Review: GIRLS OF MADISON STREET at Creative Cauldron

Creative Cauldron's world premiere of Iyona Blake's Girls of Madison Street is the latest installment in their "Bold New Works for Intimate Stages" series, and there's a lot to like in this production. It's a well crafted story about four African American women, reflecting on the bonds of family as they face the challenges of daily life, set against the backdrop of the recent passing of their mother. The themes that Blake explores are very relatable "stages of life" moments for each of her main characters.

Ingrid Foster (Cameron Dashiell) is the eldest daughter (and the wife of a prominent local pastor), and most of the action takes place in her cozy, sunny kitchen. The play opens with her and her three sisters just arrived from their mother's funeral, finding mutual comfort in singing Amazing Grace a cappela. But before the last note fades, the sibling rivalry begins, and we start to meet each sister. Second daughter Kimberly Mullins (Corisa Myers) is a divorced college professor, younger sister Nadine (Andrea Gerald) is a very successful, high-profile financial professional, and Leah (the baby of the family, played by Ayana Ogunsunlade) is an energetic entrepreneur who sells cannabis and essential oils. Wealthy Nadine looks down her nose at Kimberly's "khaki and sweater" collegiate career and sneers about Leah's oils making her "stink of Mother Africa" while Ingrid tries to play the peacemaker as she tries to assume the mantle of family matriarch.

Amidst the sniping and the inevitable "Mom always liked you better" banter, Blake (who also directed the production) freezes the action into four consecutive tableaus, giving each character a moment to gaze heavenward and speak directly to their mother. It's a very touching and poignant presentation, and a very effective theatrical device that helps flesh out the back story of each character. Unfortunately, it's only done once - it would have really helped move the plot along if, during times of trials and crisis, the sisters had continued these personal, inner monologues. (At the very least, it would have made an incredibly powerful bookend to the piece, if each sister returned to the spotlight during the musical interlude that ends the play.)

Once the four sisters are introduced, the action in the first act bogs down a bit. Blake has created authentic and genuine characters, but their back stories are slow to develop - as a playwright, she hasn't quite found the ideal balance of keeping the action in the present, while sharing more of the sisters' history. While the dialogue is believable (and generally well paced), the flow is disrupted by a tendency toward too much movement and blocking. The Creative Cauldron space - a compact, three-sided black box - is tailor made for this show, but much of the blocking ignores the side sections, and focuses on the larger center section. The action (and dialogue) drags while Blake keeps actors constantly in motion.

Scenic designer Margie Jervis's set is spare, functional, and very realistic (even sans stove and refrigerator), with a wall of kitchen counters and cabinets defining the upstage space. A gap in the backwall provides an opening for the actors to move to other (offstage) parts of the home, while those entering from outside come from between two of the seating sections. (A tendency for non-family members to arrive unannounced - either by doorbell or knock - takes some getting used to, but it's necessitated when Nadine's love interest (Andrew Barrett, played by Russell Rinker) surreptitiously arrives on the scene around the midpoint of the first act.)

The second part of act one is when we meet Ingrid's husband, Pastor Jeremy Foster (DeCarlo Jarrell Raspberry), and also when the challenges the sisters will face begin to unfold and interweave. No spoilers, but a suspicion of marital infidelity for Ingrid, alcoholism and drug addiction for Kimberly, and a devastating cancer diagnosis for Nadine, will test them both individually and as a family.

The conclusion of the first act sets up a second act in which both cast and playwright collectively hit a better stride. Much of the second act is set in an oncology hospital (after a very clever and efficient use of hospital screens to move out the kitchen furniture and transition to a hospital room), and Gerald does a wonderful job of revealing Nadine's transition from a hard-charging businesswoman to a more introspective and creative person - she rediscovers a love of painting and reconnects with each of her sisters in a series of very personal and intimate vignettes.

Nadine's growth is also reflected in her relationship with Emma (Jen Drake), the nurse who cares for her - she moves from scared, distant, and cold to having a genuine respect and affection for Emma (which is mutual), culminating in a wonderful scene where they exchange unexpected gifts. Drake's nurse is a subtle mix of compassion and professional detachment, and her warm, upbeat delivery is spot on for an oncology nurse.

Nadine's storyline is the most intense and emotional of the play, and the other story lines interweave through it as the second act works toward a resolution. All of the women are featured in stark moments when they are each forced to confront a personal crisis or help each other through one. Myers' portrayal of Kimberly hitting rock bottom as an alcoholic and addict, alone and sobbing on the kitchen floor, is steeped in honest emotion. When Dashiell's Ingrid confronts Jeremy and demands to know if he's been unfaithful, it's some of Blake's best dialogue, and Dashiell brings a thundering intensity to the scene that is riveting - there's a compelling "faith versus fury" dichotomy that is well conceived and superbly delivered.

(A bit of editing, and more attention to contrast, would serve to create a better balance of those elements and would take this moment from very good to a truly memorable, standout scene.) Playing against Dashiell, Raspberry shows a welcome vulnerability and honesty in this crucial moment - a perfect counterpoint to Jeremy's bombastic, larger-than-life pastoral persona. Raspberry slips into the role of preacher very naturally, but it's when he is confronted with Jeremy's feet of clay that he does his best work.

Leah's moment of introspection and self-doubt is foreshadowed through a plot twist early in the play, but Leah's primary function is comic relief whenever the story starts to get too heavy. Ogunsunlade has excellent comedic instincts and timing, and she brings a pitch-perfect level of sass and attitude to the character. She is compassion and empathy personified, and her giving spirit is the real glue that holds the family together, which makes her foreshadowed back story all the more poignant.

Rounding out the cast, Rinker's Andrew Barrett arrives on the scene with enough baggage for two characters, and yet he seems to be perpetually in limbo. Even as Blake resolves most of the story arcs by the play's end, there's no definitive pronouncement of the denouement of his relationship with Nadine. Moments where there is a spark of chemistry between Andrew and Nadine don't lead to deeper, more passionate interaction - they seem to keep each other at arm's length for the duration of the story, and Rinker often plays Andrew with a reserve that comes off as stiff and wooden at times.

Costume Designer Darrell Clark has created distinct looks that help define each character, setting a strong tone for each scene and setting. Venus Gulbranson's work as Lighting Designer is natural and realistic, with highlights that bring dramatic emphasis at critical points in the story. Greg Watkins provided Music Supervision for the two musical interludes that add to the emotional impact of the show.

As a playwright, Blake has done a wonderful job of crafting an entertaining and thought provoking script. She's avoided using clichés and stereotypes, and created universal, relatable themes without letting the plot lines become predictable. Girls of Madison Street is a powerful and moving piece, and it's certain to be produced by many more theatrical companies - one can easily imagine it in a variety of settings, staged by groups from colleges and community theatres to professional Equity houses. It's already a very good show, and with a few tweaks it's not hard to envision this play finding an audience on Broadway.

Running time is approximately two hours, with a 15 minute intermission.

Girls of Madison Street runs through March 6th. For more information about Creative Cauldron, click here.

(In addition to the production, Creative Cauldron has mounted a stunning lobby gallery display of artwork, all by artists that are women of color. It's a perfect prelude to the performance - an excellent example of different kinds of art complimenting each other. Get there early to explore and enjoy this show.)

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