Hat-titude

Remember back when the highlight of your week was going to hang out at the mall with your friends and your parents just dropped you off and left you there? (Annie, don't get any ideas. It's a WAY different world!) Our hangout was the Salem Mall in Dayton, Ohio and one of my favorite things to do there was go to Donenfeld's and try on the fancy Sunday hats.

So when I had a chance to go see the musical play Crowns at the Indiana Repertory Theatre yesterday, I was all over it! Crowns tells the stories of six African-American women through the many Sunday hats they wear. The characters include a Brooklyn teenager (Shannon Antalan) sent to live with her grandmother after the teen's brother was murdered, the grandmother (Chandra Currelley) and four other church-goin' women (Terry Burrell, Crystal Fox, Valerie Payton and Roz White).

The stage was set with dozens of hats hanging on coat racks and I found myself anxious to see certain hats on the heads of the actors, especially a black and red feathery number that turned out to be more appealing on the rack than on someone's head.

The opening scene reminded me of the opening of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with colorful and swirling robes. (Though when I look at the pic below, it doesn't seem very Joseph, but trust me, that's what came to mind.)

The script offered some historical perspective on the tradition of wearing hats to Sunday worship. Hats were used to adorn oneself for worship. One of the characters said, "I'm going to meet the King; I'd better look good." In addition, hats were a status symbol. When a woman got some money, she spent it on hats and the place to show that hat was church.

From the very beginning of the show, the music -- Gospel and spirituals -- was engaging. It started out controlled and a little tame, leaving me hungry for some Praise Jesus! Hallelujah! moments. All in good time, Amy, all in good time.

I'm sure that someone who grew up on a steady diet of Gospel music could name more of the songs, but one that I recognized and thoroughly enjoyed was "His Eye is on the Sparrow." There were plenty of other uplifting and joyful songs that lent themselves to clapping and participation by the audience. I wish I had some mp3 files of the music to share with you. Or a soundtrack to listen to in my car.

The six female voices were joined by a lone male voice, that of Dennis Spears. Now, I'll admit to having a little bit of a thing for bald men (which is good news for Mike in his later years). Add to that the silky, sexy tone of Spears' voice and I was hooked. Too bad they didn't have a meet and greet after the show so I could rub that round brown "crown."

Besides wondering what it would feel like to touch Dennis Spears' head, Crowns made me wonder several other things:

1. Do African-American women still where hats to church? My own church is pretty diverse, but in my experience you don't see a lot of hats in Catholic churches.
   
   
2. What part of my heritage do I have to pass down? It was clear that Sunday hats are part of a cultural heritage in the African-American community. What is the heritage that I will pass down to my children and grandchildren? Since I'm sort of a human mutt when it comes to nationalities, it is probably my Catholic heritage that I will transfer most strongly.
   
   
3. Is there something in my life that I use as these characters use hats? Two lines of the script struck me: "Hats are like people -- sometimes they reveal, sometimes they conceal" and "Sometimes under those hats is a lot of joy and a lot of sorrow." What in my life do I use to display or hide my joy and sorrow?

I'll admit I was lost a little in the script for part of the show, not sure how some of the women's recollections tied in with the theme of hats. But in the end, I recognized that there were really two stories told by this show. The first was how hats play a role in the African-American culture. The second was the tale of a journey from despair to hope and joy, and for me that's where the power and the inspiration of the show came.

Crowns is adapted from a coffee table-type book of the same name by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry. It runs on the Mainstage at the Indiana Repertory Theatre through May 2. You can buy tickets in advance or stop by the IRT box office one hour for showtime when any remaining tickets are available for 50% off!

Photos by R. Brent Smith, courtesy of IRT

Mockingbird sings a powerful song

Most couples with kids can define their lives in two parts: BC and AC -- before children and after children. In our BC life, Mike and I did lots of cool cultural things, like going to the theater (the kind where the floor is not sticky with spilled pop). Tonight we had a BC date and went to see "To Kill a Mockingbird" at the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT).

After we picked up our tickets at Will Call in the IRT's new lobby, we checked our coats (and Mike's ever present Indiana Jones hat) before being led to our third row left seats. Mike had gone to see the show on Thursday with Annie's class and sat on the right side of the house, so he was glad for the different perspective.

I perused the progam to refresh my memory about the plot and to see if any of the actors have appeared on "Law and Order" -- (yes, two of them). I read To Kill a Mockingbird in my freshman honors English class in high school. But considering that was 24 years ago, I didn't remember much -- except going to the Marianists' house, where our teacher Brother Jim Brooks lived, to watch the black and white film version of the novel. Even so, all I remember of that night was that Jay Flynn used the old "I'm just reaching for the popcorn" trick to put his arm around me. Guess the swooning erased the memories of the storyline from my mind even all these years later.

Quentin Toetz as Jem, Tessa Buzzetti as Scout,
and Joseph J. Mervis as Dill (left to right)
Credit: Julie Curry

Set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, much of the first act involves the Finch children -- Jean Louise, known as Scout, and her older brother Jem, as well as tagalong kid Dill. There is talk among the children, the Finch's black housekeeper/nanny Calpurnia, and their white neighbor Miss Maudie first about Boo Radley, the mysterious recluse who lives nearby, and then about the fact that Atticus Finch (the children's father) is representing a black man -- Tom Robinson -- falsely accused of raping a young white teenager.

A handful of tertiary characters -- Sheriff Heck Tate, grouchy ailing neighbor Mr. Dubose, Gladys Kravitz-like Miss Stephanie, the stuttering Mr. Cunningham -- all add layers and color to the story.

Probably due to the difference between greenhorned actors and seasoned actors (it felt a bit as though Scout should have been called "Shout"), it wasn't until mid-way through the first act when Atticus made a more lengthy appearance that I forgot I was watching a play and began to lose myself in the story which includes themes of prejudice, race, poverty and justice.

Melissa Fenton as Mayella Ewell, Mark Goetzinger as Atticus Finch,
and Jonathan Tremaine as Tom Robinson
Credit: Julie Curry

In the second act, which opens in the courtroom where Tom Robinson is on trial for his life, I found myself leaning forward, searching for some foreshadowing of the outcome (though my knowledge of American history should have led me to it sooner). I think I must have fallen asleep during that movie at the Marianists' house in Dayton because I really didn't remember what happened next.

And I will not tell you here what does happen, because I think you should do one of three things.

First, go see the play. If you live within reasonable driving distance of the Indiana Repertory Theater, you have 15 more opportunities to see the play there. It is such a great venue -- small enough that the actors don't even need to wear those annoying mini mikes taped to their foreheads, but professional in every sense of the word. Except that there are not kiosks at which people are hawking overpriced souvenirs to theater-goers who can't live without a t-shirt or some other trinket to remind them of their experience.

Second, if making it to the IRT is unlikely for you, watch for it at a theater near you. Sure you can rent the movie, but it won't hold a candle to live theater.

After the play was over, Mike and I stayed for a post-show discussion with the actors. Many of the audience's questions were directed toward the young actors who, other than exhibiting some typical young actor affectations, did a better-than-respectable job in their stage roles. There was also some honest and enlightening interchange with some of the older folks, especially Jonathan Tremaine who played the accused Tom Robinson. If you have a chance to stay for the post-show discussion, do.

My final recommendation, read the book. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee will be packed in my carry-on bag next week when I leave for a much anticipated vacation with my sister. I'll likely be highlighting quotes I'd wish I'd written, like:

"One thing does not abide by majority rule -- your conscience."

"We've given him the highest tribute you can pay a man. We trust him to do right."

"Courage is knowing you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway."

and the one I'm going to use on my kids when they say "Everybody is doing (whatever it is they want to do and I don't want them to)..."

"Everybody less one."

Harper Lee was 34 years old when To Kill a Mockingbird was published. She has never published another book and lives in relative seclusion. Maybe she is waiting for society to embrace the lessons put forth in her Pulitzer Prize winning first effort. If so, thank goodness for the IRT and other theater companies around the country who continue to give voice to her message.