Displaying items by tag: Eric Gerard

We are rarely privy to the forthright conversations traded among the wealthy about class dynamics and privilege. Doubly so when they involve the rarified class of rich, well-borne African Americans.
In Stickfly, playwright Lydia Diamond said she wanted to “write a play that talks about class and class strata within the African American community. I don’t think people think of that very often, and it is fascinating.”

In Diamond’s Stickfly, receiving a stellar production at Writers Theatre, we become a fly on the wall for a combative and contentious family battle, one that veers toward ugly, and delves into family secrets perhaps better left unspoken.

All this makes for a rousing, thought provoking evening, with a beautiful production under the direction of Ron OJ Parsons. Part melodrama, part soap opera, the two acts fly by, as engrossing as a Netflix binge watch.

We meet the LeVay family, who are like any other African American family in many ways, exceptional in that they are very well to do, highly educated and they own property in the elite Edgartown section of Martha’s Vineyard. We learn this property has been in Mrs. LeVay’s family (the Wickhams) for generations, a gift to one of her ancestors. But it’s Joseph LeVay’s money that keeps it up.

The set design (Linda Buchanan) suggests a wealthy, old money lifestyle. There is expensive (including museum-caliber impressionists) artwork on the walls. Outside the kitchen window sailboats ply the Atlantic Ocean. There is a staircase leading up to several bedrooms. The family room is nicely appointed with fine furniture and bookcases. The kitchen has the latest appliances and a fully stocked refrigerator. To the left of the kitchen, a door leads to the back porch and garden, with seating. You can almost feel and hear the seaside.

Class dynamics figures prominently in this excellent production. As the play opens, a young woman, Cheryl (Ayanna Bria Bakari) is preparing the house for guests. She is college bound, but filling in for her mother, the longtime housekeeper who has fallen ill. Cheryl is in some respects an honorary member of the LeVay household, but within limits - owing to her household duties.

The first family member to arrive is Kent (Eric Gerard), a highly educated but meandering writer, along with his fiancée Taylor (Jennifer Latimore) a researching entomologist. Kent tours the property with Taylor, explaining his great great ancestor.

“He was never a slave. He was a shipper. But we don’t talk about that,” Kent says, foreshadowing other matters that we learn have also been unspoken.

Taylor, who comes from a poorer background, is awed and shocked, and intimidated, by the casual wealth of this family. But the gardens make good grounds for her research into insects, referenced by the play's title.

Soon we meet Flip (DiMonte Henning) the misogynistic, arrogant, plastic surgeon, the older brother of Kent. These two men are nothing alike. Where Kent is warm and understanding, Flip is abrasive and smug.

Tensions build and sparks fly when we learn Flip and Taylor had a fling several years ago – but no one else knows about it. Flip also exerts the pressure of class structure pressure on Taylor, who is an exuberant, free spirit.

“You seem to have no social constraints, which concerns me, because you will be my brother’s wife,” Flip says to her.

Joseph LeVay (David Alan Anderson) the family patriarch, arrives without his wife. He seems to be preoccupied, and when questions arise about Mama LeVay’s absence, Joseph quickly puts them to rest, revealing himself as a controlling bully.

Flip announces that his girlfriend is coming – and, notably, that she is Italian. This says a lot about his character. Flip could not introduce just any white girl to his parents, even though her family is as rich and accomplished as the LeVay’s. Her family has a home in tony Kennebunkport, and she looks good on his resume.

Tellingly, Kent says not that he is so in love with her, but that she’s Italian, which makes her exotic. He’s a playboy by his own admission. He’s also his father’s favorite…the reason why becomes clearer as the action unfolds.

When we finally met Kimber (Kayla Raelle Holder) we realize that she is in fact just your average socially conscious WASP. She is nether impressed nor notices the wealth around her - well, except for the housekeeper - but that is no biggie. She is comfortably at home, unlike Taylor, who feels compelled to assist Cheryl with her housekeeping duties.

The first half of Stickfly establishes the tensions among the characters. The fast-paced dialog turns up a notch in the second act, with emotions spinning out of control. Parsons does an excellent job keeping the highly charged production on pace. The actors move about the set, entering and leaving with a precision that looks natural.

By the end of the night you realize you will have weathered emotional storms with six very different people. And these characters are so real, you feel they have studied themselves, and some have even grown, as well. Stickfly is highly recommended. It runs through March 15 at Writers Theatre in Glencoe, IL.

From the minute I stepped into Windy City Playhouse’s colorful, elegant the stage area designed by Courtney O’Neill with fantastic lights and sounds by Thomas Dixon, I knew I was in for a treat. 

King Liz is named for the beautiful, sexy and high-powered sports agent Liz Rico played superbly with real gusto and stage presence galore by Lanise Antoine Shelley. 

Liz Rico is a woman who grew up in the projects, overcame great poverty and rose to the top of a male dominated industry. Rico, one of the best sports agents in the business, is about to be promoted to the head of her firm by her retiring boss Mr. Candy (Frank Nall).

Mr. Candy's last offer to her to make her his new head of firm is based on her ability to sign a new and talented high school basketball player Freddie Luna (Eric Gerard). Luna is a true talent likened to Kobe Bryant but comes with a history of violence and temper tantrums as he too has been brought up in the projects and was doing his best to survive as he knew how. 

Eric Gerard is also great in his role, showing how deeply he feels about needing to escape his checkered past and the projects by riding his basketball gifts into the big time. Gerard also plays the role well in that the audience sees and feels great compassion for him as he uses his limited social skills to try and fit into the fast-paced media swirl he is placed in, sometimes causing his own downfall, his sometimes feral temper getting the best of him. Though Luna can often be charming and polite, prying journalists after the next big sports story target his unbridled emotions and get the best of him when digging into his past that he so desperately wants to put behind him.

Gabby (Jackie Alamillo) is Liz Rico’s assistant and though grateful for her highly valued mentorship has been made to "eat crow" so many times, every day at work, by Liz. Gabby is also eager for Liz to get the promotion, if only because she will then fill Rico’s job. Alamillo is perfect as the once meek but now hardened assistant who has given up everything including her own sense of self-worth at times in order to succeed in this male dominated field. 

In the meantime, Knick’s Coach Jones does his best with Luna hoping this new prodigy will cement his long time career. Coach Jones, played with great compassion of soul and accuracy by Phillip Edward Van Lear, really drives the play’s message home and is totally believable in the role of a big league coach who also has been beaten down somewhat by an industry which cares more about profit margins than human lives and protecting the players who make the game possible.  

We learn along the way that "King Liz" had a sexual relationship with the coach in the past when over dinner he states he “would like to make love to her again”, that “she needs affection” and "was making animal sounds" the last time they were together but Liz will only accept his offer if he realizes she wants no commitment involved or even romance. 

Liz, over the course of the show, begins to realize that she has isolated herself from the world of love and relationships for so long that even though she is rich and on all the most important people lists like Forbes Fortune 500, she has also given up her chances to have children and a husband among other things and is faced with the biggest decision of her life to try and salvage her soul and dignity as a human being.

The play is delivered fast and furiously with many exciting twists and turns and light and scene design changes. It reminded me of the film “Draft Day” starring Kevin Costner that shows just how much constant pressure and money is riding on these agents and their young, often inexperienced and naive clients – the promises made and the slugfests that occur between agencies and teams to sign elite talent. We learn how much athlete image control weighs into a successful sports career for those that have a hard time staying out of trouble.

King Liz is also the story of two completely different paths taken from two people, both African Americans, who grew up in the same projects. Ambitious, disciplined and determined, Liz carved a trail for herself to succeed in the business world by obtaining a Yale education and learning the social graces and toughness that positions herself to rise up the corporate ladder. She’s hard-nosed and no-nonsense and does not make excuses. At the same time, Luna, though mega-talented, struggles to mature or find a sense of responsibility. He blows up with little provocation and misses key business appointments to go shopping with his friends. We want so desperately to shake him and say, “Wake up! You have been given a golden opportunity to shine and become an example to others.”

Lanise Antoine Shelly is a powerhouse as Liz Rico and is surrounded by an impressive cast in this fast-paced, knockout punch production. I highly recommend Fernanda Coppel’s King Liz, directed with real style and exciting action and catharsis by Chuck Smith.

King Liz is being performed at Windy City Playhouse. For tickets visit www.WindyCityPlayhouse.com.