When Caitlin Ouano (COL ’17) was choosing a play for the Black Theater Ensemble’s fall production, her original goal was to choose a light-hearted comedy. When she read Lynne Nottage’s By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, she explained that she had a personal connection with it. “It had the structure of comedy, but it had more depth. It was richer. It was smart,” she said.
Meet Vera Stark works within the confines of the comedy genre to create stirring, thought-provoking moments of cultural critique and interrogation. Set in the 1930s against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the play centers around the life of Vera Stark, a talented African-American actress who gets her big break. As she does, however, she finds herself grappling with questions of racial representations in culture and film, as well as with her own identity. After the intermission, the play picks up in the 1970s, as an aging Vera is interviewed for the last time at the end of her career.
Given the incredibly short production schedule this play was on —about a month from auditions to opening night — the cast was exceptional. Each cast member played two roles, either the same character in two different eras or two altogether different characters. While this might appear to be a daunting task, each actor makes the transition seamlessly. Lisette Booty (COL’17), as Vera Stark, seamless transitions from youthful excitement and determination to aged nostalgia mingled with bitterness with impressive believability and grace. Leah Benz (COL’18), revives 1930s comedy through her interpretation of Gloria Mitchell, a Hollywood starlet who hides her own identity under layers of melodrama. The two actresses have a wonderful and genuine chemistry, with Booty rolling her eyes at all the right moments as Benz gets carried away in her dramatic poses and pouts. Omolade Wey (SFS’16) and Nona Johnson (COL’17) each play two separate characters in the play’s two acts, and both do an especially impressive job of shifting not only roles but demeanors and embodiments. The entire cast plays off one another with smooth and effective ease, able to both tackle emotional and unanswerable themes and provide plenty of comical moments with ironic twists and turns.
Costume designer Bee Jaworski (COL’17), hair and makeup designer Bailey Premeaux (COL’19), and set designers Makayla Kessel (SFS’18) and KC Pietro (COL’17) also deserve high praise for their contributions to Meet Vera Stark. Each nuance, from subtle sets to costume pieces, help audiences feel immersed and involved in the play’s plot. The clothing and hair, especially, lend much clarity and beauty to an already engaging performance.
Caroline Clay, BTE advisor for the 2015-2016 season, speaks passionately about this production: “It delves into the most intense misrepresentations, tropes, and stereotypes in history. It challenges the audience to examine questions of race, identity, and representation. It takes courage to step into that.” The production staff, cast, and crew of By The Way, Meet Vera Stark take on a challenge in a play that moves between genres, eras, and viewpoints, and the results are well worth the watch. By the Way, Meet Vera Stark will keep the audience both laughing and thinking long after the curtain closes.
