**** Highly Recommended The Goodman Theatre production of The Nacirema Society is quite simply outstanding! The play is centered on the women of the Dunbar family of Montgomery, Alabama and their long-time connection to the Nacirema (America spelled backwards) Society, whose members consider themselves to be the crème de la crème of Negro society. Pearl Cleage has written a dynamic play about privilege that still manages to be laugh-out-loud funny; the cast is stellar and the set is awesome! It reminded me a lot of Noel Coward’s plays – in which good manners will prevail over all. 4 BIG Spotlights
The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years, directed by Lili-Anne Brown, is one of two plays and a series of readings produced as a part of the month-long Pearl Cleage festival (the other being Remy Bumppo’s production of Blues for An Alabama Sky). It had its world premiere in 2010 at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. That production was directed by the Goodman’s new Artistic Director Susan V. Booth.
The doyenne of the Nacirema Society in Montgomery, Alabama in 1964 – and the source of most of the laughs in this well-written comedy – is Grace Dubose Dunbar (E. Faye Butler), a woman who grew up wealthy, married well (a doctor) and is confident about her place in society. As she tells someone (I can’t remember who), “There are black folks, and there are white folks. And then there is us — the best of both worlds.”
Although Grace is aware of the turmoil around Civil Rights, she’s not particularly interested. When her best friend, Catherine Adams Green (Ora Jones), reminds her about the inconveniences of the Montgomery bus boycott – ladies having to up their servants and figure out if they should ride in the front or back seat, for instance – she answered with a sniff, “I’ve never sat on a city bus in my life!”
Grace is determined that this year’s Society ball will be perfect, since her granddaughter will be one of just six debutants. She has plans for Gracie – graduating high school, going to Fisk University like all the Dunbars, then on to Meharry Medical College, and then marriage to Bobby Green (Eric Gerard), Catherine’s grandson.
Gracie is willing to go to the ball – even mastering the perfect, graceful curtsey – but she has different plans. She thinks her grandmother’s fussing about the fit of her dress for the ball is ridiculous and says so, telling Grace to “… get a grip grandma, it’s just a poufy white dress.” Grace responded with hissy fit of hysterical proportions.
Meanwhile, Catherine has ‘accidentally’ leaked to a reporter that Bobby and Gracie are engaged. Gracie is upset because while she’s willing to have Bobby as her escort to the ball, she’ll never marry someone who’s like a brother to her. Bobby is upset because he’s in love with a girl named Lillie Campbell Jackson (Felicia Oduh), but he’s afraid if he tells his grandmother, she’ll disinherit him
Grace finds out that a reporter from the New York Times is going to cover the ball. She’s furious at the reporter, Janet Logan (Jaye Ladymore), since the previous article she wrote made fun of the Society. She’s even more upset when she finds out her daughter-in-law, Marie (Sharriese Hamilton) has invited the reporter to stay in the Dunbar mansion. By the way, at first Marie seems to be firmly under Grace’s thumb, until she reveals her attendance at a certain church where Martin Luther King, Jr. was speaking. She also acts as a buffer between Grace and Gracie.
One day, when Grace is out, Alpha Campbell Jackson (Tyla Abercrumbie) rings the bell. Alpha worked for the Dunbars for more than 20 years, so Marie welcomes her, offering a drink of sherry – something she’d never been offered before. Alpha has a secret, and Grace is NOT going to be happy about the skeletons which might be revealed.
The Dunbar maid, Jessie Robert (Shariba W. River), answers the door, hangs up coats, clears away messes, and does her best to hear everything going on in the Dunbar house. Although she almost never says anything, she is responsible for a lot of laughs!
I LOVED Arnel Sancianco’s gorgeous set! It was totally ostentatious yet comfortable, with lots of wood paneling, a library and a grand staircase.
Pearl Cleage is Atlanta’s first Poet Laureate and a prolific author of more than 30 plays, novels, poems and essays. Chicago’s Pearl Cleage festival, a month-long celebration honoring her distinguished career was conceived by the Goodman’s new Artistic Director Susan V. Booth, a longtime creative collaborator with Cleage. It is curated by the Goodman’s BOLD Artistic Producer, Malkia Stampley, and produced in partnership with many of Chicago’s Off-Loop companies
The Nacirema Society has been extended through October 22nd in the Goodman Theatre’s Albert Theatre,170 N. Dearborn, Chicago. Most reasonable parking option for the Goodman is the Government Center garage on Lake between LaSalle and Dearborn, online advance payment at www.interparkonline.com/goodmantheatre.
Running time is approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes, including an intermission. Performances are: Wednesdays at 7:30 pm; Thursdays at 2:00 & 7:30 pm; Fridays at 8:00 pm; Saturdays at 2:00 and 8:00 pm; Sundays at 2:00 pm
Accessible & Special Performances:
ASL Interpreted Performance: Friday, October 18th at 8:00 pm
Touch Tour & Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, October 14th, 12:30 Touch Tour, 2:00 pm Performance
Open Captioned Performance, Sunday, October 15th, at 2:00 pm.
Spanish Subtitles, Saturday, October 14th at 8:00 pm
Tickets $25-$90. FYI (312) 443-3800 or www.goodmantheatre.org/Society.