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Regional Reviews: St. Louis The Wash Also see Richard's review of The Beauty Queen of Leenane
However, the artistry of ensemble movement hits its greatest peak in the very first scene. Smooth and professional Joy Ike (as Charity) pounds a metal tub of clothes with a big stick, as the other women come and go with other people's laundry, chanting old slave songs in the true story of a labor uprising in post-Civil War Atlanta. That opening scene is outstanding under Jasmine Williams' brooding lighting design. Which perhaps suggests that The Wash needs more regular incidents of pounding and tension throughout. The characters accuse each another of betrayal as they strike for better pay. But their confrontations seem like glancing blows in a story with too much softener. Still, there are moments that make for fine tent poles throughout the play. Rising above all criticism, Velma Austin and Paulette Dawn are excellent as Anna and Jeannie, the two women at the center of it all: Anna is about to lose her modest home, and smart-aleck Jeannie has a splendid change-of-heart halfway through. Long before that, in a fine montage, the washerwomen are rebuffed again and again while out collecting fees (in a charmingly choreographed box-step), and their dialog is punctuated by the rhythm of slamming doors. Christina Yancy is lovely as the conflicted strike-breaker Thomasine. But both she and The Wash would benefit from a more obvious, hostile "out-grouping" in the physical arrangement of the others on stage. Perhaps the pounding magic of the show's very first scene could be grimly reimagined in act two if one of the younger women vandalizes Thomasine's wash-tub. Drama crashes in again when two of the women fail to return from their rounds in the "sundown community" of Atlanta's old fourth ward. Around the same time, the remarkable actress Jennifer Theby-Quinn arrives on stage just as the show finds its chemistry once more. Ms. Theby-Quinn plays the lowly Mozelle, a white washerwoman who shows up unexpectedly in Anna's yard. The cast also features Alex Jay (as Jewel) adding quiet meaning and context to every scene she's in. But The Wash could also benefit from the addition of a movement coach, to remind us we're in the 19th century. At the performance I attended, most of the younger women moved in a modern way. The playwright's dialog also veers toward therapy-speak at times. Scenic designer Dunsi Dai provides a set that's completely original and deceptively simple in outward appearance. Kareem Deanes' photographic projections on lines of fresh-washed sheets are artistic and clear. And the perfect hats and costumes are by Lou Bird. The show includes a fifteen-minute intermission. It's a theme of modern theatre that audiences used to delight in, of drama-ridden labor organizing. And the compelling fervor of pro-worker shows like Waiting for Lefty or The Pajama Game, or the more recent Big Machine, gradually emerges here as well. In this case, it's with a quiet kind of glory, like the first flowers of spring. The Wash, presented by The St. Louis Black Repertory, runs through March 30, 2025, at the Center of Contemporary Arts, 6880 Washington Ave, University City MO. For tickets and information, please visit www.theblackrep.org. Cast Production Staff * Denotes Member, Actors' Equity Association |
