Review Roundup: WINE IN THE WILDERNESS At Classic Stage Company

Classic Stage Company is presenting Wine in the Wilderness by Alice Childress (Trouble in Mind) directed by Tony Award winner LaChanze (Trouble in Mind) in her New York directorial debut. Read the reviews!

Olivia Washington and Granthan Coleman lead a cast that includes Brooks Brantly (Sweat, “Ghosts”) as “Sonny-man,” Lakisha Michelle May (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Skeleton Crew) as “Cynthia,” and Milton Craig Nealy (Caroline, or Change, Once on This Island) as “Oldtimer.”

Fortune has smiled on artist Bill Jameson – his friends just introduced him to a model for the final piece of his triptych on Black womanhood. But this woman, Tomorrow Marie, is no mere muse, and she’s about to give Bill much more than he bargained for. Set against the backdrop of the 1964 Harlem riot on a hot summer night, Wine in the Wilderness is a rarely-seen play from the brilliant mind of Alice Childress, whose Trouble in Mind recently took Broadway by storm. That production’s star, Tony-winner LaChanze, brings her deep connection to Childress's work to her New York directing debut.

Wine in the Wilderness features Scenic Design by Obie Award winner Arnulfo Maldonado (Trouble in Mind), Costume Design by Tony Award winner Dede Ayite (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding), Lighting Design by Obie Award winner Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (Kimberly Akimbo), Sound Design by Grammy Award nominee Bill Toles (Kowalski), and Wig/Hair Design by Tony Award winner Nikiya Mathis (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding). Jason Weixelman is the Production Stage Manager. Casting is by X Casting / Victor Vazquez, CSA.

Michael Sommers, New York Stage Review: In Tommy, who cheerily proclaims “I’m independent as a hog on ice,” Childress paints a bold portrait of a confident Black woman who asserts she will always be “cussin’ and fightin’ and lookin’ out for my damn self ‘cause ain’ nobody else ‘round to do it, dontcha know.” Olivia Washington’s vital performance reveals Tommy’s sensitive nature glimmering beneath her brash manner. Grantham Coleman’s easy charm makes the rather insufferable Bill somewhat palatable. Brooks Brantly and Lakisha May neatly depict the superficial neighbors. Designer Dede Ayite dresses everybody with a keen eye, while Nikiya Mathis’ wig and hair design proves essential to Tommy’s character.

Gillian Russo, New York Theatre Guide: Bill, the Harlem artist at the center of the play, envisions his latest work hanging in one of those ordinary places someday. A triptych of Black womanhood also titled Wine in the Wilderness, it features a painting of a young girl, a painting yet to be created, and a central portrait of Bill's ideal Black woman: a sunlit African queen with natural hair and a striking red wrap. She, Bill says, will show the "messed-up women" in his Harlem neighborhood — where the race riots of 1964 are happening concurrently with the events of the play — what they should aspire to be.

Average Rating: 90.0%