The show Serial Black Face, the currently running brilliant world premiere play at Actor's Express, is set during the time of the Atlanta Child Murders in the 1970's through early 80s, but the show isn't about the murders. It's about one mother's shattered heart and how she deals with her missing son, her lonely, distraught daughter, and a mysterious, suspicious new man in her life.
Tinashe Kajese-Bolden convincingly plays the role of Vivian, a mother of two, whose son has disappeared during the Atlanta Child Murders of the late 1970s-early 80s. Your heart will break right along with hers...her love for her only son is reinforced daily by mementos (on stage props) of his impact on her life, as well as the fact that she doesn't know the fate of her son.
I'm not a father and I'm barely an uncle these days, but I vividly recall the pain and turmoil my own mother went through when a former husband of hers physically threatened her three children. It was a tumultuous, emotionally confusing time, a time that I'd sooner forget than recall. I do not remember being afraid, but remember with great clarity the fear and trepidation she felt as a mother. I can't possibly imagine what it must feel like to lose a child...but Tinashe brings you damn near to those emotions.
By the way, I said of Tinashe Kajese-Bolden in a previous wanderlust ATLANTA post, "...she's a gem for our city!" Was I ever right!
I had the great pleasure of seeing her in the 20-year anniversary production of "Blues for an Alabama Sky" last year (twice!), when she played Delia. The 1995 world premiere of that play is one of my all-time favorites, the 20th anniversary production a beloved favorite, and now Serial Black Face is one that I will see again and again, largely to the magnificent performance by Tinashe. Again, I say, follow her career....she truly is a gem for our city.
We've all seen the movies where parents have lost a child and their other child or children suffer the fallout...they are left alone. Such is the case with Vivian's daughter Latoya, emotionally performed by Imani Guy Duckette. She acts out—a perfectly human response to emotional abandonment, but she rebounds, ever hopeful for a brighter future with a loving mother.
This is another young actress whose career I highly recommend you keep an eye on. She's brilliant, intuitive and one who demonstrates emotions with great insight.
A dramatic play about a serious topic, there is some comedy relief now and then in the form of Vivian's coworkers, Gladys (Drea Lewis) and Damita (Kelli Winans). They're a little catty, disconnected, yet in the end feel the heartbreak of Vivian's situation. They will make you laugh, and then bring you back to the gravity of the topic at hand.
Some have been thrown by the name of this play, but it's not what immediately comes to mind for many. In an ArtsATL interview, playwright Janine Naber answered the question about where to the title "Serial Black Face" came from saying, "It is about repetition. It's a story of black people, black faces, that are repeatedly being taken away and there's no way to stop it."
I totally get where Naber's coming from, I truly do, but I couldn't help but feel that this play is not fully about black people, but more about a mother's shattered heart and how she deals with the loss of a child. I wouldn't wish that on anyone and my heart bleeds for any mother who has lost a child. Race, creed, social status...none of that matters in the affairs of one's love for a child, let alone the loss of a child.
I highly recommend seeing Serial Black Face, at Actor's Express through Sunday, April 24. It's one of the more true-to-life, serious plays I've seen in a long time. Don't go to laugh, but you will...don't go to be somber, but you'll probably cry...don't go to see an award-winner, which it probably will be...go to see brilliant theatre performed by superb actors!
I'd like to offer a special "Thank you!" to Actor's Express for the tickets to the show, and a reminder to my readers that all opinions I express in my blog are my own, always. I'd also like to thank my new friend Jacquetta who joined me for the show. She's a person whose charm, intelligence and friendship I've immediately grown to cherish. Thanks for sharing this touching experience with me.
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| Serial Black Face | Actor's Express | Photo: BreeAnne Clowdus |
Tinashe Kajese-Bolden convincingly plays the role of Vivian, a mother of two, whose son has disappeared during the Atlanta Child Murders of the late 1970s-early 80s. Your heart will break right along with hers...her love for her only son is reinforced daily by mementos (on stage props) of his impact on her life, as well as the fact that she doesn't know the fate of her son.
I'm not a father and I'm barely an uncle these days, but I vividly recall the pain and turmoil my own mother went through when a former husband of hers physically threatened her three children. It was a tumultuous, emotionally confusing time, a time that I'd sooner forget than recall. I do not remember being afraid, but remember with great clarity the fear and trepidation she felt as a mother. I can't possibly imagine what it must feel like to lose a child...but Tinashe brings you damn near to those emotions.
By the way, I said of Tinashe Kajese-Bolden in a previous wanderlust ATLANTA post, "...she's a gem for our city!" Was I ever right!
I had the great pleasure of seeing her in the 20-year anniversary production of "Blues for an Alabama Sky" last year (twice!), when she played Delia. The 1995 world premiere of that play is one of my all-time favorites, the 20th anniversary production a beloved favorite, and now Serial Black Face is one that I will see again and again, largely to the magnificent performance by Tinashe. Again, I say, follow her career....she truly is a gem for our city.
 |
| Serial Black Face | Actor's Express | Photo: BreeAnne Clowdus |
We've all seen the movies where parents have lost a child and their other child or children suffer the fallout...they are left alone. Such is the case with Vivian's daughter Latoya, emotionally performed by Imani Guy Duckette. She acts out—a perfectly human response to emotional abandonment, but she rebounds, ever hopeful for a brighter future with a loving mother.
This is another young actress whose career I highly recommend you keep an eye on. She's brilliant, intuitive and one who demonstrates emotions with great insight.
 |
| Serial Black Face | Actor's Express | Photo: BreeAnne Clowdus |
A dramatic play about a serious topic, there is some comedy relief now and then in the form of Vivian's coworkers, Gladys (Drea Lewis) and Damita (Kelli Winans). They're a little catty, disconnected, yet in the end feel the heartbreak of Vivian's situation. They will make you laugh, and then bring you back to the gravity of the topic at hand.
 |
| Serial Black Face | Actor's Express | Photo: BreeAnne Clowdus |
Some have been thrown by the name of this play, but it's not what immediately comes to mind for many. In an ArtsATL interview, playwright Janine Naber answered the question about where to the title "Serial Black Face" came from saying, "It is about repetition. It's a story of black people, black faces, that are repeatedly being taken away and there's no way to stop it."
I totally get where Naber's coming from, I truly do, but I couldn't help but feel that this play is not fully about black people, but more about a mother's shattered heart and how she deals with the loss of a child. I wouldn't wish that on anyone and my heart bleeds for any mother who has lost a child. Race, creed, social status...none of that matters in the affairs of one's love for a child, let alone the loss of a child.
I highly recommend seeing Serial Black Face, at Actor's Express through Sunday, April 24. It's one of the more true-to-life, serious plays I've seen in a long time. Don't go to laugh, but you will...don't go to be somber, but you'll probably cry...don't go to see an award-winner, which it probably will be...go to see brilliant theatre performed by superb actors!
I'd like to offer a special "Thank you!" to Actor's Express for the tickets to the show, and a reminder to my readers that all opinions I express in my blog are my own, always. I'd also like to thank my new friend Jacquetta who joined me for the show. She's a person whose charm, intelligence and friendship I've immediately grown to cherish. Thanks for sharing this touching experience with me.
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