Review: 'Etymology of Bird' at the Black Rep

In Etymology of Bird, playwright Zakiyyah Alexander has created a way for the audience to access a tragic event, the shooting death of an unarmed black man by a white housing cop, through a love story. Lyrical, with rhyme and rap, Bird is a straight play, but music is integral to this production.

Bird takes place in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of present-day Brooklyn, NYC. The school year is ending and as graduation approaches, boys and girls are faced with the reality of becoming young men and women. Jermaine (Jonathan Dent) is a young man who lives with his mom, Rashida (Jackie Davis). Jermaine's dad has never really been in the picture and Rashida and Jermaine are just getting by. Jermaine has visions of living large from his rap, while his mom has to face the welfare office.

Living in the same apartment complex is Birdy (Fedna Jacquet), a studious young woman who lives with her grandfather (Mishell Lilly). Birdy has a collection of college catalogues, alphabetized by state. She is going to get out of Bed-Stuy, the sooner the better. When Birdy's mom left for the west coast, years ago, she left her Birdy to live with her grandparents. Where Birdy's her father is; we aren't told. Her grandmother died some years back, leaving her grandfather a widower raising his granddaughter alone.

After a lifetime of knowing each other Jermaine and Birdy are falling in love.

Also living in the complex are Carmen (Dahiana Torres) a beautiful middle-aged Latina who is a hopeless romantic. Kash (Clayon McFarlane) and Doey (Rudy Cabrera) are classmates of Birdy and Jermaine. Aimless teenagers, their biggest concern is alleviating their boredom.

The playwright, Zakiyyah Alexander creates an instant report with the characters. Sandberg-Zakian's vision, along with the performances she caresses from her cast, lead to an almost instant recognition of the time, place and characters. The audience understands, very quickly, with whom we will be spending the next two hours. It is an terrific achievement, but the entire first half of the play (which clocks in at well over an hour) is spent developing characters that we embraced ten minutes into the evening. Act one ends with Jemaine's being shot on the roof of his building by a cop.

The second half of the evening brings us to face life without Jermaine. He is onstage, mostly silent, sitting in the shadow. Lighting designer David Roy creates a clever, crate-like box to house Jermaine's presence.

The playwright gives equal-time to the agony and grief of Officer Anthony (Alexander Platt) , the police officer who accidentally shot and killed Jermaine, mistaking him for a armed suspect in a robbery. Veering from the stereotype of "Bad, White Cop" does give depth to the class issues that are in play. All Officer Anthony ever wanted to do was be a well-respected beat cop, like his dad. However, the grief scenes feel over-written and unnecessarily politically-correct.

Sokeo Ros plays an intriguing role in the production as B-Boy. Though on-stage throughout, this dancer who is dressed entirely in black, is acknowledged only after Jermaine's death. Throughout the first half, he acts as an on-stage property master, rhythmically and fluidly moving through the set.

Davis gives a beautiful performance of a mother who is burying her son. Her community rallies to support her, but she has never felt more alone. The flashes of anger with grief, feel honest and true. Lilly and Torres give weight to their smaller, but vital roles. With convincing performances by Jacquet and Dent, the audience has no problem believing the budding romance between Birdy and Jermaine. We hope and wish for them, even though we know it will end tragically.

The story, as written, could use the deft touch of an editor. However, the performances in Etymology of Bird are, without exception, terrific. Director Sandberg-Zakian has no problem keeping the audience engaged with the story and the performances.

The Etymology of Bird runs through May 18th at The Providence Black Repertory Company, 276 Westminster St., Providence, RI.

Showtimes are Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.