Theater Review
Aunt Ester is old - really, really old. But the 285-year-old centerpiece of August Wilson's new play "Gem of the Ocean" can still tell a good story, give good advice, and cleanse souls of all evil.
Phylicia Rashad plays Ester, but this isn't her first role as maternal sovereign of the house. Although everyone knows her as Claire from "The Cosby Show," Rashad's current gig for the Huntington Theatre Company proves that she is capable of doing more than play sidekick to Dr. Huxtable on a 30-minute sitcom.
In fact, Rashad plays a character that attempts to, as Wilson describes it, "represent the entire body of wisdom and tradition of the African-American."
At least, that's what he hopes. Whether Ester - or for that matter the entire play - actually does embody all of African-American tradition is questionable. But it's an earnest effort by a Tony and Pulitzer prize-winning playwright and worth a peak if you can sit still for three hours (without commercials). All things considered, August Wilson writes a good play.
As of 1904, 285 years had passed since Africans had been in America. It's also the year "Gem" takes place, on a single set, in a comfortable but simple house in central Pittsburgh. It's the kind of introspective, complicated, symbolism-soaked and literary main-character-goes-through-a-catharsis story that you might read in English 1.
It is the ninth in a series of 10 plays Wilson wrote depicting African-American life in the 20th century (one for each decade) and the seventh to find the Huntington's stage. "Gem" tells of a young man named Citizen Barlow (John Earl Jelks) who experiences a spiritual crisis and needs Aunt Ester to cleanse his soul.
Citizen shows up at Ester's house on a Saturday, but soul-cleansing office hours are on Tuesdays. "I got my own way and that's the way I'm doin' it," she says stubbornly. Rashad does not fool around. Rather, with white hair, a constant twitch in her left hand and her stubborn personality, she becomes Ester.
But Ester is by no means the sole focus of the piece; she's surrounded by a talented ensemble. Her servant Black Mary (Lisa Gay Hamilton) plays a large role in establishing the feel of the play, helped by Eli (John Earl Jelks) and Solly Two Kings (Anthony Chisholm) who are a couple of Ester-groupies also living in the house. Meanwhile, Caesar (Ruben Santiago-Hudson) is a delinquent-turned-official sheriff of the black neighborhoods, frequently popping in, reminding everyone of his position whenever he comes a-knockin'.
Like Rashad, the entire cast gives an impressive performance, certainly worthy of the many accolades already received in previews in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Citizen too proves himself worthy. By finding two one-cent coins lying in perfect formation somewhere in the town, the soul cleansing begins in the form of a journey to the mythical City of Bones. A town in the middle of the ocean, the city is legendry, made of bones belonging to slaves that died crossing the Atlantic.
A climax is reached (there are several) when Citizen, in a 6-inch paper boat made of Ester's bill of sale as a slave, makes it to the City. He undergoes his spiritual catharsis during an African-inspired tribal ritual, and, in a way, so does the audience.
Wilson succeeds in sending chills throughout the theater with a spiritually dramatic scene achieved with a simple lighting change and intense, passionate acting by most of the company.
But the story is far from over. All the characters must eventually confront the big elephant in the room; the big "white" elephant, that is, of intolerant early 20th century American society.
Although the only white man in the play is a dustpan salesman that shows up occasionally to make small talk, the harshness of the world outside is felt through the conversations and observations of Ester and the gang. Solly Two Kings, for example, has it good as a "dog shit collector" compared to his sister who can barely survive in the South.
Of course, "Gem" offers many other subplots, themes, and issues that will affect any audience member. Viewers' reactions varied during the performance. Often, White spectators sat quietly as African-Americans called back to the stage as if they were in church or in a jazz concert, relating to certain lines more emphatically.
In the end, we're all in the same boat, struggling and hoping for the same things. But it's not easy. Solly Two Kings said it best: "It's hard to be a citizen; you gonna have to fight for that."
