By JOSEPHINE NORRIS, Photo Editor.
Pit and Balcony of Saginaw is bringing new theater to town. “Clybourne Park” is a recent Tony, Pulitzer and Laurence Oliver winning play by Bruce Norris. It’s a show that will make audience members laugh in their seats and yet ponder the questions posed long after the curtain closes.
Act I opens in 1959 and a family is preparing to move from their comfortable Clybourne Park residence when it is discovered that the buyers of their home are black. This is cause for great concern for the white Clybourne Park community as they face the integration of the neighborhood. Act II travels in time 60 years to 2009, to a different generation, but similar racial tensions when a white family seeks to gentrify the now black community of Clybourne Park. The fascinating aspect of this show is how numerous threads are created in Act I and then picked up in Act II to create the whole tapestry that is the show.
The eight person cast was well rounded with Pit and Balcony regulars and past and present Saginaw Valley State University students. The cast was up for a challenge in the show due to the fact that they are double cast, so in Act I they are one character and in Act II, another. However, this cast was more than up to the challenge and played their two characters effortlessly and were all a delight to watch onstage. Chad William Blake in particular had amazing awkward and quirky characterizations as Karl Lindner and Steve.
The set was an inviting living room with an upstage kitchen and working stairs leading to the upstairs of the home. This design by Jerry Davis was great and the warm tones of lighting design by Heather Brown worked together to create an inviting environment onstage. The costumes by Michele Hoeppner were spot on. The historical costumes in particular were absolutely amazing.
While it is a comedy, “Clybourne Park” addresses many relevant issues such as race, territoriality, change in communities and gentrification through Norris’ clever satirical writing. As a result, this show felt like it was written directly in response to the latest headlines and news stories regarding racial issue not only in the country, but our own neighborhoods. The thing about “Clybourne Park” is that it introduces many questions that culture is trying to answer, but doesn’t supply easy answers. This leaves you as an audience member mulling over this show, which is amazing because it does something. This is my favorite kind of theater, theater that calls for you to think about the messages and issues presented in the play.
Overall, this show is amazing. Great script, talented actors and culturally relatable issues. This is a show that the tri-cities is fortunate to have performed locally.
Due to mature language, this show suitable for high school and above.
Performances are Feb. 6, 7, 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 8 and 15 at 3 p.m. Tickets are available online at pitandbalconytheatre.com or via phone at 989-754-6587.