Stick Fly by Lydia R. Diamond
Directed by Kenny Leon
Scenic Design by David Gallo, Costume Design by Reggie Ray, Lighting Design by Allen Lee Hughes, Sound Design by Timothy J. Thompson, Casting by Alaine Alldaffer, Production Stage Manager Kathryn Most, Stage Manager Josiane M. Lemieux
CAST(in order of appearance): Taylor, Nikkole Salter; Kent (Spoon), Jason Dirden; Cheryl, Amber Iman; Flip, Billy Eugene Jones; Joe LeVay, Wendell W. Wright; Kimber, Rosie Benton
Performances through March 28, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts Box Office 617-266-0800 or www.huntingtontheatre.org
H.L. Mencken, a twentieth century journalist and critic of American life and culture, wrote "Those who can -- do, those who can't - teach." Well, Lydia Diamond is an exception to that old axiom as she both teaches in the School of Theatre at Boston University and is an outstanding working playwright. Exhibit A for the argument that this teacher "can do" is Stick Fly, presently ensconced at the Wimberly Theatre at the Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, under the joint auspices of the Huntington Theatre and the Arena Stage in Washington, DC. On the heels of a five-week run in the capital, the company has hit the deck running in Boston with highly-polished production values and an exemplary ensemble directed by IRNE nominee Kenny Leon.
"Stick Fly" deserves an "A" for structure, style, and substance. Diamond dares to share a slice of life of the black upper class LeVay family as they spend a weekend at their home on Martha's Vineyard and portray it with comfortable normalcy. One of the twists is that the setting is the tony community of Edgartown, as opposed to Oak Bluffs which is known as a black enclave on the island, placing the LeVays above the other African-American inhabitants as among the most elite. Patriarch Joe (Wendell W. Wright) is a successful neurosurgeon whose elder son Flip (Billy Eugene Jones), a plastic surgeon, follows his footsteps in more ways than one. Younger son Kent (Jason Dirden) proclaims himself a novelist after shrugging off several other career choices. The sons have each brought along a woman for the visit, and their inclusion has a telling effect on the family dynamics.
Kent is engaged to Taylor (Nikkole Salter), a post-doctoral student in entomology and estranged daughter of a renowned black intellectual. Kimber (Rosie Benton), a white socialite who teaches inner-city kids, is involved in a more casual dating relationship with Flip. Rounding out the reunion is Cheryl (Amber Iman), the teenage daughter of the LeVay's African-American maid, filling in for her ailing mother this weekend, who is enrolled at an exclusive Manhattan private school. The absence of the maid Ms. Ellie and mother Michelle LeVay does not preclude them from having a strong presence, and frequent mentions of them are woven into the dialogue, emphasizing the importance of the maternal figure in the black family. Early in the play, Diamond telegraphs that the reasons for their nonattendance will figure prominently in the plot and an air of mystery hovers until the secrets are revealed in dramatic fashion. This play has it all - intelligent writing, genuine humor that flows from the personalities and situations at hand, and fully developed characters we care about who are brought to life, warts and all, by actors who get inside their skin and explore their every facet. Perhaps owing to the fact that they come from the pen of a strong, gifted woman, the female characters are all strong and whip-smart. The men are well-educated and talented in their fields, too, but lack the degree of emotional intelligence of Diamond's women. The play's title refers to the process used by entomologists like Taylor to study the flight patterns of insects, gluing them to sticks because their motions are too fast for cameras to follow. The LeVay men and their women are more or less stuck in this house for this brief moment in time and all six take a turn being examined in the spotlight or under the microscope, as it were. Some come off looking better than others, but almost all are changed by the experience.
