Vol. 92, Issue 4
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Zora lives!
Review by Rainah Simmons and Phonte Coleman
ECHO A&E Editor and ECHO Assistant Editor
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Randolph Umberger’s "Of Mules and Men" based upon Zora Neal Hurston’s famous novel of short stories, captivated audiences in the Farrison-Newton Communications Auditorium from Nov. 3-12.
The viewers sat on the edges of their seats as the Eatonville residents told their lies—short stories very reminiscent of African folklore.
While two of the actors exchanged stories, the audience could not hold its laughter. One of the slaves told the other he ‘cussed out massa,’ so after asking exactly how he did it, the slave listening decided that he was going to do it, too.
The only differnce was the master was not there when the first slave gave him a cussin’, when the second slave tried it and got beaten severely, the trickster burst out laughing, and simply asked, “I kno’ you ain’t cuss massa to his face, did ya? Cuz when I cuss out massa I wuz way out in the field.”
The beaten slave gets him back by getting the trickster to look under the ‘missus’ dress. The results were the same and equally hillarious.
The wonderful thing about this play is it teaches young blacks about a time that was not all bad.
“It is sad that some people are ashamed of it [the heritage of folk lore and the sound of broken English],” said Umberger.
The play’s stories flowed naturally into each other, creating the feeling of a long, Sunday after-dinner conversation between friends.
Set designer Doris Schneider deserves praised for catching the essence of the country, backwoods-small swamp town environment.
Lighting designer Chris Sanders deserves applause for changing the tone, as needed throughout the play.
Lighting guided the audience’s attention, otherwise their attention may have become sidetracked by all of the gestures and real-life majesty of the characters on stage.
Joan J. Mathis was a warm and compassionate Zora Neale Hurston and Rhonda Royal Hatton gave an excellent portrayal of a sassy and domineering woman who scolded, Ellis (played by a dynamic Phillip Terry) about going fishing on Sunday.
Veronique Lashell Macrae stole the show with her outrageous portrayal of Gold.
The department of theatre can take a bow for bringing these tales to life.
By fully embracing their characters, and not just reciting memorized
lines, the actors provided the campus and the community with a history
lesson they couldn’t have gotten anywhere else.