“Well, I think you’re supposed to live in the present and look to the future, rather than spending all your time with your head turned about backwards,” Ivy Watson (sassily played by Black Rep veteran Linda Kennedy) says in Bill Harris’ Stories About The Old Days, the St. Louis Black Repertory Company’s second show of its 28th season, which opened over the weekend.
Kennedy, a ten-time Woodie Award winner, anchors the two-character drama. Playing opposite her is “Mississippi” (Charles Bevel), of Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues fame, who supplies a powerful counterpoint.
The action of the play takes place in the basement of a Detroit church in the 1970s. Bevel’s character, Clayborn, is an ex-bluesman who has fallen on hard times and taken a temporary job as custodian of a church that is soon to be demolished.
Clayborn, a “worldly man” in Ivy’s eyes, spends a great deal of his time trying to capture a rat in the basement named Ben. Harris establishes a metaphor between the character of Clayborn and the rat. Clayborn refuses to go outside of the church and is trapped, just like the rat. He his trapped by his past failures and the loss of his best friend Eddie.
Ivy Watson, a good, churchgoing “saint,” has her share of skeletons and is haunted by her past. In her younger years, she left her daughter behind to be raised by her mother. A successful cabaret singer turned choir soloist, Ivy had to decide between following her dreams or job security and took a factory job.
The tension and stage dynamics between Kennedy and Bevel are magnificent. The duo play off of each like old pros and provide the audience with an abundance of laughter, particularly when they play the dozens with each other.
An intriguing aspect of Harris’ script is the confluence of the blues and gospel. The play opens with Bevel singing “The Wandering Blues” as he sweeps up in the church. Kennedy interrupts Bevel’s
unconscious solo by admonishing him not to “sing the blues in the church.”
Although gospel and the blues come from the same roots, gospel has always been considered “religious” and the blues “worldly” by the black community. Interestingly enough, by the end of the play, Ivy embraces her “blues” as she joins Clayborn on a duet, the “Separation Blues.”
Kennedy and Bevel are at their very best as their characters empty their hearts of the things in their lives from which they have been separated. Clayborn even sings a gospel song at the end of the play, which signifies his reconciliation toward God and acceptance of Eddie’s death.
Regina Garcia’s realistic set design compliments the action. Her use of the checkered floor design, mixed with splashes of blue, paint a vivid picture of Ivy and Bevel’s tenuous relationship and the presence of the blues. This comes to a head as they play a not-so-friendly game of checkers, which serves as a catalyst. Darryl Harris’ smart costuming reflects the various moods and stages in the characters development.
The play is ably directed by Black Rep Founding/Producing Director Ron Himes, who previously had directed the play at the 23rd Street Theatre.
Stories About The Old Days plays through March 6. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square. Call 534-3807.
