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‘Young, Gifted, and Black’ showcases author’s life
By Stephanie Ottey
Youngstown
To celebrate Black History Month, the Youngstown Playhouse is presenting “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” as a special addition to this year’s season.
Running this weekend and next, “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” is a play compiled in homage to the late Lorraine Hansberry, author of the American theater classic “A Raisin In the Sun.” Like her autobiography of the same title, “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” chronicles the short life and works of Hansberry, the first African-American woman to have a play produced on Broadway.
This play is an adaptation by Robert Nemiroff that takes exerpts from the autobiography as well as Hansberry’s writings and presents them as a collage of scenes and monologues.
This remains virtually unknown to previously uninformed audience members. Though it’s clear that Hansberry is the inspiration for the show, this production does little to delineate which pieces of it are from her autobiography and which are exerpts and extended scenes from her theatrical writings. This makes it difficult for the audience to follow at times.
Much of the text is heavily worded and poetic. The lush, passionate writing style of Hansberry is barely edited by Nemiroff, who allows the author’s voice to resonate clearly. Director Carla Gipson also chooses to let Hansberry’s words take the reins by choosing a very presentational style of delivery. No substantial characters are developed by the actors on stage, thus the show feels more like a recitation than dramatic piece. Splashes of dialogue and interaction maintain a theatrical feel but don’t contribute to a describable plot.
At times on opening night, the cast seems to struggle with the purposefully chosen script, tripping over words and dropping or skipping lines. This breaks the connection the audience is developing at times, but a handful of seasoned performers work to create it again.
Keith Baker, Kristyn Cheatham and Jacinda Madison are dynamic on stage. Each of these performers holds a presence on stage that is palpable. Baker, who made his Playhouse debut earlier this season in “Gee’s Bend,” continues to display a tremendous natural talent for comedy and drama in this production. Cheatham is captivating on stage. She commands attention early on and holds it throughout the show. Madison delivers her lines with purpose, displaying a firm understanding of Hans- berry and her literature.
Monica Beasley-Martin also is showcased nicely in this production. She displays a tremendous gift as an orator late in Act 2, delivering a speech that powerfully concludes with “the world needs your gifts — perfect them.” She commands the stage and the speech in what is clearly the strong point of Act 2.
Although the cast is full of seasoned performers, a lack of exposition makes it difficult to grasp who is in a scene and why.
Still, the point of this show is to pay tribute to a profound writer who changed the theater community and society as a whole, and this production certainly does that.
The show runs through Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Youngstown Playhouse is at 600 Playhouse Lane, Youngstown, OH 44511. For tickets call 330-788-8739.