"SHE CALLS UP THE SUN," MPAACT at Victory Gardens Theater
BY LUCIA MAURO
Whether intended or not, playwright Addae Moon writes as if he is one with the elements -- his name, in particular, a testament to this gift. In "She Calls Up the Sun," receiving its world premiere by Ma’at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre (MPAACT) at Victory Gardens Theater, Moon takes us on one coastal woman’s journey through grief to find strength in her ancestors and establish her own identity.
Initially, this folkloric-based play appears to set in motion a conflict between more sophisticated city folks and their instinctive rural counterparts – with the latter group ultimately imparting the deeper wisdom. But Moon – although his characters stop short of being one-dimensional figures with an obvious symbolic edge – transcends the earlier polarities he creates. By the end, he both praises and questions the invincibility of these tight-knit fisher women, who have learned to survive after most of their men have left them. And he envisions a new age dawning when past, present and future can symbiotically co-exist.
In "She Calls Up the Sun," Marie, a teacher and urbanite, returns to the small southern town of her birth to care for her terminally ill mother and, later, attend her funeral. Marie arrives with her musician-fiancé Ishmael, who tries to understand the mysterious coastal customs – like the women’s obsession with sewing. Before she can leave, Marie – under the guidance of Claire, an all-knowing seer-like woman who philosophizes daily at a bus stop with her needle and thread – must sew a burial doll that represents the essence of her deceased mother. The doll is a symbolic gesture for continuing the blood line.
Complications arise when Marie’s wayward father, jazz musician Pretty Boy Tate, arrives after the funeral to find his people. Marie resists her father’s attempts at reconciliation. She also is faced with the re-awakened amorous attentions of her old flame, Felix – something of a smooth operator who callously treads on Ishmael’s territory. The conflict between Felix and Ishmael comes across as the most cliched and undeveloped. What holds our interest more is Marie’s simultaneous moving toward and pulling away from her past. The pivotal character Claire keeps Marie on her path of enlightenment and inner peace.
Director Terry Cullers applies a gentle hand to this otherworldly production. Although grounded in reality, audiences will feel like they are floating through a dream – aided by the constant and mesmerizing live music of Poh’ro and the Ministers of the New Super Heavy Funk. Their improvisational strains, emanating from the nostalgic power of a harmonica, advance the story as powerfully as Moon’s poetic words. Yet the music has an unobtrusive quality – it’s central to the staging yet hovers in a mystical sphere above the play. These engaging sound elements blend imperceptibly with the drama, as opposed to being tacked on separately.
The cast is also profoundly tapped into those ephemeral rhythms. The single-named Taylar as Marie is especially serene despite her character’s chaotic emotional swings. She truly understands the gulf of tears and regret separating her from those stalwart coastal women who paved the way for her wider choices in life. Darryl Charisse as Claire delivers the most unselfconsciously charismatic performance – drawing us in through her forthright maxims, like her advice to Marie to sew the doll’s legs and feet first "to keep her rooted."
In a play that addresses the eternal bonds forged by women, the two female actresses give the most natural performances. Among the men, Sean Nix’s torn and sensitive Ishmael grows more relaxed in his role by the second half, as does Earl Alphonzo Fox’s reticent yet guilt-racked Pretty Boy Tate. But Ethan Henry’s stilted Felix can work harder to achieve a more convincing portrayal.
Moon’s metaphoric examination of family ties and finding our own music is treated with a delicate yet full-bodied grace. The production leaves one both content and fortified.•
MPAACT’s production of "She Calls Up the Sun" runs through December 8 at Victory Gardens Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln. Tickets: $20. Call 773-871-3000 or log onto www.mpaact.org.
