BWW Reviews: Center Stage's LET THERE BE LOVE Ends March 7

What a busy week it's been at Center Stage. Sunday was their very successful Radio Auction. The American premiere of Let There Be Love ends Sunday March 7 and a trio of three short works entitled Working It Out (by Aaron Sorkin, Lynn Rosen, and Rick Cleveland) runs to March 28.

Written by London playwright and Center Stage Associate Artist Kwame Kwei-Armah , this American premiere features a character that reminded me of Archer Bunker of "All in the Family" fame.  There's even a toilet flush at the beginning of the evening reminiscent of the hit TV show.

Playing the role of cantankerous Alfred who has just returned from the hospital with the need of medical care is the acclaimed Shakespearian actor Avery Brooks, also well-known for his television work in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Spenser: for Hire".  It's a real coup for Center Stage to get Brooks to come to Baltimore. I asked Brooks who was responsible for his journey here and he replied that it was Director Jeremy Cohen, Associate Artistic Director of Hartford Stage. Both Brooks and Cohen are making their Center Stage debuts.

Let There Be Love is making its American premiere. The fact that it is a three character play with just one set may make it a hit in regional theaters where budget constraints are always an issue.

Alfred has two daughters, but only Gemma (played by Pascale Armand) is actually seen. She and her father do not have a good relationship. Alfred is especially upset that he found out his daughter was a lesbian in a bar.  I found it hard to comprehend the hatred eschewed by him when he calls her repeatedly "a pussyhole". However, Gemma still holds a strong feeling for her father and hires a Polish immigrant Maria (played by the amazing talented Gretchen Hall) to assist her father who hobbles around with a cane due to a fall.

Watching the relationship develop between Maria and Alfred is worth snagging  a ticket. These two incredible actors portray their characters with amazing alacrity. For Hall, this role is quite a departure from her role earlier this season in The Importance of Being Earnest.

Brooks is made for this role. I wonder if Kwei-Armah had him in mind when he wrote the play. I don't think it was necessary though to make him seem like a buffoon early in the play, swinging his cane at both his daughter and Maria.

Thanks once again to the Center Stage dramaturgy department for some wonderful material in the program.  It was interesting to learn from the playwright that the set by Riccardo Hernandez is almost an exact replica of the living room he grew up with in London...wallpapered  and carpeted in bright Caribbean colors.

Let There Be Love continues only to Sunday, March 7. For tickets, call 410-332-0033 or visit www.centerstage.org.

For comments, write to cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

 

Photo: Jeremy B. Cohen and Kwama Kwei-Armah, by Charles Schubow

 

 

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