Stick Fly

There were two plays on Broadway this year that were about well to do family's with deep dark secrets and the people who refuse to let them stay buried in the holes that were dug for them. One of them was Other Desert Cities which I have already discussed (and which I loved) and the other, is Lydia R. Diamonds Stick Fly which I also thought to be extremely profound.

Stick Fly, produced by and featuring incidental music by Alicia Keys, is described thus by producers: Stick Fly follows the LeVays, an affluent African American family who come together to spend a summer weekend at their Martha's Vineyard home. The adult sons, aspiring novelist Kent and golden boy plastic surgeon Flip, have each brought their respective ladies (one Black and one White) to meet the parents. Food, drink and Trivial Pursuit tangle with class, race and identity politics in this contemporary comedy of manners.

Dark secrets are brought to the light and more than one characters true natures are bared before the evening is through. The play is extremely well written. Some may liken it to a soap opera in it's construction and the way in which it's plot devices are used, but I found it to be compelling and poignant.

The performances were hit and miss. Rubin Santiago Hudson was the strongest male in the cast as Joe, the patriarch of the LeVay family. Though the family bears his name, he married into the affluence and is therefore not considered part of the legacy. Dule Hill and Mekhi Phifer give acceptable if sometimes bland performances as Kent and Flip, respectively.

The woman fair much better. Tracie Thoms is excellent as Kent's Fiance Taylor, and Rosie Benton is a comic delight as Trips (white) girl friend Kimber. The utter revelation, however, is Condola Rashad as Cheryl, the daughter of the long time house keeper. Her performance is breath taking, powerful, and intense while at the same time being vulnerable and introspective.

The direction by Kenny Leon is smart and informative. The lighting design by Beverly Emmons is sufficient as are the costumes by Reggie Ray. The set design by David Gallo perfectly evokes that of a summer home on Martha's Vineyard complete with ornate interiors and quaint patios. Alicia Keys music is pretty darn good too, if not sometimes a little more featured a presence than incidental music in a play ought to be.

So, what was the problem? Why should Other Desert Cities thrive while Stick Fly closes early? As the play suggests, America still has a race problem, and a class problem. Put more simply, Cities is about white people while Stick Fly is about black people. It's a little known "fact" on Broadway that black people don't go to the theater, so the only way that shows about black people do well is if something compels the black community to go to the theater or if white audiences find interest and start showing up.

Stick Fly closed on Broadway at The Cort Theater on January 31st. If it comes to a local theater near you, see it, because it is one powerful play.