“If I Could Choose My Family”

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” (Holy Bible: King James Version: Matthew 7:1,2 – In layman’s terms, it basically means: in order to avoid being judged ourselves, we are to avoid judging the works, deeds or appearances of others; and that whatever thing we judge others by, by the same will we be judged, and using the same measuring stick.)

The preceding passage of scripture has been one of the things that, as a writer myself, has always made it difficult for me to publish critical reviews of artists who share my discipline (playwriting is a bit different than writing non-fiction books, but it is writing all the same).  Well, in the case of the stage play that I saw on the evening of Saturday, March 24, 2018, I feel a sense of obligation to review it.  After all, because I didn’t see any members of the local media present, I figured, with my background in journalism, if I don’t cover this stage production, who else will?  And so I begin…

In mathematics, it is understood that a whole is equal to the sum of its parts; but when it comes to the arts, that is not always the case.  In fact, the whole is oftentimes greater.  Be that as it may, the best way for me to review “If I Could Choose My Family” is by looking at the individual elements that made up what I felt was overall, an excellent stage production (though not without a few issues—I’ll talk about those later).  The elements I’ll discuss are the MC, the writing, the cast/acting, the music, and the set (in which I’ll include lighting, sound, scene transitions, structures and props).

Early Saturday afternoon, I called up a good friend of mine and asked if he wanted to go out to see the play.  I was planning to purchase a ticket online and offered to purchase his, but to my surprise, he had an extra, which he offered that to me (he had purchased an ad package that included four tickets and had already invited another couple of friends—courtesy Ratchford Investment Group).  After accepting his generous gesture, we agreed to meet at the historic McGirt auditorium in Rock Hill, SC, before show time.

My friend arrived before I did, and called to inform me that he had left my ticket at the ticket desk.  I arrived at 5:50pm and to my unpleasant surprise, the line to enter was wrapped around the building.  In looking at the line, I estimated that there must have been somewhere between 75 and 100 people ahead of me.  I thought to myself, “There’s no way I’ll get in the door and seated before 6:00pm!” but alas, an ever-so-small window of opportunity presented itself.  With a bit of quick-thinking, I was able to bypass the long wait, procure my ticket, and meet my friend at our seats by 5:56pm—and yes, I did look down at my watch.  (Now I’d love to share just how I was able to achieve that amazing feat, but I’ll let one of my wife’s favorite sayings suffice: “Favor isn’t always fair.”)

With the show scheduled to begin at six and the line still wrapped around the building, I didn’t expect it to start on time.  By 6:15, it still hadn’t begun, but two minutes later, the MC took the stage… and all of a sudden, I forgot about the wait!

The MC
When “Latoya Out Loud” (Author, Latoya McDonald www.instagram.com/latoyaoutloud) took the stage at approx. 6:17pm, I’ll have to say that I was impressed with both her warm smile and friendly disposition.  I was especially impressed with her strong speaking voice, and overall command of the stage during her show-opening dialogue (though I personally did not know who she was until she formally introduced herself much later in the show—at the beginning of the intermission, so if I had to deduct points from an otherwise perfect evening on the mic, it would be for the omission of self-introduction).  Still, in her defense, she did acknowledge the earlier gaffe when she came out to present the “halftime announcements.”  All in all, Latoya maintained the same level of energy and apparent interest in the crowd across all three of her appearances (opening, intermission and closing); and if I were an organization looking for someone to MC an event—casual or black tie, her name would be high on the list.

The Writing
As a writer (and editor) myself, I often find it a challenge to not “look at” the writing when I read other authors; and while reading something in print is fundamentally different from seeing a stage, television or film production, one thing I’ve found common among all formats, is that the great pieces quickly make the reader (or in this case, the viewer) get so caught up in the story that they forget about the writing.  In other words, a book, stage, or screenplay that is well-written, tends to lose the reader (or viewer) in the story, leaving them commenting on how wonderful the writing was after the fact.  On the other hand, a poorly-written story tends to lose the reader or viewer (the comment, “Gheez, I couldn’t get through it; the writing was terrible” comes to mind).

With that backdrop set, I will admit that I was a bit nervous just a few minutes into the opening scene of the two-act play (written by local playwright, Shelia Burris-Buchanan).  Personally, I am more a fan of writing that grabs your attention in the very beginning (the kind that makes you exclaim, “OMG!! Where can they go from here??”), but as the scene progressed and the following scenes ensued, it became clear that the opening scene was more or less an introduction to the characters and their idiosyncrasies.  Meeting the mark for what I consider to be well-written stage plays, as Act One progressed through its scenes, the story continued to develop well, and the excitement and sense of wonder about what might happen next steadily increased.

Now, because I do not know if the show is going to play again locally or regionally, so as not to spoil it, I will not share any in-depth detail regarding the story itself, but suffice it to say, “If I Could Choose My Family” takes the viewer through a full spectrum of emotions experienced in the typical family dynamic: happiness, sadness, comedy, seriousness, love, disdain, anger and forgiveness.  Overall, the scene/act structure was well-organized and had good flow from beginning to end.  The dialogue was also well-written and flowed well between characters.  There was even the clever placement of symbolism as it applies to the story – in one scene, the father has his son-in-law fetch an item from the kitchen that is relevant to what is happening in that scene, and the overall story!  As a fan of symbolism, I absolutely loved that touch!  Kudos to Shelia on a very nice stage play!

The Cast and Acting
In the case of stage and screenplays, I have seen extreme opposites where on one end, otherwise great stories get pulled down by terrible acting; and on the other, solid actors struggle to make something good of terrible writing.  Most other projects fall somewhere in the middle; but then there are those rare occasions where a really good story meets an extraordinary cast (especially those with actors that you may not have seen or heard of), and that is when the “magic of theater” is experienced by all who participate in or view the production.

“If I Could Choose My Family” was one of those rare performances where all of the actors turned in outstanding performances (and it takes an eye for talent to be able to find the right actor for the role).

The story centers around a family headed by Harold Richardson (the father), played by C.T. Kirk.  Kirk’s portrayal of the head of a household of personalities as diverse as the flavors in a box of holiday chocolates, was masterful, using his personal comedic touch to add spice to the role.  Though the script suggests that the role was written to be funny anyway, I don’t know of any other actors in the area who played “Harold Richardson” in quite the way that Kirk did.  In the real world, he is both an educator and a pastor; and to me, he appeared to have drawn from his experience in those two roles to help make his on-stage character both entertaining and believable.  I have known Kirk personally for a couple of years now, during which time, I have had the distinct pleasure of sharing a few radio segments with him (both as an interviewee and a co-host).  With that, I can tell you that what the audience witnessed in “Harold Richardson,” was in essence Kirk playing himself (which any actor might tell you is one of the most challenging things you could ever ask them to do).

The matriarch of the family, “Lillie Richardson” (played by Muzette Lovelle Wise), in so many ways, reminded me of women in my own family: strong-character prayer warriors who always have a finger on the pulse of EVERYTHING that’s happening in their homes.

Harold and Lillie Richardson are the parents of three children: Stephen, Malcolm and Mrs. Claudia Miller (played by Isaiah Davis Robinson, Brian B. Williams and Colleen McQueen, respectively).  Malcolm plays husband to Tonya (played by Aleshia Price).  Claudia is married to Lamar (Leon Bridges).  Kudos are in order for Isaiah Robinson, who had to play what I personally consider to be a challenging role: acting like a normal kid.  I’ve spent a little bit of time acting myself, and can tell you that based on my experience, it’s a lot easier, and more fun to play in dramatic roles, where extreme emotions are a part of the character’s persona.  But to “keep it in the middle” requires a lot more focus.  Isaiah nailed it.

Malcolm’s character was a bit more confusing, though not for the acting (Brian B. Williams is a natural on stage and was actually one of my favorites to watch).  Still, the role seemed to want to portray his character as a husband who is loving, but at the same time, controlling and manipulative.  The first trait typically endears you to a character, while the latter two typically make viewers hate the character.  Well, one really could not hate his character, because the interaction with his wife for the better part of the play was so loving that when he made sideways comments to her, you could hear the shocked gasps throughout the audience, like “WHAATTTT???”  Which brings me to Malcolm’s wife Tonya…

Aleshia Price delivered a solid performance playing the challenging role of an in-law who feels like an outsider.  Now, I can tell you from years of experience in theater myself, that when you’re working with a group on putting together a production, as the weeks go on, those folks become your family.  Well, in the case of Ms. Price playing the role of Tonya Richardson: an in-law who is a bit of an outsider with a not-so-happy past, because this was such a fun collection of people cast in this production, it would have been very easy for her to lose the ability to “sell the audience” on her feeling like an outsider.  Still, she handled the challenge like a veteran actress.  If there was any single thing that impressed me about her, it was how she made herself actually cry (and I didn’t see or smell any onions – if there were a sleight of hand that produced artificial tears, I’d like to think I might have caught it☺).

There were a few more supporting roles played by Leon Bridges (Lamar Miller—Husband to Claudia), Troy Dunbar (Assistant to “The Diva”), C. Jamal Wise (“Dex”) and Royal Blake (“Counselor”)—all of which were good, but in my opinion, it was “Ladies’ Night” on the stage of McGirt Auditorium; because (again, in my opinion) the three most outstanding performances were turned in by the women, and I’ll round out this review of the actors by spotlighting them (in order of appearance).

Claudia Miller (played by Colleen McQueen) is the daughter and eldest child of the Richardsons.  Her being such a stickler for time (maintaining a strict calendar, down to the second) made her in many ways, the antagonist for the entire family.  People who are typically that time-strict tend to be overbearing, and that trait was not lost on McQueen.  Hers was the most stern character in the production, and she maintained that steely look throughout (which is an accomplishment, because working with the witty C.T. Kirk can make it extremely difficult to not come out of character and laugh at his funny comments and gestures that at times, had my friends and I wondering if he went off script).

The other thing that made McQueen’s performance stellar was the fact that she had to contend with a microphone that produced bad sound for the better part of the production (she never once appeared frustrated with that – veteran behavior in my opinion).  The last thing I’ll mention about McQueen was her phenomenal wardrobe, which received high marks across several scene and costume changes.  I sat in the second row and noticed that during some scenes, her outfits were so well put-together that there was a young lady in the front row who would whip out her cell phone and zoom in on them (especially the outfit that had her wearing some rather expensive-looking, short-cut, brown leather boots).

Then there was young Malika (Megan Hamilton), the teenage friend of Stephen Richardson.  I watched her performance throughout the production and was amazed from her opening lines, all the way through to the end.  While every single actor in this production was good in their own right, Megan was so good that you could easily mistake her for television royalty.  I remember telling my buddy with whom I watched the play, “Man!  You’d think that girl grew up here, moved away and is acting in television, but came back to give back!”  That young lady has a bright future in acting if she chooses to pursue it mainstream.  She is as talented as anyone her age currently on television or in Hollywood!  If you forced me to turn in a vote for “Best Actress In A Supporting Role for ‘If I Could Choose My Family,’” it would be a close call between her and my final spotlight…

“Diva Divine” is a bourgeois record industry exec played by Sharvonna Loney.  Loney is no stranger to the theater.  She has years of experience in gospel stage productions throughout the area.  I shared the stage with Sharvonna during two productions back in the 1990s (“Whoops!  Hair It Is” and “Practice What You Preach”), and what I learned about her then that still shines through to this day, is that no role is too difficult for her to play.  When she is given a role, she masters it.  Anyone can read for a role, and good actors do a great job of portraying voice, emotion, etc.  What Sharvonna displays (that the great ones are all good at) is mastery of the non-speaking side of acting and in that, not only allows you to hear the character, but forces you to see the character.

“Diva” is the type of character that normal people should abhor, so if you love the character, the actor probably didn’t do his or her job.  Well, suffice it to say that Loney nailed her character, because I personally hated the way Diva treated everyone she encountered – even down to her lowly assistant (played by Troy Dunbar).  And as a credit to the writer, Loney’s role will hopefully give young people insight into the not-so-glamourous side of the music industry, making them think twice about whom they sign away their lives to.

Though it’s been well over 20 years since I shared the stage with her, one thing remains true of Sharvonna Loney: from speaking parts, to blocking and expressions, she is a student of her craft!

And finally, no gospel stage production is complete without music or a set.  The whole of “If I Could Choose My Family” took place inside their home and the set design was beautiful.  There was the front door (located at the back of the set), a living room scene (a sofa, coffee table, end table and a couple of chairs) and a dining room off to the side.  There was also a set of stairs that led up and out of the living room (and thus, out of the scene).  The main, non-furniture props were plates of food (somehow Papa Richardson managed to continue eating throughout the entire production 🤔—the only thing missing was the smell of freshly brewed coffee!).  Though the set design was beautiful, the backdrop was apparently a bit shaky – so much so, that you could hear gasps in the audience each time someone closed the door of the house too hard.  Still, all’s well that ends well, and the backdrop of the set remained intact.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, the production was not without its problems.  Though I already mentioned the shaky backdrop, the problem that I had in mind when I mentioned that, was the sound.

The actors all wore facial mics, and except for the one used by Colleen McQueen (more on that later), they all worked well and came across clear.  The problem was that in various places throughout the production, when a new character came into the scene for the first time, their microphone was muted for anywhere from roughly three to five seconds into their opening dialogue (and sometimes a bit longer).  Once the microphones were on though, they remained active until the character left the scene.  The biggest microphone gaffe was the fact Claudia – a main character – had what was audibly, the worst mic.  Still, without knowing what the cause of the technical difficulties was, I cannot say how that might have been best-remedied (though I might have suggested giving her microphone to her cast mate Leon, since he didn’t have nearly the amount of dialogue or on-stage time).

In addition to the muffled sound on the microphone used by McQueen and the obvious timing issues with activating the mics, there was the occasional, high-pitched, crescendo-decrescendo feedback sound coming through the speakers.  When it happened it was annoying, but it did not occur frequently enough to take away from an otherwise wonderful production.  Again, the set was beautifully designed, the lighting was just right, and scene transitions were quick and fluid (and trust me, scene transitions are an underrated, yet important aspect of gospel stage plays – I’ve seen others where those transitions were so long that they felt like mini-intermissions!).

And at last, we arrive at… THE MUSIC!!!  The three-piece band was among the best I’ve heard in any gospel stage production.  On keyboard was Corey Chambers; on drums was Tim Williams; and on bass was Steven Suber.  They were always on time with their cues, and played a variety of music during scene transitions (and I assume credit is due to the musical director, my long time friend Al Boyd, for selecting scene-transition music that was in context with what had just transpired in the preceding scene, which I thought was very clever).

In addition to directing the music, Al took the stage to sing “Glory,” the 2015 Oscar-winning song from the soundtrack of the movie “Selma”.  His rendition, along with powerful background vocals delivered by his wife Tammala and friend Shanetta Miller, combined for a soul-stirring experience.  I and several audience members found ourselves joining in on the song’s chorus… “Glory… Glory…. Glory… GLORY!!!”

In the end, “If I Could Choose My Family,” turned out to be a wonderful experience.  The announcements, conversations during intermission, and vendors selling things like books, clothing, and pastries in the lobby at the end, all made the evening feel less like “going out to a see a show,” and more like a celebration of our community!  I do not know what’s next for Shelia Burris-Buchanan, but I think it safe to say that with an auditorium at near-capacity, the show was a smashing success… (and as she might tell you, on that night, the “Glory” belonged to God!).

Peace and Blessings!
-MT

Follow Shelia Burris-Buchanan on the web at http://www.sheliabproductions.com/