“Keep your shackles on at all times,” chimes a beaming stewardess, Miss Pat, played by Dionne Young (CAS ‘04). She welcomes you to Celebrity Slave Ships, departing the Gold Coast for Savannah, Ga. When the ship enters a thunderstorm Miss Pat calmly explains, “Don’t worry; we’ve just entered a time warp.” Hundreds of years of history flash on a screen: the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, the Great Depression, the ‘60s, Malcolm X and MLK. These images, people and ideas come together in The Colored Museum, by George C. Wolf.
With this production, the Black Theater Ensemble (BTE), now in its 25th year, celebrates Black History Month. The play is a series of short scenes, each depicting a different aspect of black history or culture.
The set is a series of three sliding screens, which open to reveal a new story in each scene, and several moving multi-level stages. Set designer Isaiah Wooden’s (CAS ‘04) creation is intricately designed, professional and certainly goes above and beyond anything one would expect of Georgetown’s miniscule theater budget.
Unfortunately, the first stories, “Git on Board” and “Cookin’ with Aunt Ethel” don’t live up to the set. Crying out “You take a pinch of style and add a dash of flair,” Aunt Ethel, Diana Vilemy (CAS ‘04) certainly shows her own panache. Unfortunately, her singing, displayed in an off key musical number, does not have the flair of her acting, nor her charm or style.
In a later scene, Lola, played by Carleen Troy, a guest artist, has not just one, but several painful numbers. Lola is a French singer, although you would never know from Troy’s Russian/French accent, which starts out over the top and fades to nothing by her scene’s end. Luckily, the scenes between “Cooking with Aunt Ethel” and “Lola’s Opening,” take a turn for the better.
Carlene Troy is also in “Photo Session,” a scene in which she and James Washington III (CAS ‘04) perfectly satirize the black magazine industry. Ricardo F. Evans, another guest artist, turns in a wonderful performance as an incredible poised and convincing drag queen named Miss Roj. Funny yet poignant, Evans more than makes up for the singing numbers elsewhere.
The high points of the play are “Soldier with a Secret” and “The Hairpiece.” As the soldier, Brandon Small (CAS ‘05) jumps easily from humorous to very serious themes. He holds the stage with ease, telling a story that engrosses every member of the audience.
In “The Hairpiece,” Sharrica Miller, a junior at Howard, and Diana Vilenay play mannequin heads for Erin Meadors’ (CAS ‘05) character’s wigs. Meadors, who has no lines for the majority of the scene, does a wonderful job staying in character, despite not being the center of attention in the scene, a rarity in college theater. Miller and Vilenay, whose faces are covered, carry the scene.
Funny and charming, the actresses have very strong voices and such intonation that facial expressions aren’t even necessary. It’s in these scenes, with great timing and acting, that the audience both enjoy themselves and is struck with the heavy themes of the play.
Despite major inconsistencies, director Lisa Rose Middleton pulls the show together, and, aided by the set, the scenes flow from one to the next very well. The scenes each tell an under-told story. After all, BTE did form in 1979 in reaction to the lack of formal celebrations during Black History month. And this month, despite some flaws, there is no better way to celebrate on campus than to see The Colored Museum.
The Colored Museum will be preformed in Walsh Black Box on Feb. 6, 7, 13, and 14 at 8 p.m. There will also be matinee shows on Feb. 8 at 4 p.m. and Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $8 general admission and are available online at http://performingarts.georgetown.edu.
