A House with No Walls @ Karamu 1/23 I love it when a theatrical production ends before my concentration begins to falter. A House with No Walls, now at Karamu through February 15, held my attention so thoroughly on opening night (even at close to 2 1/2 hours, including intermission) that I really did not want it to be over. It's as close to a perfect production as I've seen in several years. Everything works as it should.

The play itself, by Thomas Gibbons of Philadelphia, has some meat on its bones. Mr. Gibbons found a historical ambiguity and not only embraced it but enhanced it with relevancy to today's world. Of course, the fact that Terrence Spivey, Artistic Director at Karamu had the prescience to schedule the play for the week of the inauguration of America's first black president, only added extra piquancy to both the play and the events in Washington.

In Europe, where history is more than two or three hundred years old, they treasure relics of the past and incorporate them into today’s existence. This country, however, seems to thrive on tearing down almost anything more than 100 years old, in favor of building ever more parking lots or shopping malls. Occasionally, however, we honor our past and try to learn something from the mistakes that invariably happen.

When a museum dedicated to the concept of Liberty is scheduled to be built in Philadelphia, it is suddenly revealed that the exact plot of land to be used for this purpose once hosted a Slave’s House. That in itself, for a northern city, is reprehensible. But the owner of the property during this time was none other than the first President of the US – George Washington. Nine slaves lived in the structure that measured 8½ feet per side.

The conflict that drives the play begins with Salif Camara, a liberal black man who believes that his race has suffered enough, and should have some say in the planning by the museum. An apology for slavery would be a good thing, too. It won’t erase the past, but he doesn’t want that past to be forgotten. He might like more, but he is, after all, an educated and reasonable man who understands that baby steps will eventually lead to a bigger gain.

At the same time, the museum director (an older white male) has enlisted a young, conservative black female professor to help him explain the aims and goals of the museum to the rest of the world. Cadence Lane is articulate, bright, and aware of the past, and especially the existence of one of those slaves who actually lived in that space. She’s written a book about that woman, Oney Judge, who considers herself lucky to be the personal attendant of Mrs. Washington. Ms. Lane, however, thinks it’s time to get over the past and march into the future, where equality will be the rule.

Oney’s half-brother Austin, Salif’s friend Allen Rosen, and another slave who is free, are also part of the various conflicts which play off against each other, crossing the boundaries between time and space. This effect is helped immensely by the clever stage setting, which uses the floor in front of the stage for the area marked off as the dimensions of the Slaves House. The actors must step over the string or the boards delineating the place where there would be walls, if there were any walls. As Oney says so plaintively, there are no walls, they have no privacy, no security. They are constantly on view, their services on demand. They can be given or sold at will, as she discovers when Mrs. Washington makes her own daughter a wedding gift of the young slave woman.

As Salif, Peter Lawson Jones is a forceful advocate for his people and their cause. Katrice Headd is his equal as Cadence. When it turns out that Cadence and Allen share a past, more sparks fly, (to the delight of the opening night audience.) Tony Zanoni totally inhabits the dual roles he portrays: the modern-day historian-researcher Allen Rosen, and the abolitionist Tobias Humphreys, who works diligently to convince Oney she should strike a blow for freedom.

Any slave could declare him or herself to be free after six consecutive months of residence in Philadelphia. Of course, Oney’s never been there that long at one time, as the Washingtons usually leave for Mount Vernon after only five months or so. When she finally decides to do as Tobias wishes, she wants her brother to go with them, but Austin has his own plans. Taresa Willingham invests Oney with a dignity that puts a lump in your throat, and may even invoke tears. James Hakim is excellent as a slightly addled Austin, who can create a thing of beauty from a block of wood, but only after it tells him what it wants to be. Calvin Lane is convincing as the freed slave Jacob Easton, lending his voice to that of Tobias in the attempt to bring Oney to freedom.

Clyde Simon capably performs three smaller roles: a park ranger, museum director Steven Gardner and a George Washington reenactor in a somewhat fuzzy wig.

The unique set was designed by John Konopka and the fabulous costumes (historical and modern day) were by Harold Crawford. Lighting and sound design, which added greatly to the overall ambiance were by Richard H. Morris, Jr. Stage Manager Gerri Harris kept everyone on schedule, including the intermission.

But Terrence Spivey deserves double props (or maybe even more than that) for having selected this play, casting it so perfectly and then adding his impressive skills as director to make it all work. Regardless of your beliefs or your skin color, you should not miss this production. It runs at Karamu through February 15. Visit the website http://www.karamu.com or call 795-7077.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com
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