Acceptance of Self Guides ‘Sump’n Like Wings’

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Karen Nowosad
Mariah Lee and Richard Lear in a scene from the New York Premiere of SUMP’N LIKE WINGS by Lynn Riggs, directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges, presented by Mint Theater Company.

Sump’n Like Wings Review

Currently running at Mint Theater Company is the play Sump’n Like Wings by Lynn Riggs. Written in 1925 and published in 1928, its hard to imagine that a play of this caliber is just now having its New York Premiere. But thanks to the dedication of Mint Theater, that Premiere has finally arrived.

Riggs, the author of more than thirty plays, is widely known for his work with Green Grow the Lilacs. That play is the basis for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s landmark musical Oklahoma!

Sump’n Like Wings is also set in Oklahoma, six years after the Indian and Oklahoma Territories combined to become the 46th state in the Union in 1907. This play has some parts of characters from the musical that you will recognize. However, the theme of this play is very different and a bit surprising for this time period.

What Riggs successfully shows is that there are choices one makes in their lives. If held back from going in the direction needed, a person is going to feel restless and incomplete. However, at times, making those choices is difficult because of family, friends, and cultural mores. That need to be true to who and what we really are is essential to having a happy life. Sump’n Like Wings has several characters who are struggling with that need. Some are successful at achieving it and others are not.

Strong Production Elements

Under the direction of Raelle Myrick-Hodges, this play focuses on a woman choosing and deciding how she really wants to live her life. The production combines music, sets appropriate to the time and place, and a cast that comes through with superb performances to realistically show this woman and what she goes though to achieve that sense of self.

The play is delivered in 3 episodes over a two year period. Overall run time is a little over 2 hours with one 10 minute intermission. All moments in the play are well paced and it keeps the show flowing very smoothly.

Life in Claremont, Oklahoma

The play begins with neighbors gathered in the dining room of the town’s local hotel. It is a friendly gathering with the exception of Willie Baker, a high-spritied but confused 16 year old. She has a great deal of disappointment and discouragement about herself and she can’t figure out what to do.

Mariah Lee plays Willie. She does an excellent job throughout the entire play showing the turmoil her character goes through. Her facial expressions demonstrate what she is feeling. Her energy level gives credence to the title as we feel and see a woman who wants to live life on her own terms.

Willie lives at her Uncle Jim’s hotel. Richard Lear plays Uncle Jim Thompson with great warmth and compassion. The concern he shows for Willie as well as others in the show makes him a man that you would want to have by your side.

Willie’s mother, Mrs. Baker, runs the hotel’s dining room and constantly confronts shortages of help. To aid her, she enlists Willie to help her which doesn’t go over well with her. But as you watch this character progress, you can’t help but feel she was a product of her generation. Julia Brothers plays Mrs. Baker superbly as she shows the divide between her and daughter Willie.

Another significant character is Boy Huntington who claims to be in love with Willie. However, he is married and supposedly trying to get out of it. Lukey Klein turns in a very impressive and interesting performance in this role. At first, he appears so sincere, but as the play progresses, one wonders what happened to that sincerity. This is one character who also appears to be trying to find himself. His success is limited.

Willie Tries to Move On

Willie decides to leave her mother and the hotel. She goes off and has a child but we don’t hear who the father is. Eventually she returns home with her baby still wondering where she fits in this life.

Julia Brothers and Mariah Lee in a scene from the New York Premiere of SUMP’N LIKE WINGS by Lynn Riggs, directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges, presented by Mint Theater Company.

Sadly, the child dies and she finally gets with Boy after he legally ends his marriage. But he leaves her. In what appears to be a brave more, Willie decides not to go back to the hotel and she ends up at a rooming house with a rough and unforgiving atmosphere. Men come after her, and she allows them to come into her room. She feels terrible about it. The look of a woman who is stuck in situation comes to light as she strives to live without allowing these men into her room.

Willie’s mother comes in and tries to get her to come home. Her mother really degrades her and she’s at the point where she can’t handle it or deal with it anymore.

Uncle Jim comes to see her. He wants her to leave the rooming house and come back to her home at the hotel. The kindness that comes from him shows as he starts talking about giving her back her old room. She decides to pack and leave but suddenly something snaps inside of her and she unpacks. She realizes that if she goes back with him, she’s not making progress. Willie tells him she’s got to stay and have her own life.

A Powerful Conclusion to Sump’n Like Wings

Willie demonstrates the strength she has gained as a result of her decision not to go back with Uncle Jim. Realizing she has a right to live her own life, she fortifies the entrance to her room to make it more secure.

But a final, beautiful scene ends the show. Willie comes center stage. A directed light shines down on her and she looks out to the audience. She stands alone on the stage with a power not shown by her before. Without words, she lets the audience know she is going to make a new life for herself and stand on her own. This is a very effective scene in the play.

Leon Pintel and Lukey Klein in a scene from the New York Premiere of SUMP’N LIKE WINGS by Lynn Riggs, directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges, presented by Mint Theater Company.

Full Cast

The full cast includes:

Julia Brothers, Andrew Gombas,  Traci Hovel, Lukey Klein, Richard Lear, Mariah Lee, Mike Masters, Leon Pintel, Buzz Roddy, Lindsey Steinert, and Joy Avigail Sudduth

Acting by all is impressive. If you enjoy seeing character development through strong acting, then you will enjoy seeing Sump’n Like Wings. Assisted by a well directed production, this play is well worth going to see.

To See Sump’n Like Wings

Tickets for Sump’n Like Wings are available online at Theatre Row Box Office or by phone at 212/714-2442, ext. 45 (daily from 12 Noon to 5PM). Purchases may also be made in person at the Theatre Row Box Office located at 410 West 42nd Street.

Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 7PM, with matinees Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2PM. There will be no 7pm performances on 10/11, 10/16, or 10/23. 

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‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ Opens George Street Playhouse’s 50th Season

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Karen Nowosad

What the Constitution Means to Me – A Review

George Street Playhouse opens their 50th season with the play What the Constitution Means to Me. Written by Heidi Schreck, this play looks at the U.S. Constitution, Amendments, and Supreme Court decisions in an informative, interesting, and at times fun manner.

There is a saying that theater entertains, inspires, and educates. And this a show that does all three. Laiona Michelle directs the production. In her Director’s Notes, she says:

Everything in this play is magnified because discussions about the very things the play highlights, right down to the state of our democracy, are currently happening in real-time. We are reminded of the urgency of protecting the values on which this country was founded, the freedoms we value, and the
foundational principles of our democracy. We are not a perfect union, but we are a work in progress, and that is worth fighting for.

The play was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award nominee running for 164 performances on Broadway in 2019. Playwright Heidi Schreck played the lead role for a time during the run.

Not only does it examine critical parts of the Constitution, but the play also allows the audience to imagine what will happen to the document in the future. What the Constitution Means to Me can work well at any time. However, with a major Presidential election coming very soon, it feels very timely to see this.

Character Background

This production at George Street Playhouse stars two time Tony nominee Kate Baldwin who plays Heidi Schreck. She begins the show by explaining that at 15 years old, she traveled the country giving speeches about the Constitution for prize money. These speeches were at American Legion Halls similar to the set where this production takes place. She further explains her mother came up with this scheme to help her pay for college. It obviously worked well because she was able to pay her entire way through college.

A second character enters. Nicholas Rodriguez plays the role of the Legionnaire and Mike. He provides support and questions to Heidi throughout the show. He also serves as a moderator for the debate. Rodriguez provides an emotional look at the character of Mike as he describes things he has gone through in his own life.

Baldwin provides such an enthusiastic approach to her character that she draws you into the story immediately. She begins by telling the audience that the Constitution is a living document. “That is what is so beautiful about it.” However, she also equates it to being a crucible. She defines the crucible term as being a pot where you put in many different ingredients “and boil them together until they transform into something else.”

Right here, you have a good overview of the attitude Heidi has towards the Constitution and what will come still in the play.

Heidi embodies her teenage self in order to trace the founding document. She weaves in the impact it had on her own life. To create a better synergy, she tells the stories of the past four generations of women in her family and how the Constitution affected them. The approach develops skillfully with true stories and interesting assessments.

The Play Highlights Specific Parts of the Constitution

Specific parts of the Constitution are highlighted throughout the play. Heidi begins with an explanation of Amendment Nine. This Amendment recognizes that just because a certain right is not listed in the Constitution, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have that right.

Amendment Nine is part of the Bill of Rights from 1791. You realize that the founding fathers recognized that things not included in the original document could be needed as the country changed.

This sets the stage for the rest of the play.

Additional Examinations

After Amendment Nine, Heidi moves to Amendment Fourteen where she explains how it was a huge force in the Civil Rights Movement. But she concludes by mentioning that it guaranteed rights only to men, not black women, not indigenous women and not even white women. In fact, it is the first time the word “male” is in the Constitution. This discussion brings up voting rights and also how the Dred Scott Decision tied to this Amendment.

She talks about her great-great grandmother Theresa’s 1879 entry into the U.S. She was considered a “good immigrant” as she came from Germany as a mail order bride.

The presentation of Amendment Fourteen is intense. This Amendment allows Americans the right to travel from state to state and a few other things. A part of this section of the play is the story of Asa Mercer and his doings to bring women to Washington State. It is startling to hear. It reeks of denial of rights to women.

Heidi bravely tells her own story of seeking to get an abortion. She discusses Roe v Wade and implications from passage and later being overturned.

There are other cases with Supreme Court verdicts which were also surprising to hear. One that stands out is Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales. Here, the lack of enforcement of a restraining order against a wife’s husband is upheld.

Audio runs several times during the play where the audience has a chance to hear clips of the Supreme Court discussing issues which is interesting to hear.

The Debate

“Our Constitution is so old.” But does it still work? Part Two of the show is a Debate that takes place to discuss this very question. The debate involves the merits of the current Constitution verses writing a new document to replace the current Constitution.

The debaters are Heidi and one of two young people selected to be a part of the show. Rotating this role as Debaters are Niara Beckwith and Wobirba Sarpey. The inclusion of young debaters in this part of the show is refreshing with their youthful vibrancy onstage.

A member of the audience is called upon to give their opinion. In the show I attended, the person selected was in favor of keeping the current Constitution. This might vary depending upon the show you attend.

Go to See What the Constitution Means to Me

The play runs 90 minutes with no intermission.

The performance schedule for What the Constitution Means to Me is as follows: Wednesday – Saturday at 7:30pm; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm.

Exceptions: there will be no evening performance on Friday October 11. There will be additional performances on Tuesday September 24 at 7:30pm and Friday October 11 at 2pm.

Special performances include an English open captioned matinee performance and a Spanish open captioned evening performance on Saturday October 5.

Tickets to What the Constitution Means to Me begin at $25 and are now on sale at www.georgestreetplayhouse.org.

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‘Sense and Sensibility’ is a Theatrical Treat

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Karen Nowosad
The cast of Sense and Sensibility. Photo by Avery Brunkus.

Sense and Sensibility Plays at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey

Attention Jane Austen fans: There is a fabulous new production of one of your favorite Austen novels, Sense and Sensibility, playing in Madison, NJ. Don’t miss your chance to see the time honored classic unfold live onstage at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ).

Fans of Jane Austen have been on the rise the last few years. STNJ’s Artistic Director Brian B. Crowe recently shared thoughts on this:

“We are thrilled to showcase this great, classic writer once again,” says Artistic Director Brian B. Crowe. “Though it has never waned, Austen’s popularity has certainly been given a huge boost through Shonda Rhimes’ Bridgerton series, and we are pleased to turn audiences’ attention back to the groundbreaking author who inspired that pop-culture hit. It’s been nearly two decades since Jane Austen graced our stage when Bonnie J. Monte’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was presented in 2006. Since then, Austen has been a popular request from our patrons, and it seems appropriate that the actress who delightfully brought Jane Bennett to life in that celebrated production now returns to direct this one.”

So whether you are a longtime Jane Austen groupie or a recent convert to the genre, Sense and Sensibility is sure to provide a wonderful theater visit for you. It has romance, compelling characters, as well as love and heartbreak. Helping carry this all out is an outstanding cast and superb staging to bring the story to life.

The play runs about 3 fast paced hours with an intermission. The production is based on an adaptation of the novel written by Jessica Swale.

The Story Focuses on the Dashwood Sisters

The story told in Sense and Sensibility focuses on the three Dashwood sisters and their mother. Their father’s recent death leaves them with grave concerns about how they will survive without him. At first, finances do not seem to be problem as Mr. Dashwood left word with his brother, John Dashwood, to ensure that 1500 lbs. be given every year. Supposedly, that would allow them to stay in their house.

Enter John Dashwood’s wife who convinces him to take back the home where the Dashwood women live and not provide the money. This leaves Margaret Dashwood and her three daughters in a bad situation.

But this was a time period where women did not have much or any control over financial matters. Nisi Sturgis, who directs this production, suggests the following about how Jane Austen handles this dilemma in her writing:

She’s a nascent feminist whose characters are often in the tug of war between being true to oneself and compromising oneself to exist within a society’s rules, standards and expectations: the constant balancing of existence and coexistence.

This is a good description of what takes place in the story. The Dashwood women recognize the need to be under the care and production of a man. But they also want to exercise control over their own lives. Luckily, John Middleton invites the four women to live in a cottage on his estate. It is smaller than their home was but they gratefully accept the offer.

But what next?

Is it a Man Hunt or Vice Versa?

The Dashwood sisters may have recognized the need for marriages in their lives. However, the males who enter their lives are pretty smitten with them and not just for finances. Enter Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon. Nice gentlemen who are a bit on the quiet side but smitten none the less with Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Young sister Margaret is a charming little girl but still too young for a romance.

Then, the oh so charming Willoughby comes on the scene showing great attraction and attention to Marianne who eats it all up. She even agrees to go to Willoughby’s home unchaperoned (a huge no-no back in the day) and listens as he tells her this will all be yours one day. As you watch this unfold, you just know he is up to no good. Later in the play someone calls him a “rogue.” Yes, a good description.

Marianne and Elinor venture on a trip to London where they learn unfortunate news about things Willoughby is involved with – hint: it’s another woman. Marianne takes it hard but she has the love of her sisters to help bolster her up.

This love between the sisters is one of the most endearing parts of the play. Amidst great misfortune, this love between the sisters and their mother provides the strength they need. Eventually each finds their own good match and all ends happily. So yes, they somehow adhere to the expectations of the times but they also know that they have the ability to endure through difficult times as well.

The Cast Provides Noteworthy Performances

The ensemble cast unites new and veteran company members, including Mandi Masden as Elinor and Billie Wyatt as as Marianne. The cast also features Terra Chaney as Margaret Dashwood and Lucy Steele, Lynette R. Freeman as Mrs. Palmer and Mrs. Dashwood, and Christian Frost as Willougby.

Sean Mahan plays Colonel Brandon. It should be noted that some cast members play two or more roles. Patrick Andrew Jsmes is seen as Edward Ferrars and Mr. Palmer. Kayla Ryan Walsh is Fanny Dashwood and Mrs. Jennings, and Patrick Toon plays five roles: Sir John, Mr. Dashwood, Thomas, Mr. Perks, and Doctor.

And the Staging is Outstanding

The stage at STNJ is a nice size for plays. However, much is done with the sets for this show to enhance it even more. This adds a lot of interest to the actions taking place.

The time and place is 1797 and scenes take place in various locations in England including Norland Park, Devonshire, London, and Cleveland.

The amazing creative team for the production includes scenic designer Brittany Vasta, costume designer Sophie S. Schneider. The lighting designer is Anthony Galaska, and sound designer is Liam Bellman-Sharpe. Kimiye Corwin is the dance consultant and Julie Foh is the dialect consultant. Mary Garrigan stage manages.

To Go to the Show

Single tickets for Sense and Sensibility begin at $39 for preview performances and begin at $57 for regular performances. Prices range from $39 to $77. The Theatre offers various cost-saving opportunities,

For tickets, patrons can call the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or visit ShakespeareNJ.org.

Check with the Box Office or online for final performance dates.

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