Review: TROUBLE IN MIND Shines at Edmonton's Citadel Theatre

An eclectic cast of new and seasoned performers assemble backstage at a New York theatre. What begins as a relatively smooth sailing rehearsal process quickly transforms into heated debates over the script's explicit racial bias. Trouble in Mind, Alice Childress's drama-comedy, emphasizes the importance of shattering harmful stereotypes within the cutthroat realm of performing arts and beyond. Directed by Cherissa Richards, The Citadel Theatre's production combines world-class talent with a striking set design and stylish 1950s costumes.

From the moment the curtain rises, the audience is immersed in the haphazard clutter of the brick-walled set. Vintage settees, wooden end tables, and stacked chairs crowd the stage, backed by the bare walls and a towering white lattice prop resembling a stained-glass window. You can nearly see the dust rising from the worn floorboards and smell the coffee and jelly doughnuts offered to the cast by the elderly stagehand, Henry (Glenn Nelson). Gathered in this jumbled rehearsal space are theatre veteran Willetta (Alana Bridgewater), earnest newcomer John (Andrew Broderick), glamorous Millie (Reena Jolly), and good-natured Sheldon (Alvin Sanders). They are joined by timid debut actress Judy (Jodi Kristjanson) and led by brash director, Al (Geoffrey Pounsett).

The exceptional cast brings Childress's unconventional narrative to life. The diaIogue crackles with humour in places and resonates with poignancy in others. Though written in the 1950s, the play's themes still resonate deeply with modern audiences. The plot clips along at a swift pace, the tension between the play-within-a-play's predominantly black cast and their demanding white director heightening with every scene. Much to his cast's outrage and disbelief, Al insists the script's racist overtones are only intended to outrage the play's audiences. His refusal to eliminate the play's harmful stereotypes angers his cast even further. It is only after an actor relays a childhood memory of witnessing a lynching that Al's willful ignorance appears to dawn on him. However, it is ultimately up to Trouble in Mind's audiences to interpret this apparent epiphany as genuine or not. Also up for interpretation is whether the cast members comply, further demand the script's revisions, or abandon the show altogether.

Trouble in Mind runs at The Citadel's Shoctor Theatre until April 16.

Photo by Nanc Price for The Citadel Theatre's production of Trouble in Mind (2023) a co-production with Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, featuring Alana Bridgewater.

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