Get Spunky!

To see a show in rehearsal and then on stage;that is rewarding. To see a show in rehearsal, then in production and have it be intriguing is theatre at it’s finest. There is something beautiful about the theatric process. When you see a show in its infancy, then, totally transformed, timed perfectly and with impeccable emotion, it’s as if you had something to do with it.

Kuumba Collective performed Zora Neale Hurston’s “Spunk” at Theatre Project this past weekend. This show is divided into two acts that really possess several skits. It starts with the “Prologue,” then “Sweat,” followed by “Story in Harlem Slang,” and act two is “The Gilded Six-Bits.” There are also some songs sprinkled between the sketches.

Let me just say, when I stopped by their practice a few weeks ago, memorization and blocking were much needed entities. Mostly, they needed to be recollected by the actors.

A unique dimension of this script is how it is both acted and narrated by the ensemble. Sometimes, the players narrate their own actions before or while they are being carried out, and at other times, another member of the company is narrating for them. This can be somewhat confusing at times. That’s how it was written. I do feel the actors were very definitive in differentiating between their dialogue and their narrative. They made it easy to see when they were a character and when they were a narrator, which helped the audience better understand the content.

Aside from a table, two chairs and some boxes, a set did not exist. However, the stage felt full and expressive. Blues Speak Woman, one of the characters, had some beautiful dresses; a shiny, sequined evening gown that made here as radiant as the sun and a lavender dress complete with feather headdress. So wonderful! Then, the Zoot-Suits—oh my, my! The pink with black pin stripes, black with green pinstripe and Patten-leather shoes. I’m sorry, but these guys looked so slick and snazzy, I wondered where I could find a man who dressed like that—only on stage? These garments brought the stage ambiance to life. You couldn’t help but focus on them. And they definitely served their purpose; you had a feel for the time period in which the play was set. I was also taken with the expression and sincerity of the actors. They breathed life into the script. It felt alive and fluid, as if you were observing a friend. In “Story in Harlem Slang,” Sweet Back’s facial dynamics were so natural and animated, you could see the motivation in his eyes; he wanted that woman.

All-in-all, the show was wonderful. It caught your attention, pulled you in and made you believe you were there, exactly what a show should do. This is proof that you don’t need to be extravagant to produce a magnificent show.