When I walked into the theater, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Based on the title alone, I figured the show would focus on race, probably in some historical context.
The posters hanging around campus featuring a colorful mammy character alluded to something possibly comical, but at the very least controversial.
I suspected something was up when I walked in and a shirtless man who may or may not have been shackled welcomed me to the Colored Museum; either a very good or a very bad sign.
The play opened with an orientation to Celebrity, an all-inclusive slave ship.
The audience was instructed in proper shackle procedure and appropriate on deck behavior. Miss Pat, played by sophomore theater and Spanish major Dionne Johnson, gave multiple assurances that we, the slaves, would not be thrown overboard to collect on the insurance money.
This reference to the Zong Massacre of 1781 was the first of many allusions historic incidents in African-American history. One aspect of her performance stood out above all others.
The audience was left with the undeniable impression that Miss Pat would not stand for drumming.
Drumming was an element that continued throughout the play.
While on the slave ships it was part of the total suppression of African culture.
Two scenes were especially comical and timely. One focuses on a fictional all-black play called “Mamma on the Couch,” about a mother who sits on the couch.
It features characters seen all too often on the stage and screen.
There was the angry black man, who after years of being worn down by the man begins to hurt his family.
One can’t forget the mother, played by Tara Hodge, who feels that God will handle everything.
In a time when morality-centered plays are advertised on the radio and made into major motion pictures, almost everyone can relate to the feeling that it has all been seen before.
A following scene, in which two wigs argue about which one their owner will pick to wear, focuses on hair and image.
It skillfully satires the women who change their hairstyles based on their men and their changing group affiliations.
The long straight wig argues for sexiness while the lush afro asserts attitude.
In a community that spends billions on hair care a year, it poses the necessary question: what does it all mean?
While I saw the relevance of many of the shorts, I must admit I was baffled by a few.
For example, maybe there is a deeper meaning I just didn’t get in the scene where a woman lays an egg.
The play ends with acceptance of the drumming and all the aspects of being African American.
Topsy, played by sophomore Jasmine Bethea, spins wildly while coming to terms with the many identities inherent to blacks in America.
The Colored Museum will be shown at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 20-21, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 22 in the Farrison-Newton Communications Building’s University Theatre.
From left:Anthony Johnson, Terra Hodge, Tiara Jackson, Laura Nickerson, and Charles Messick woo the audience.