REVIEW: The Colored Museum (Studio Theatre)
George C. Wolfe is a titan of American theatre: his directorial history is iconic and his astute leadership of the Public made it a household name. But before he was leading the charges, he was devising them as a playwright. 1986’s The Colored Museum put himself on the radar of theatrical talent and established himself as an astute interpreter of the Black (queer) experience. Studio is closing out their 23-24 season with an ambitious revival of the vaudevillian clip show, turning their space into an actual museum.
Book
The Colored Museum is presented as a series of 11 skits, satirizing and analyzing Black history and culture. In a way, it’s sort of a proto-Ain’t No Mo’; though ostensibly more dated. (I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but Wolfe’s emphatic writing had a very 20th-century tinge to it.) The good (?) news is that several of the issues facing the community in the 80’s are still just as relevant: the only mainstream Black stories being told are the ones focusing on ruination, an oft-torturous fixation on vanity, and the irony of Black soldiers fighting for a country that doesn’t fight for them. Yet, Wolfe cleverly does not allow negativity to dominate his critique, delivering a biting farce that is expertly balanced. For every skit that is a laugh-out-loud skewering, there’s an introspective, often metaphorical, lament. Split between five principles, it can be demanding in both acting and vocal range — it’s not a musical, but there are musical elements that allude to how music both uplifts the community and renders us as merely entertainment pieces for the White gaze. The piece feels evergreen, and ripe for a production like this. (Can you believe it’s never been produced on Broadway? [Don’t answer that.]) 9/10
Acting
The litany of demanding roles require capable bodies. Guess what: this ensemble is more than capable, delivering a carousel of attraction at each turn. Ayanna Bria Bakari gets the party going as a peppy pink flight attendant on board “Celebrity Slave Cruises” reminding us to please remain shackled at all times and that drums —including those by the watchful Jabari Exum, on-stage—are never allowed on-board. It would be a marathon of writing to tell you all about the nuances of each character across each skit. Take my word for it when I say each has something incredible brought to it by this cast, including a delightfully vain feaux-Josephine Baker from Iris Beaumier, the incredulous “mama on the couch” archetype put to hilarious practice by Kelli Blackwell, and a haunting Vietnam casualty-turned-specter from William Oliver Watkins. Despite the breadth of talent, what stuck with me the most of all the performances was Matthew Elijah Webb’s commanding monologue as Miss Roj, a trans clubgoer whose deafening snaps and piercing demeanor explores the ambient hatred of queerness in 1980’s New York. It was a transfixing event, the closest to an 11-o-clock number that a segmented straight play like this can get. 10/10
Production
As mentioned, the space is the museum: Studio has excitedly pulled out all the stops to showcase the full extent of their recently-renovated Shargai theatre. Audience members walk in to be greeted by art pieces from both local artists and students from Duke Ellington School for the Arts (whose found-object interpretations of the skits are divine.) This extends to the performance space, too, where you are permitted to investigate the exhibitions before taking your seat. Which, mind you, is also art — and so are you. The centerpiece of the museum is the giant boat hull constructed of wooden planks, evocative of bodies: yours, that is, (which are considered a material on the placard) sardined into a slave frigate. (The seats are understandably quite uncomfortable, so good thing it’s only about 80 minutes.) But being part of the art makes for a thrilling experience from director Psalmayene 24. Who better to take on this mantle, anyway, after the resounding success of Metamorphoses? The immersion feels less like stepping into another world as a person, and more like viewing our own from a different planet as an alien. The performance space appears narrowed by the constant art on all sides, but is somehow utilized well enough to make it intimate without being claustrophobic. Set designer Natsu Onoda Power’s simple blocks, a couch, and a retractable platform all transform the space measurably, and taken to the next level of immersion by the diverse visual texture of Kelly Colburn’s projections. Diverse skits require diverse costumes and wigs, too — which Moyenda Kulemeka delivers with tremendous flair. 10/10
Viz
There’s a lot to enjoy about this production. My only question is why Studio did not decide to lean into it more with its promotion? The pre-show is an experience that swallows you whole, one that definitively makes you part of the action. Yet, the program art is….an afro pick. On a yellow background. It’s reductive in my opinion, an opportunity that could have been used to develop a similar motif of exploration of the multitudes of Black culture, instead of one icon that happens to be common in it. 7/10
Verdict
I may not have been a huge fan of Studio’s season to this point, but The Colored Museum practically redeems it with an excitingly brash circus that contemplates, educates, and captivates. 36/40
