"WHAT THEY'LL REMEMBER..."
Written and Directed
By
Eurika Lewis
"What They'll Remember"; A dramatic stage play with music, premiered at the Nuyorican Poets' Cafe on 236 E. 3rd Street (Alphabet City) in New York, on September 14th.
This production showcases the lives of five women, one on death row, whose lives were shattered by life's circumstances; but more importantly, by the actions taken by these women-in response, to those circumstances.
Not many stage performances ( I can't think of any in recent years nor even going back 20 years) have been produced, which centers on this thematic: Women in prison. And our society still considers female inmates, particularly those who commit capital crimes, to be an issue of "taboo" and rarely discussed openly.
The story unfolds as a therapeutic setting, in which Dr. Erin Oakley (played by actress Kate Cooke) volunteers her counseling services to aid in the women's inner processes towards wholeness and healing: Each woman ruminating and re-living emotionally each pain and tragedy, which, consequently, led to their imprisonment.
Each actor; proficient in theatrical training, has struck a nerve to each audience member in that room!
An emotional roller coaster ride in which the audience laugh, cried, cheered, and sigh with side comments and much applause!
Alicia Thomas (Michelle) delivered such a painfully vivid picture of abuse, rape and "brokenness", that it made the word 'silence' a new acronym, synonymous with the word "discomfort".
Anita Purcell (Charley) with raging dignity, surrendered to the Ultimate Source of all: The tone was such that of dogmatic religiosity that it can only be defined as-bliss.
Mayte Hernandez (Bianca) relived for us the "ugliness" of domestic abuse, violence, and murder. Her performance, equally dramatic, equally powerful, reminded me of an episode of Agnes Nixon's famous "episodic" daytime soap Opera: "One Life to Live" and everything in between. My hats off to this young actress!
Honorable mention goes to actress Nandanie Devi (Taylor), whose "comical" and "comic-style" (and there's a difference!) was very well executed on stage, being the "ice-breaker" when the thematics of the production would get too "intense". But her 'story', also dramatic and "episodic", was fascinating, surprising,and "with a twist", shocking to say the least.
I will not reveal the rest of the "stories". You will have to come and see it when it runs again...
Trust me, you will be pleasantly surprised...
The rest of the cast gave an equally fantastic performance.
Writer/Director Eureka Lewis has successfully "captured" the emotional atmosphere-not only of the prison life, but also the social-political dynamics in which such institutions are established.
The directing style was simple and linear; allowing for the complexity of each story to unfold- independent of any distractions from scenery, lights, props, and staging. It was all about "the stories".
This form of directing was an excellent choice.
Music composition and directing (by Andre "Chez" Lewis) complimented each story and each actress, in particular, with the "tempo" of each story. Brilliant! Although could have easily been done without the musical piece (meaning, that it could stand on its own as a "dramatic production"), the music added a sense of "humanity" to the play; the "final touch" if you will, in creating the emotional atmosphere of anger, anguish, and its dissolution. Again, excellent choice of the director.
Mrs. Lewis and her professional team will officially showcase this production next month or possibly November, to the GENERAL PUBLIC.
More information will be posted in the weeks to come.
So please, go see it and support the Black Theatre Community.
I give this production FIVE STARS!!!
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