Michael Gene Sullivan Thrills with Betty Reid Soskin at 102

by Mary Lou Herlihy & Barry David Horwitz

You will find much to enjoy in the richly conceived, cleverly staged, deftly written, and beautifully performed “Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin.”

Michael Gene Sullivan’s musical conjures four Betty Reid Soskins: Little Betty, Married Betty, Revolutionary Betty, and Betty, today. As decades fly by, each responds to overt racism and sexism in her own way.

In 1944, when Married Betty and her family hear the US Navy explosion at Port Chicago, onstage ladders and windows become ship parts blown into oblivion. The disaster kills 320 workers—mostly Black sailors unloading munitions. Confronting the horror, Betty’s songs mingle with the lyrical aerial dances.

But earlier, we meet courageous older Betty, superb Cathleen Riddley, spine of the show. When a burglar breaks in, she attacks HIM with a hot iron. This 95-year-old thrills us with her audacity! Betty’s devoted helper Renee (compassionate Jasmine Milan Williams) recognizes older Betty’s special qualities, imploring her to take better care of herself.

Little Betty (feisty Tierra Allen) joins Betty in the stark bedroom. Allen plays the little girl with spunky joy, as she debates with Riddley. Little Betty asks, “Why do grownups say, ‘Don’t be smart!’ … What’s wrong with being smart?” As Riddley and Allen huddle together, they sing Betty’s lovely “I Wonder.”  Danger and survival are developing a defiant, resilient Betty.

Beautifully choreographed dancers amplify tension and passion with unique and beautiful aerial dancing. During a life-threatening hurricane, the dancers and actors swing precariously on metal window frames. Dangling and balanced, they epitomize Elizabeth Carter’s precise, yet fluid direction.

Married Betty (mellifluous Aidaa Peerzada), glamorous and repressed in a stylish grey suit, is reluctant to rock the boat. As a 1950s conformist, Peerzada sings “Wind Song,” expressing Betty’s love for Mel Reid. The excitement of new beginnings fills the stage as energetic dancers do the jitterbug.

The pace accelerates and a loud bell signals ANOTHER BABY! Married Betty frantically sells records at Mel’s Reid’s Records, their successful Black business in Berkeley—thanks to Betty’s skills. Powerful Perzadaa sings the lovely “Wind Song,” connecting Betty with Nature.

When Married Betty and her family move to Walnut Creek, shit happens. She has to open her eyes to overt racism in the all-white suburb. At her children’s school, she is stunned to see a grotesque minstrel show! The horrors of this show spark a transformation in our shero.

Playwright Sullivan gives Betty brilliant speeches that reveal her special talents—to speak Truth to Power, to use reason to fight entrenched racism. She confronts a town hall meeting full of bigoted neighbors and ROCKS THE BOAT.

Now 60s Revolutionary Betty (feisty Lucca Troutman) seizes the moment. Armed with guitar, Troutman brings energy and 60s MOXIE. She openly confronts racism and the Vietnam War, writing and singing her own songs.

Now all four Betties are together. Their voices are her superpower. At 85, Betty becomes a Park Ranger for the National Park Service’s Rosie the Riveter Park in Richmond. Wise, thoughtful Betty speaks up; she tells her untold stories.

Don’t miss SFBATCO’s first rate ensemble production—a true labor of love.

 

“Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin” —book by Michael Gene Sullivan, directed by Elizabeth Carter, concept by Jamie Zimmer, music arranged by Angie Doctor, music directed by Daniel Savio, choreography by laura elaine ellis, aerials by Joanna Haigood, by SFBATCO, at Z Space, San Francisco. Info: sfabatco.org – to April 13, 2024.

Cast: Tierra Allen (Little Betty), Aidaa Peerzada (Married Betty), Cathleen Riddley (Present Betty Reid Soskin), Lucca Troutman (Revolutionary Betty), and Jasmine Milan Williams (Renee).

Banner photo: Lucca Troutman, Cathleen Riddley, Tierra Allen, & Aidaa Peerzada. Photos by Alexa “LexMex” Treviño