The heroines of All the Natalie Portmans at Thinking Cap Theatre (Photos by Tabatha Mudra Photography)
By Mariah Reed
How do you deal with an alcoholic mother, a brother in juvenile detention, the loss of a father, and the threat of eviction? You retreat into a rich fantasy life where famous white actresses befriend you and dreams of life as a successful Hollywood screenwriter lull you into something approaching hope.
In C.A. Johnson’s All the Natalie Portmans, produced by Thinking Cap Theatre, we witness the struggle of a poor, black family trying to survive despite a crushing lack of resources, opportunities, and advantages in 2009 Washington state. Creatively staged by Director Nicole Stodard, the play vacillates between realism and surrealism as Keyonna, a smart, creative teenage lesbian with dreams that “her little old city can’t handle,” confronts one disappointment after another in her quest for relevance.
Breanna Michel plays Keyonna with heightened sensitivity, deftly alternating between city-smart sass and soul-crushing setbacks. Her mother, Ovetta, played by Sheena O. Murray, works as a hotel housekeeper when she is not on a bender. Brother Samuel, depicted by Logan Green, tends bar, and nobly attempts to fill in for an absent father as caretaker and provider. But Samuel isn’t much older than Keyonna, and when he takes the only path that he feels is available for him to help the family, predictable tragedy ensues.
Johnson’s play does much to highlight how difficult it is for many working-class folks to rise above their circumstances when dealing with sudden financial hardship. A recent study by Princeton University revealed that thirty to forty percent of U.S. households are living hand-to-mouth and on the edge of financial destitution. ****
With little cash on-hand, the sudden loss of a parent or employment can be devastating, and that is precisely the situation in which Keyonna’s family find themselves.
The desperation with which Michel’s Keyonna and Green’s Samuel attempt to reconcile their misfortune is palpable and their relationship as brother and sister, bound together through personal tragedy, resounds with authenticity and affection. Michel does an admirable job of embodying youthful hope for a better future. Hers is a Keyonna romanced by movies with fairy-tale endings, but also one contending with years of adversity that would suggest such aspirations are unrealistic. This is a person caught at the crossroads of life in which all young adults either use their misfortune as a catalyst that propels them to greatness, or as a justification for surrender to an ultimately disappointing future.
Green’s portrayal of Samuel is heartbreaking as he paces about the stage, the grieving but loving older brother who lacks the education or connections to provide much needed cash for his family as they face eviction.
Murray’s Ovetta is a long-suffering single mother who is clueless about her children’s lives. She drunkenly wobbles about the stage, bemoaning her fate with much eye rolling and heavy sighing. But the friction between Ovetta and her children feels one-dimensional as we never really understand what drives her actions. Choosing to focus on the depiction of a stereotypical alcohol deadbeat parent, Murray fails to communicate the complexity of the inner struggle of someone who is maneuvering between survival and self-respect in a world that seems built to perpetuate unfairness. Her turnabout at the end of the play feels forced, as we were not privy to the impetus that inspired her to change.
As Chantel, Keyonna’s former best friend and Samuel’s current “friend-with-benefits,” Whitley Armstrong is a delight. She gracefully imbues her characterization with deep layers, blending a burning sense of loyalty and repressed dread with expertise. She commits heart and soul to clear objectives, and her three-dimensional portrayal of a young woman striving to support her friends while navigating her own self-doubt and regret is complex and mesmerizing.
When Keyonna is faced with demoralizing challenges that would derail her dreams of a better life, she enters a fantasy world in which film actress Natalie Portman arrives to sooth her. It is possible that Portman serves as a kind of alter-ego, the hopeful innocence within Keyonna who is determined to find greatness as a filmmaker. However, for this reviewer it was unclear if her presence was meant to simply distract Keyonna from her difficulties or if there was a deeper purpose at work.
As Portman, Therese Adelina is a charming, if somewhat childlike, playmate who encourages Keyonna to keep telling stories. But with one possible exception, in which Portman discusses the difficulty of motherhood, it was hard to ascertain a benefit to these visits. At times they were a welcome respite from family clashes that felt insurmountable. At others, the interruptions felt random and somewhat distracting. But this is more a criticism of the play itself than of this presentation.
Though the ending of the play, no spoiler alerts here, is somewhat anti-climactic, the themes of the play are powerful and relevant. How does the working class rise above in a society where the cost of living makes it ever more difficult to have safeguards in place? When will we address the lack of social services that can provide immediate help when a family’s survival is at stake? What is motivating young people to attend school when their families desperately need another salary to maintain housing?
With solid direction by Nicole Stodard and a simple, but efficient set by Alyiece Moretto-Watkins, we are transported back in time and fully accept the given circumstances of the play. Stodard chose to utilize the entire space by staging some scenes within the theater’s seating area to delineate a complete change of environment. Delightful as the change was, because the adjustment placed actors on the same level as the audience, this reviewer couldn’t help but wonder if some attending the show might have trouble seeing the action on a night where there was a full house.
Although volume levels fluctuated throughout the presentation, the sound design by Bree-Anna Obst and Stodard was on point and supportive of the themes being communicated. The projection of images of the characters as children was particularly affecting as one couldn’t help but sadly contrast these smiling innocent faces with their more disillusioned, older counterparts. Creative lighting effects supported fantasy segments beautifully, yet there were some abrupt lighting shifts during scenes that distracted from the action taking place and felt somewhat arbitrary.
Is All the Natalie Portmans worth seeing? Absolutely. With solid performances, creative direction, and poignant and pertinent themes, the production will have you thinking about how tentative security can be and how lucky we all are to have a roof over our heads and food on the table. At times like these, it’s good to find something we can be grateful for.
All the Natalie Portmans from Thinking Cap Theatre plays March 19-30,at Hollywood Central Performing Arts Center, 1770 Monroe Street. Performances 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Sunday, March 23 there will be a talkback after the show. Tickets $45. Free tickets for students aged 13-21 by calling 954-610-7263. Contains strong coarse language.
****Not just the poor live hand-to-mouth by Michael Hotchkiss, Office of Communications on April 23, 2014, Princeton University (https://www.princeton.edu/news/2014/04/23/not-just-poor-live-hand-mouth)
