The second act of the play takes place within a therapy session involving all three couples – where they have a chance to unpack the Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy they went through in the beginning. The therapy is designed to help Black partners reengage intimately with white partners from who they no longer receive sexual pleasure. 

That’s when all of the real talk begins to happen. And what is revealed is disturbing, cathartic, and necessary. 

Chalia La Tour

The therapy session is facilitated by two, hilarious women Tea (Chalia La Tour) and Patricia (Irene Sofia Lucio) who try to get to the core of each of the couple’s relationships. Sometimes it’s successful, sometimes it isn’t.

Irene Sofia Lucio

There is no one way to watch this show. It will affect everyone differently – which is probably what Harris was going for. 

The actors are exceptional! Kudos to director Robert O’Hara who assembled an impressive cast that includes Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Jonathan Higginbotham, Devin Kawaoka, Chalia La Tour, Irene Sofia Lucio, Paul Alexander Nolan, Jakeem Dante Powell, and Elizabeth Stahlmann.

Slave Play, Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Avenue, LA; 8 p.m. Tuesday-Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays through March 13; $35-$110, 213 972-4400 or CenterTheatreGroup.org

Running time: 2 hours (with no intermission)

COVID protocol: Proof of full vaccination and booster is required. Masks are required at all times.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah), and E (excellent), Slave Play gets an O (oh, yeah).

29th Annual Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival Returns March 24

Tanya Thomas in 'Naturally Tan'
photo by Cameron Jordan

The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival will again present virtually this year. The overall theme of the Festival this year is BEYOND BOUNDARIES.

The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival (LAWTF) marks 29 years of producing well over 600 extraordinary multicultural and multidisciplinary solo performers from around the globe.

The longest-running Annual Solo Festival for women in Los Angeles, LAWTF will take place March 24- March 27, 2021, online.

The virtual Champagne GALA and Awards Ceremony will take place Thursday, March 24, 2022, at 8 p.m. PST and will be hosted by Hattie Winston (Becker) and Ted Lange (The Love Boat). The event will honor women of exceptional achievement and contribution to the world of theatre. The honorees will be announced in a forthcoming press release. There will be live performances in addition to the awards presentation. Theme: BRAVA!.  Performers include:

Karen A Clark in A Tribute to Women.   This spoken word and musical excerpt will pay homage to women.

Shelley Cooper in 'La Divina'
photo by Cameron Jordan

Shelley Cooper in an excerpt from La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas. Opera singer Maria Callas will be honored in this vocal piece. A different excerpt will be presented on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Juli Kim in Joy. A dance that celebrates the joy of youth as it tells the story of vibrant women of Hwang Hae Island who, in efforts to dominate and mesmerize the audience, wore bells on their wrists or feet while clad in lovely, colorful costumes.

The rest of the schedule is as follows:

Friday, March 25 at 8 p.m. Theme: The Other.

Lynne Jassem in Tapping My Way to the Nuthouse. One child dancer's story of mental pain and ultimately mental health is told through the lenses of multi-media, tap dance, mime, music, and humor.

Manca Ogorevc in The Child Behind the Eyes. On the eve of her son’s first day of school, the character Maya reflects on her child who has Down’s Syndrome.

Kathryn Smith in A Mile in My Shoes. Esther, an omniscient “Shoe Whisperer,” walks us through her life on Skid Row.

Saturday, March 26, at 3 p.m. Theme: Around the World and Back.

Roxanne Beckford in Walk Good: A Jamerican Journey. How the littlest Head Girl at St. Andrews Preparatory in Kingston, Jamaica became a driver in a presidential motorcade for the leader of the free world...after pit stops as a beauty queen, a mother of four, and a female actor.. 

Shelley Cooper in another excerpt from La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas. Callas explores her complicated relationship with the mogul,  Aristotle Onassis.

Azo Safo in I Heart Maroc. Journey into the lives of rural Moroccans through the eyes of Azo, a 24-year-old Peace Corps volunteer who goes to Morocco to find her life’s purpose.

Tanya Thomas in Naturally Tan. Told through the bold perspective of a vivacious drag queen named Tanvi, this piece follows Tanya Thomas’ desperation to fit in as a minority in Singapore and her search for acceptance in America.

Saturday, March 26 at 8 p.m. Theme: Identity.

Barbara Brownell in Finding My Light. It’s not the cards you are dealt but the attitude that makes all the difference. This excerpt follows one woman’s search for her biological father.

Kira Powell in Caught in the Mix. A journey through the life of a mixed Black and Latina woman who grew up being taught she was white and ultimately embraces her true identity.

Bethany Vee in I Have Too Many Feelings. Bethany’s feelings may have dominated her existence from the beginning of time, but now she’s actually facing them.

Sunday, March 27 at 3 p.m. Theme: In Relation to…..

Kirsten Laurel Caplan in Lady LiberTEASE. Kirsten is thrilled to have discovered the long-forgotten American goddess Columbia- an inspiring symbol of female empowerment but, after making a commitment to anti-racism, uncovers truths about her family’s history that connects her to Columbia’s own problematic past.

Dee Freeman in The Poison Gun. Dee, a naïve 6-year-old Black girl from rural Louisiana becomes a key witness in a murder investigation as she fights to keep a secret from a racist cop who has his own agenda for finding out the truth.

Victoria Montalbano in The Princess Strikes Back: One Woman’s Search for the Space Cowboy of Her Dreams. In 1997, Victoria Montalbano was introduced to her perfect man, Han Solo, and she’s been looking for him ever since.

Sunday, March 27 at 7 p.m. Theme: Resilience.

Sandra Booker in She Can Be Evil- A Survivor’s Story. This excerpt takes a look at the life of a Black jazz singer and pole dancer who was sexually assaulted by the man she loved, all the while finding solace in her world of music.

Amanda Broomell in Mandy Picks a Husband. This romantic odyssey of a nearly 40-year-old singleton and her aged cat channels the trials and tribulations of courting in the modern age, to ask: How can you create intimacy with someone if you can’t love yourself?

Alma Collins in Strong Like Honey. The story of a little girl growing up in Venice, CA who experiences the generational relationship between grandmother, mother, and daughter, and how understanding and forgiveness allowed her to find healing in the dynamics of this African-American family.

Jessica Lynn Johnson will return this year with her FREE workshop for writer-performers, The Art of Creating the One-Person Play, to be held virtually on Saturday, March 12 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Founded by Executive Producer Adilah Barnes and Miriam Reed., the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival is an Annual Event unique among Los Angeles cultural institutions, not to be missed.

The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival is a non-profit arts organization supported in part by the California Arts Council, LA County Arts and Culture, Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Los Angeles, City of Culver City, City National Bank, KPFK 90.7, Lendistry, Women in Media and Adilah Barnes Productions.

Early Bird single show tickets are $15 until March 1 or $20 thereafter. Early Bird GALA tickets are $20 until March 1 or $25 thereafter. A VIP all-access pass for the entire Festival is available for $80. Reservations will be available at (818) 760-0408 or go to http://www.lawtf.org To join and follow LAWTF on Facebook and Twitter, click on their links at http://www.lawtf.org

Prime Video Preps 'Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls' for March 25 Premiere

CULVER CITY, California—February 17, 2022—Today, it was announced that global superstar Lizzo’s first project as part of her first-look deal with Amazon Studios, Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, will premiere Friday, March 25 on Prime Video. The exciting and powerful eight-episode Amazon Original unscripted series will be available exclusively on Prime Video in the U.S. and available in other countries and territories around the world in May 2022.  

Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls is a new unscripted series following global superstar and icon Lizzo, who is on the hunt for confident, bad-ass women to join the elite ranks of the Big Grrrls and join her world tour. With 10 hopeful women moving into the Big Grrrls House, they must prove they have what it takes to make it to the end and join Lizzo in front of a global audience on the center stage.

Joining Lizzo to help her in the search for dynamic dancers are legendary choreographers Tanisha Scott and O.G. Big Grrrls Chawnta’ Marie Van, Shirlene Quigley, and Grace Holden, and several special guests, including choreographer Charm La’Donna, body movement expert Rashida KhanBey Miller, and multi-platinum singer/songwriter SZA.

In addition to appearing in the series, Lizzo will also serve as executive producer alongside Makiah Green, Kevin Beisler, Julie Pizzi, Farnaz Farjam, Myiea Coy, Kimberly Goodman, and Glenda Cox. The series is directed by Nneka Onuorah and produced by Amazon Studios, Bunim-Murray Productions, and Lizzo’s production company Lizzo Bangers.

About Prime Video

Prime Video offers customers a vast collection of movies, series, and sports—all available to watch on hundreds of compatible devices.

Included with Prime Video: Watch movies, series, and sports, including Thursday Night Football. Enjoy series and films including Emmy-winner The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Emmy-nominated satirical superhero drama The Boys, and the smash hits Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, The Tender Bar, Being the Ricardos, The Tomorrow War, and Coming 2 America. Prime members also get access to licensed content.

Prime Video Channels: Prime members can add channels like discovery+, Paramount+, BET+, EPIX, Noggin, NBA League Pass, MLB.TV, STARZ, and SHOWTIME—no extra apps to download, and no cable required. Only pay for the ones you want, and cancel anytime.  View the full list of channels available at amazon.com/channels.

Rent or Buy: Enjoy new-release movies to rent or buy, entire seasons of current TV shows available to buy, and special deals just for Prime members.

Instant access: Watch at home or on the go with your choice of hundreds of compatible devices. Stream from the web or use the Prime Video app on your smartphone, tablet, set-top box, game console, or select smart TV.

Enhanced experiences: Make the most of every viewing with 4K Ultra HD- and High Dynamic Range (HDR)-compatible content. Go behind the scenes of your favorite movies and TV shows with exclusive X-Ray access, powered by IMDb. Save it for later with select mobile downloads for offline viewing.

Actor Clifton Davis Reprises Role in 'Wicked'

  

Clifton Davis

By Darlene Donloe

Clifton Davis has had a helluva successful career in Hollywood.

He’s been entertaining, he says, for 55 years.

His work has been seen on film, television and, on stage where he made his Broadway debut in the 60s in Hello Dolly. 

Fast-forward seven decades and Davis hasn’t skipped a theatrical beat.

On Feb. 9, the consummate entertainment veteran will reprise his role as Dr. Dillamond in Wicked, set to open at Segerstrom Center from Feb. 9 through March 6, 2022.  

He previously played Dr. Dillamond in Wicked in 2012-2013 and was asked to make a return engagement.

The handsome Tony and Grammy-nominated actor, best known for his roles in Amen, That’s My Mama, and other television series like Madam Secretary, New Amsterdam, Blue Bloods, and Billions is excited about returning to the stage, yet again.  

Davis, who recently released his jazz album, Never Can Say Goodbye, has appeared in eight Broadway shows including Aladdin where he originated the role of Sulta.  He also played Valentine in Two Gentlemen of Verona. 

I recently caught up with Davis (CD) while he was in Arizona, to discuss his latest turn in the play, Wicked. 

DD:  Why did you want to do Wicked again? This time at the Segerstrom Center? 

CD: I have been doing it for five months.

I wanted to do it because I did it nine years ago in 2012-2013. I toured with the national company for a year and a half. I had a ball. I left and went to Broadway in  Aladdin for four years.  I was semi-retired and went to Florida. Then, I kept getting jobs. I was getting bored sitting on the sofa. An actor and artist – we don’t feel as alive sitting around like when we’re working. I was enjoying quasi-retirement.  I got a call asking if I’d do Wicked again for six more months.

Clifton Davis as Dr. Dillamond in 'Wicked'

DD:  What do you like about your character?

CD: I like that he is brilliant and that he is well-loved by his students and is an excellent professor. I actually play a goat. I like that he has uncovered one of the most plot cases in our play – the mistreatment of animals. I like the arc of the character and what it says about keeping your ear to the ground. The show deals with issues that come out of the paper – like not always taking what leaders say at face value. The show deals with relationships.  People can believe a big lie if you tell it often enough.

DD: How long have you been in showbiz and why did you want to semi-retire?

CD: I started in 1967.  I semi-retired because for a while I was working on Broadway six days a week, two shows a day for years, I was tired. I wanted to play golf and have more time to myself.  Then I got a recurring role on Madam Secretary. I did the fifth and sixth seasons.  I also had a recurring role on Godfather of Harlem. 

DD:  You play Dr. Dillamond. He is a goat who has the ability to speak and interact with humans, as well as a professor at Shiz University. He is a supporting character in the Broadway musical, Wicked. Is it easier to play this character or to be yourself on stage? How is this character like you? 

CD: He is only like me only in the passion and pursuit of knowledge and the joy of teaching. Other than that, he’s nothing like me. I play a goat that talks. He’s not at all like me, Clifton. 

DD: Talk about how you prepare for a role.  

CD: I come in early to be relaxed. I come in one hour early and look around and look at my costume and open my script and go through every word I have to say on the stage. I read the notes, and remember the directions. I embrace those fresh every night. That way I don’t go out cold. As years go by you learn a lot of things. It’s very easy to get distracted. My advice is to review before going on.

DD: Have you ever forgotten your lines?

CD: Yes, I have forgotten my lines. It’s called ‘going to the white room.’ You open your mouth and nothing comes out. It is the worst feeling, especially if you’ve done the show for years. 

DD: Do you have to like/love a character in order to play them? 

CD: No. I’ve had roles where I didn’t like the person I had to become, but I did it anyway. These days unless it’s an outright villain who gets his comeuppance, I won’t do it. Right and wrong have to be clearly defined.  I played a pimp once. I didn’t like him. I played it full out. It was acclaimed.

DD: What is it about the stage?  What does it do for you?

CD: It challenges you. It’s not easy to go in front of 2,500 people every night and perform. It's a challenge. It’s also enlivening knowing there are real live people out there. You can’t say, “cut, let's do that again.” You have to bring it now and experience it night after night and share your emotions, lines, moods, and songs every night, and do it fresh because that person out there may not have ever seen it before.  It’s where I started. You can tell a whole story under those lights.

DD: You’ve been in the business a minute. Aside from money, which we all need, what gets you excited these days to go to work?

CD: Getting a role in a really fine dramatic TV series. Getting a role period. It’s great to know I’m still wanted and can pull this off. It’s uplifting to know you still got it and have a good time doing it as well. I also want to encourage and help young talent.

DD: Are you satisfied with what you’ve accomplished in your life?

CD: I am because this has been fulfilling. When I try to belittle myself – there are those who tell me I’m out of my mind. I did pretty good for myself. I sure did achieve a lot. I thank God every day

DD: What are you most proud of in your career? 

CD: The show, Amen. I loved that character. It was the closest character to being myself. Rev. Reuben Gregory is a part of Dr. Clifton Davis.

DD: What did you expect from showbiz and what did you get?

CD: When I got into showbiz, I expected to have the joy of performing on stage. That was it. I had seen a Broadway show and I thought that was it. I wanted to have that performing experience. Eight months after that I was in the chorus of Hello Dolly and having that experience. That’s all I expected. I didn't’ expect to be a star or famous. I didn’t even expect money. I didn’t think about all of that. I thought, ‘yes, I could make a living.’  It’s been rich and rewarding. This has been a blessing from God who had to save me many times along the way.  I have friends who love and respect me. I have wonderful memories that I will cherish. And hope for my future. There is more in store.