THE BASICS: CROWNS, a musical by Regina Taylor, adapted from the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry, directed by Thembi Duncan, choreographed by Naila Ansari, with music direction by Karen E. Saxon, produced by MusicalFare starring Preston Brown, Danielle N. Green, Latosha Jennings, Janaé Leonard, Zhanna Reed, Ember Tate-Steele, and Davida Evette Tolbert. 4/17 – 5/19 Wed – Thu 7:00 pm, Fri 7:30, Sat 3:30 and 7:30, Sun 2:00 at MusicalFare Theatre, c/o Daemen College 4380 Main Street, Suite 123 Amherst, NY 14226 (716) 839-8540 musicalfare.com Live entertainment in the lounge after Friday and Saturday evening shows.
Printed Playbills (yay!) are available. Or see the digital playbill here:www.flipbookpdf.net
RUNTIME: 2 hours including one intermission
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: Uniting many of the team that brought A COLOR PURPLE to Shea’s 710 last fall, and ONCE ON THIS ISLAND before that, CROWNS is inspired by the history and identity of Black women as told through song, dance, and stories about their hats, their “crowns.” The through-line? After her brother is shot and killed in Brooklyn, Yolanda, a young Black hip-hop-inspired woman, is sent down South to stay with her church-going family. Yolanda’s world is turned upside down. As the publicity blurb states: “Hats are everywhere, in exquisite variety, and the characters use the hats to tell tales concerning everything from the etiquette of hats to their historical and contemporary social functioning. There is a hat for every occasion, from flirting to churchgoing to funerals to baptisms, and the tradition of hats is traced back to African rituals and forward to current fashion!” And it turns out that Yolanda has some “hatitude” of her own!
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: From the moment I saw the production team and the cast list for CROWNS, and remembered how much I loved THE COLOR PURPLE and before that ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, not to mention other shows and cabarets at MusicalFare, I knew that this was going to be a winner.
A huge amount of the success is due to the Music Director, Karen E. Saxon, who grew up in gospel and is the Minister of Music at the First Shiloh Baptist Church, just to name one of her bona fides. She’s joined by her Buff State colleague Naila Ansari, choreographer, for a high energy rollicking good time on stage.
So I loved the music and the dancing, but a lot of times in musicals, those two aspects can cover for unremarkable acting. Not here. Director Thembi Duncan squeezes the most juice out of every scene. And every actor. If the audience wasn’t shouting or clapping they were laughing.
Direction is essential, but the acting chops of the cast bring it home, and these folks bring it! Janaé Leonard plays young Yolanda and brings a delightful combination of teenage eye-rolling and disdain, coupled with curiosity and warmth. Staying in character when it’s not your scene is one of the “tells” of a good actor, and Ms. Leonard excelled.
But, in a way, Leonard had to bring her A-game, because on stage she’s surrounded by all this talent, including Danielle N. Green, whom I’ve admired at The Paul Robeson Theatre, not to mention her roles in “ISLAND” and “PURPLE” here playing the somewhat clueless Velma to great laughter. Latosha Jennings, who was also in “ISLAND,” plays the no-nonsense Mother Shaw, who lays down the law. Zhanna Reed joins Green in playing the clueless “Did I Do That?” role of Jeannette as she uses her huge smile to get her way. I’ve seen Ember Tate-Steele many times on stage at MusicalFare, and her sweet face is always a delight. I have fond memories of her as the young Alberta Hunter in COOKIN’ AT THE COOKERY, although I must admit, a favorite role to see was “The Princess Who Kissed The Frog” in DISENCHANTED. Here she plays Wanda, who always wants to do the right thing.
Besides Zhanna Reed as Jeanette, the other mischief-maker is Mabel, played by comic actress extraordinaire, Davida Evette Tolbert, who most recently got monologue-ending applause night after night in THE LIGHT FANTASTIC at Road Less Traveled Productions. Whether she’s there or at Theatre of Youth or Brazen Faced Varlets, Dee Dee has an ineffable (unable to be expressed in words) quality that someday I’ll find the words for. Until then, I’ll just say: Don’t miss her in CROWNS.
The one man on stage is hardworking Preston Brown, who plays “Man,” (a variety of “utility” roles) well. He is also the on-stage drummer accompanying Karen E. Saxon at the keyboard.
But what about those crowns? Ah, enter Phylicia Robinson Dove, Costume, Hair, Wig, and Makeup Designer, formerly known mostly as the entrepreneur at Black Monarchy costumes, whose career has taken off in some exciting new costuming directions. At intermission we had to ask, where did she get all those hats? Some were hers, some were her mother’s and grandmothers’, others were re-fashioned in her workshop, and some were created from whole cloth.
Chris Cavanagh (Set, Lighting, Projection, and Sound Designer) created a set with a huge back wall to accept projections, most of which were visually echoed on the wings. The play opens with a projection of an above-ground NYC subway station that puts you right on the edge of the tracks. Wow. And Kevin Fahey was Props Master.
I thought, during Act II, occasionally some of the stories seemed to come out of nowhere. They were good stories, but perhaps the writers could have provided a line or two of context.
There are 31 musical numbers in all, including the more familiar “Saints,” “Sparrow,” “Just A Closer Walk With Thee,” and towards the end, during the river baptism scene, “Take Me On The Water,” and “Wade/God’s Gonna Trouble The Water.” New to me was “When I’ve Done the Best I Can, I Want My Crown.” Ladies, I think you’ve earned your crowns.
The show continues at MusicalFare through May 19. It’s insightful, funny, and appealing, I believe, to a wide audience, so to quote my wife: “Just tell your readers: Everybody, get your *** over there!”
AFTERTHOUGHT: It’s no secret that Buffalo is one of the most racially divided cities in America. And suburban Amherst certainly has a reputation as a destination for white flight. So kudos to the Artistic/Executive Director of MusicalFare (the largest producing theater in WNY) for continuing over the years to produce high-quality entertainment with all or mostly Black production teams and casts. Since May 14, 2022, many organizations have discussed DEI or DEIO (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity), but Kramer has been doing that for years with both choice of repertoire and color-blind casting. I’m sure the tradition will continue in their new theater.
Next season, 2024 – 2025, MusicalFare will still be in their current location with four mainstage musicals, three of which deal with contemporary issues: THE PROM (9/14 – 10/6/2024) (LGBTQ+ issues); NEXT TO NORMAL (2/19 – 3/16, 2025) (bi-polar disorder); WAITRESS (4/16 – 5/18, 2025) (spousal abuse and unplanned pregnancy); and, a musical with no issues, it’s just funny as hell, SOMETHING ROTTEN (11/6 -12/8, 2024).
*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)
ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.
TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.
THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.
FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.
FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!