Updating of the age-old battle of the sexes at Karamu

Playing off of the title of Terry McMillan's 1995 prize-winning book and film Waiting to Exhale -- which follows the life trajectories of four African American woman as they seek to define their relationships with the men in their lives -- Waitin' 2 End Hell, the current Karamu offering by playwright William A. Parker, looks at relationships from the males' point of view and raises the supposedly inscrutable, enigmatic and mysterious question of, "what do women really want?" The answer, of course, is that women want the same thing men want -- power.

Although the actors in this performance are Black (with one Latina), the subject matter transcends race: Everyone will be able to identify with these characters and issues. The play is about the ever-shifting cultural mores and the constant reinterpretation of relationship roles in our fast-paced society.

An cursory understanding of not-too-distant cultural history is helpful in terms of putting the work in context. The feminist movement, at its purest core, was and is about equalizing power between the sexes … which is a fair, right and good thing. However, the concept frightened, offended and challenged some males who were not (and still aren’t) amenable to sharing power. Their rigid and unyielding stance in turn offended and radicalized some females. Once the Women’s Movement began making gains, some were no longer interested in just power equality — they wanted retributive superiority. And a tiny few concluded that if they couldn’t have total control, they began to question the “need” for a man in their lives — which frightened men even more.

Indeed, a character in this Karamu production turns the table and asks the same question in regards to women: “Who needs them, and for what?” Parker seems to be saying that the conflict these radical fringes (Alpha males and ball-busting females) are engaged in has spilled over and is now negatively affecting the much larger middle.

With women in America filing for divorce at a rate twice that of men (and many couples eschewing marriage altogether), the resulting disintegration of the family in this country should be of paramount concern to all of us. We would be wise to take note that most societies are destroyed from within, not from without — and if we keep losing strong, intact families we’re greasing our own skids down that slippery slope that bottoms out in the dustbin of history. Playwright Parker understands this all too well and through his play is seeking solutions to the conundrum. Alas, when his lead female suggests to her mate that perhaps they can seek marriage counseling, just like in real life, the suggestion is made far too late.

Director Terrance Spivey (who came to Karamu five years ago as artistic director and has raised the level of the company’s professionalism in each succeeding year) moves the production along at a snappy pace as the actors enliven the set with Parker’s penetrating questions (couched in in-your-face dialogue) regarding how money and sex (not to mention the always present specter of power) impact male/female relationships.

Parker’s work is a cautionary tale. He wants us to examine how we — both male and female — treat the opposite sex. This alone makes the play worth seeing. The bonus, however, is attractive staging and superior acting. The cast is a strong ensemble, featuring a flat-out bravura performance by Saidah Mitchell (in the lead role of Diane).

Mitchell, a dancer by profession, has adroitly made the leap to acting … completely mastering the thespian’s craft. After her character comes face-to-face with her own mortality via being forced to stare down the barrel of a gun, the breakdown and catharsis she goes through rank as the purest, most honest moments I’ve ever witnessed in 40 years of theatre going. The venue is barely large enough to contain her keening, gut-retching angst — even God must have heard her cries as she lay writhing on the floor of Karamu Theatre last Friday night.

Playwright Parker penned this riveting work for an adult audience, but, unfortunately, a couple of 40+ year-old juveniles snuck into the theatre the night I attended, and their lack of maturity and evident discomfort in their own skin (and with their own lives) made them laugh loud and long at the most inappropriate places, and constantly comment out loud on the interaction between the characters. One sounded exactly like a hyena, and the other couldn’t restrain herself from signifying. The actors and the audience both deserved better treatment. Management should have the courage (it certainly has the right) to ask disruptive patrons to leave if they can’t tone it down; simply give them their money back and let the remaining adults enjoy the serious, thought-provoking work by a master dramatist.

Anyone who is in a serious relationship — or is seeking to be in one …should go see Waitin’ 2 End Hell. The play runs through Nov. 23. http://www.karamu.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com
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