Alice Childress Spotlights African American Stereotypes by Barry David Horwitz In Alice Childress’s 1957 play, “Trouble in Mind,” two titanic figures confront each other at a rehearsal of an “anti-lynching” script. The fictional script, titled “Chaos in Belleville,” takes place on a southern plantation during slavery, and it parades offensive racial stereotypes. Playing seasoned…
Jan Probst Reveals Marital Truths in Lock-Down by Patricia L. Morin Phoenix Theatre’s “Bird on a Tree Branch” magnifies the psychological fallout from holding long-hidden secrets in a patriarchal marriage. It’s 1964, and a white middle-class couple is driving home in a terrible storm. They stop to pick up Hannah Jackson (Desiree Rogers), a…
Anthony Clarvoe Unveils A Chess Mom’s Competitive Urges by Barry David Horwitz Sharp, biting dialogue between a desperate mom and her Chess champion daughter reminds me of corporate skullduggery. Each side attempts to undermine the other, while pretending to serve a higher cause. The age of cutthroat competition has come down to the family…
L. Peter Callender Creates Explosive Exposé of Apartheid by Robert M. Gardner Highly esteemed director and actor L. Peter Callender has written a moving and important play he calls “Strange Courtesies” that tackles racism and hypocrisy in both South Africa, and in the U.S., today. The virtual world premiere is on line now, from…