Review: MEET THE MAMMA AND COLOR STRUCK at Vincent Victoria Presents

Vincent Victoria always delivers on Mother's Day, and this year the company offers up two one act plays to celebrate mom. MEET THE MAMMA and COLOR STRUCK are short works by acclaimed Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston from the mid 1920s. These historic writings are coupled with the company's signature lively staging and passion. The two present fascinating portraits of the Black community's experience a hundred years ago, and the surprise is how little has changed.

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Zora Neale Hurston is an acclaimed author and anthropologist who helped to define the African American struggle in the 1920s with her works. She was raised in Florida, and most of her works revolved around the Black experiences in the South. She was a figure that was "lost in time" until the mid 70s when works by Alice Walker made scholars search for more of her contemporaries and sparked interest in Hurston. She is perhaps best known for the book THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD which Oprah Winfrey brought to the big screen in partnership with Halle Berry. Her plays are not as well known, but offer the same insights her other works do.

The evening starts with MEET THE MAMMA which is a madcap farce about a Harlem restaurateur who has so much friction with mother-in-law that he runs off to Africa to reunite with his uncle. The only problem? The mother-in-law finds them, and tags along for the misadventure. This work is unique for Zora Neale Hurston in that it is not set in her home state of Florida, and it is a broad melodramatic comedy. It incorporates musical elements as well as a nutty over the top plot that is hilariously complicated and whimsical.

Jeffrey Womack, Erica Bolden, and Jacqueline Harrison carry this piece as they portray a hen-pecked husband, his outrageous flapper style wife, and the aggressive mother-in-law determined to make her son-in-law do right by her daughter. Womack is hysterical in almost every beat, finding comic bits that rely on his animated face as much as his spot-on line delivery. Erica Bolden matches him with a Betty Boop vocal delivery that enforces a comic characterization that is crackerjack. Jacqueline Harrison is cast to perfection as the hard of hearing mother-in-law who has enough spunk to spare and spar with Womack. Nicholas Madison does wonderful work too as a well-intentioned best-friend, and James West gets a great bit as an unlikely king of an African tribe. The company as a whole does great work bringing this historic melodrama to life. What impressed me the most was how well they handled the musical elements. There are some great voices on display here! Antonio Vines also adds remarkable dance movement anytime he is onstage.

In contrast, the second piece of the night is COLOR STRUCK which is more dramatic and true to the spirit of Zora Neale Hurston's writings. It is set in Florida, and confronts a black woman's insecurities about her skin color. Ashley Hasker delivers a powerhouse performance as Emma who's obsession with shades of skin ruins her life. Nicholas Madison plays her love interest, and again acquits himself well in a strong supporting role. The company carries this piece as deftly as they did the first one, and the staging is inventive and well-thought out. The direction is strong, and everyone shows a passion for the work of Hurston that is remarkable.

Vincent Victoria Presents is using this as their season closing, and it is a fascinating choice as these works have never been presented on stage in Houston. They offer a fresh look at two historical pieces that illuminate an author that captured Black Americans during an era which feels foreign yet still relevant to our time. It informs the audience, challenges them, and should move them both comedically and dramatically in equal doses.

Be advised this run is short, and only covers Mother's Day weekend. Tickets can be purchased through https://www.vincentvictoriapresents.com/box-office . There are two shows Saturday as well as two performances on Sunday which is Mother's Day. This theater is not enforcing masks if the crowds are manageable and able to spread out the seating.

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