Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine

C

As the first installment of Lynn Nottage’s residency, Signature Theatre has revived this work from 2004. Theatergoers who know her only from serious plays such as Pulitzer prizewinners Ruined or Sweat may be surprised to see something in a lighter mode. Undine Barnes Calles (Cherise Boothe; Milk Like Sugar) is the invented persona of Sharona Watkins, who grew up in the Brooklyn projects, won a scholarship to Dartmouth, broke off all contact with her family who, she said, had died tragically in a fire, and for 14 years has run a successful PR firm catering to nouveau riche African-Americans. Two years ago she married Hervé (Ian Lassiter; Junk), a sexy Argentinian. When we meet her, she is yelling at her assistant Stephie (Mayaa Boateng; Fairview) for being unable to find a celebrity to attend the Fallopian Blockage benefit she is planning. Imperious in her gold lamé outfit at her teak desk, Undine is clearly ripe for a comeuppance. In short order, her husband absconds with all her money, she becomes the subject of an FBI investigation, she finds out she is pregnant, she is forced to move back home to the family she rejected and she ends up in jail after being mistaken for a drug addict. We next see her in a drug rehab group session where a college professor (Dashiell Eaves; A Time To Kill) is waxing rhapsodic over the pleasures of cocaine. Guy (Lassiter again) is a security guard in the group who takes a shine to her. We see their first date at a BBQ restaurant. A scene of her frustrating visit to a social services office is a bit heavy-handed. Undine’s attempts to become a better human being are not completely convincing and the second act flounders a bit. Truth is Undine, with her droll asides, is much more entertaining company than Sharona. Ms. Boothe is excellent and is supported by a strong ensemble of seven (Heather Alicia Simms; Fairview; Nikiya Mathis, Skeleton Crew; J. Bernard Calloway, Memphis; Marcus Callender, plus the three actors already mentioned) who play multiple roles. Some of the costumes by Montana Levi Blanco (In the Blood, Fairview) and wigs by Cookie Jordan (Once on This Island) are delightfully outlandish. Adam Rigg’s (The House That Will Not Stand) set converts effortlessly to a variety of locales. Director Lileana Blain-Cruz (Red Speedo, War) keeps things moving. It is sporadically entertaining but the satire misses as often as it hits. Running time: one hour 55 minutes including intermission. 

Fairview

B-

It is difficult to review Jackie Sibblies Drury’s provocative new play at Soho Rep for two reasons. First, to say very much about it without spoiling the experience is problematic. Secondly, as someone who is not African-American, my very right to comment is challenged by the play itself. Nevertheless, I will proceed. Upon arrival in the theater, we are greeted with a generic upper-middle-class living-dining room done in peachy cream walls, beige furniture, a light wood dining set and off-white carpeting. It could easily be the set of a family tv show, especially since it is completely surrounded by a black frame. One by one, we meet the members of the African-American Frazier family — Beverly (Heather Alicia Simms; Barbecue), the stressed-out hostess of a milestone birthday party for her mother, who is resting upstairs; Dayton (Charles Browning), her easygoing loving husband; Jasmine (Roslyn Ruff; All the Way, Familiar), Beverly’s acerbic sister; and Keisha (Mayaa Boateng), Beverly and Dayton’s daughter, a high-achieving high school senior with a vague feeling that something is holding her back. Beverly’s brother had also been expected for the party, but his flight has been delayed. Beverly is unhappy that Keisha’s friend Erica will be stopping by to drop off something for Keisha. The first third of the play progresses much like a retro sitcom of no racial specificity unless family members breaking out in dance frequently is supposed to suggest some racial proclivity. The first scene ends abruptly with a blackout. Now we are getting into “spoiler” territory. When the lights come up, an all-white stage crew is restoring the set to its original condition. When the actors reappear, the first scene is repeated except that we don’t hear the onstage actors. Instead we hear the conversation of four apparently white people who are discussing what race they would choose to be if they could change their race. Jimbo (Luke Robertson; Neva) is a bit of a bully. Suze (Hannah Cabell; The Father, The Moors) is offended by the question. Mack (Jed Resnick; Avenue Q), possibly gay, wants to be a black woman because of their fierceness. Bets (Natalia Payne; The Last Match), who has a European accent, deplores the American obsession with race. The device of the overlaid conversation is clever, but seeing the entire first scene again seems excessive. In the final third of the play, the previously unseen white characters join the others on stage, bringing their expectations with them. Some of the plot developments and the ensuing mayhem, while fun to watch, seem partially unearned. The play takes a final abrupt turn with one of the characters making a request of the white audience members. Apparently, at some performances, this has stimulated some lively interaction between actor and audience, but at my performance, there was no such interaction and less than half the people complied. It seemed a flat, disappointing ending for a provocative play. The cast is very good. Mimi Lien’s (An Octoroon) set and Montana Levi Bianco’s (In the Blood) costumes are spot on. Amith Chandrashaker’s (Cardinal) lighting is very effective. Ryan Courtney’s props are delightfully excessive. Raja Feather Kelly’s choroeography is a treat. Director Sarah Benson (An Octoroon, In the Blood) maintains a firm grip. To some extent, I feel the playwright lost control of her material. Nevertheless, I will be eager to see her next work. Running time: one hour 45 minutes; no intermission.