AIDS on the stage
‘Before It Hits Home’ is a theatrical wake-up call
By Kenya Vaughn
For the St. Louis American
Before Brokeback Mountain and J.L. King, when cowboys only rode horses and the down-low simply meant close to the ground, Cheryl West’s Before it Hits Home was making its impact on Black Rep audiences.
Originally produced 10 years ago, one of the more controversial, and in hindsight prophetic, productions in the Black Rep’s history returned home to deliver the same necessary sermon to a new generation. AIDS is in the African-American community to stay. And the impact of the disease and devastation of being uninformed about it gives AIDS the capacity to directly affect everyone.
One of the decisions Linda Kennedy made as she took a rare seat behind the scenes in the director’s chair was to keep the time of the play in the present. This was probably to illustrate that black people still haven’t received the message that the play and society has continued to preach in the decade since the original production.
Before It Hits Home exposes the skeletons in the closet of Wendal Bailey, musician and prodigal son of an upstanding Chicago family, illustrating how the private choices he made publicly affect the people he loves.
In the opening scene of the play, it was impressive to see Wendal (Eugene H. Russell IV) actually playing (and getting down, no less) on the saxophone. Russell immediately gave off the vibe of a cooler-than-life musician whose heartbeat was in sync with the rhythm of a laid-back jazz tune. But this persona, which adds to the mystique of a musician, appeared detrimental to this production.
This proved evident from Russell’s first character interactions within the play. When Richon May, whose powerful energy is reminiscent of a younger Linda Kennedy, plays against Russell as Angel, a pregnant, drug-addicted AIDS patient, she appears to be pushing in an attempt to overcompensate. And when she welcomes him to the family of AIDS, he offers a somewhat monotone reaction.
However, it was the entry of J. Samuel Davis as Wendal’s lover and May, who had the task of dual roles as his girlfriend Simone, that forced Russell out of himself and into the performance. In one of the most shocking scenes of the play, Wendal appears on stage with both Simone and Douglas but, while he is aware of them both, they are ignorant of each other. Russell seems more connected with Davis and his ingenuity in understating his role to coerce Russell into meeting him halfway, but May definitely holds her own.
A lackluster element of the production was the set. It seemed incomplete and the hospital section, where a good segment of the production is focused, appeared to be an afterthought. The scene changes had a negative effect as well. The minute audience members got wrapped up in the story, they were harshly snapped back into the reality that a production was taking place as the crew carried on with the prop shifting right in front of them.
Although not perfect, Before it Hits Home touched the audience. The dynamics within the Bailey family were a highlight of the production.
Starletta Dupois is an obvious veteran. In her portrayal of Reba, Wendal’s loving and somewhat overprotective mother, she knows exactly what to do to get the most from her performance.
Despite his brawny appearance, A.C. Smith has the talent to effectively and convincingly portray a prepubescent adolescent girl. So it was no surprise that he nailed every emotion required of Bailey, the patriarch of the family. Kelvin Roston was equally convincing as Junior, the do-right younger brother in the shadow of Wendal, who followed the straight and narrow and joined the military.
Because of the small size of the role, it was a pleasant surprise to see a standout performance from Susie Wall as the straight-talking, no-nonsense doctor to Wendal, who offers brutal honesty and compassion upon demand as he faces his battle with AIDS.
And although his verbal expression of his plight left something to be desired, the physical aspect of his descent into illness was shockingly real. Audience members cringed as he contorted himself into someone ravaged from the disease. They also took delight in the unlikely ally who holds his hand and helps him through the worst of times.
Before it Hits Home offers an in-depth look at a real family and its genuine reactions to stereotypes and misconceptions of AIDS and alternative lifestyles. The production is parallel to the actual reactions of the black community and how it lags behind with regard to awareness, acceptance and defenses against the disease. This disparity is allowing AIDS to run rampant and shake the African-American population to its core.
The Black Rep’s production of Before It Hits Home continues through April 9 at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square. For more information, call (314) 534-3810.
