Penumbra's The White Card is a Must See

White people especially need to prioritize attending this gripping drama depicting the devastation caused by microaggressions

Photo courtesy of the Penumbra

It doesn't happen too often, but once in a while I witness a piece of theater that directly reflects some of my experiences and I visibly cringe.

The White Card, now showing at the Penumbra Theatre, is just such a show - and man, did I cringe HARD. Authored by the magnificently talented author Claudia Rankine (if you haven't yet read Citizen, her unmissable treatise on police brutality published by Minneapolis-based Graywolf Press - RUN, don't walk to get it), The White Card peels back the layers of privilege, ignorance and internalized racism that runs throughout the black-white dynamic in America today into an uncomfortable exposé of what is wrong with simply resting on good intentions and armchair activism.

Photo courtesy of the Penumbra

The entire play takes place in the stylish living room of a very wealthy couple, Charles and Virginia, who are famous art collectors. Their art dealer Eric connects them with a young black female artist and rising star, Charlotte, as she completes an eagerly awaited new photography collection. Upon arrival, Charlotte uneasily contemplates the couple's inimitable private art collection, most of which features daring, expensive, rare work by black artists exposing violence they experienced in American society. She reveals that her coming work is a look into the unseen devastation of the Charleston church shooting, instantly exciting the eager collectors.

Charles and Virginia's liberal activist son Alex crashes the dinner party halfway through, essentially dropping a lit Molotov cocktail into an already tense emotional environment. Many unsavory details about the source of Charles' wealth and Virginia's understanding of life outside of her white bubble are revealed in explosive fights, causing Charlotte to experience her own identity crisis. Who is her art really for? Does intention negate impact? By making black suffering the focus of her work, has she fetishized it into something unrecognizable and inhuman? The play closes on a reveal of Charlotte's next project, which is takes a completely different approach to the problem she initially set out to solve.

Photo courtesy of the Penumbra

This cast is tight, and bravo for their steadfast portrayals of nefarious characters who can't have been pleasant to portray. Bill McCallum brings layers to the role of Charles, and I think he's the character who will singlehandedly feel the most familiar to audiences. Michelle O'Neill is viciously brilliant as Virginia, with a whiplash delivery that had several audience members appearing visibly struck. Jay Owen Eisenberg is the perfect choice for Alex, shining a mirror on all well-intentioned activists. John Catron snugly wears the social climbing Eric's role, truly defining the rationale against the #notallmen movement through his performance. And Lynnette R. Freeman brings heartbreak and hope to her role of Charlotte; she is a strong, new-to-me anchor in the storm of this show, the blazing arrow pointing out the effects of microaggression to all of us. It's a brilliant cohort, and I appreciate the hard work they put in on a tough script.

Tavin Wilks brings a searingly clear vision to his role as director, and it's thanks to his straightforward vision that the layers of The White Card can unfold. Chelsea M. Warren's gleaming, chic scenic design looks plucked straight out of a Vogue spread, and it's an appropriately blank canvas for the gruesome dialogue to unfold within. Marcus Dilliard's clean lighting design makes the most of Warren's bright staging, as do Kathy Maxwell's impactful projection designs. Mathew LeFebvre's costume design is equally stylish, luxe and comfortable; once again I coveted several of the pieces he chose. And special note to Abbee Warmboe's carefully selected properties design, the well-intentioned elements of which provide critical context to The White Card's overall undertones.

Photo courtesy of the Penumbra

There are several reasons The White Card feels like a surprising choice for an African American-focused theater to produce during Black History Month, chief among them that all but one of the cast members is white. I think, however, that therein lies the brilliance of the plot overall. What does blackness, especially the experience of being black in America, really mean without whiteness? You can't have one without the other. We should all be familiar by now with the endlessly violent suffering and trauma porn of the African American experience that is splayed across television and social media feeds daily. But at which hands does that suffering occur? Where is the root of that adversity? Why don't we ever seem to see that part, unless it's the end of a police officer's gun (notoriously rarely showing a face)?

Maybe because, as The White Card brilliantly depicts, modern racism takes more subtly insidious forms than that which we've been trained to identify. A burning cross, white hood or lynch knot are rare to see these days. But when talking about people of color, do you ever notice yourself utilizing a language of "us vs. them"? As a white person, are the only times you engage with black people when they are serving you (whether as actual maids or hired help, or as janitors or servers or baristas)? Do you purposely, meaningfully seek out stories about black people that are positive, violence-free and hopeful - or is the extent of your engagement with news stories highlighting poverty, drugs and violence? Do you call out the color of skin or texture of hair on a black person while never mentioning it with your non-black compatriots, especially when in mixed company? Have you ever said or heard any of the things on this list?

Photo courtesy of the Penumbra

The trouble is, not everything I just listed can seem like an offense, and to be clear: I don't mean this review to become a preachy treatise. I raise my hand here as a transgressor in many of these ways; I constantly seek to un-learn the internalized language, habits and thought processes that inflict such microaggressions on my fellow citizens of color. The endless amount of irony of sitting as a white reviewer in an almost all white audience that was audibly gasping throughout The White Card only to drive back to our cozy safe homes and punch out a bunch of preachy messages about race on social media was not lost on me for a second.

And that discomfort I experienced, the mental dissonance, is the reason why The White Card is a must see for white audiences for me. In the hundreds of plays I have seen over the years, almost always with audiences who are overwhelmingly white, it is exceedingly rare that I have seen a play so effectively turn the gaze back upon us. How did we get here? What layers of privilege have allowed us access to the arts? What are we doing - actually, actively doing - to solve the problems we proclaim to identify with so severely? Like Charles and Virginia and Alex, are we really just indulging in trauma porn, or are we meaningfully making the world more equitable? I touched on some of these thoughts in my review of West Side Story a couple years ago, but they remain as (if not more) relevant than ever.

Photo courtesy of the Penumbra

So in honor of the enduring strength and perseverance of the black community and the sea of work that still needs to be accomplished among my own white-skinned compatriots, please, please go watch The White Card. Non-white audiences will find a lot to like here as well I'm sure - the performances are excellent, the set is beautiful, and I'm sure a lot of the subject matter will feel at least tangentially familiar - but those of us who are privileged enough to see a lot of theater and have discretionary income for the arts owe it to society to turn unflinchingly towards that which will make us better, even (perhaps especially) if it makes us intensely uncomfortable first. Claudia Rankine's intimately detailed The White Card is just such a work. Click here for more information or to buy tickets before The White Card closes on March 8. I leave you with these words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From a Birmingham Jail:

"First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action;" who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a "more convenient season."

Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."

Best Books and Reads of 2019

It's that time of year again... 

It's been a while since I did a reading roundup and it's the last day of 2019, so I figured - why not?

Long-time followers know that I am an avid reader. I try to hit at least 100 books read every year, which is normally not a problem for me. Last year I wanted to step it up to 110 books or more, but (un?)fortunately got derailed with a lot of special trips (more to come on those! keep checking here) that sucked up reading time so my total remains at 100.

So without further ado, here are the best of the 100 books I finished in 2019. It's important to note that these are not all books published in 2019 - it's the best of the books I read in 2019, several of which have been on my list for years. Hopefully you will find something great to add to your list here for 2020, whether or not it's new. And if you like this content, make sure to follow my Books page on Compendium and Goodreads to stay updated on my latest great reads.

Best History Book - Tie 

2019 seemed to be the year of non-fiction for me. For some reason I was drawn more than usual to richly researched books, and it was very hard to choose between the best of them. Both of these books enriched my understanding of world history and filled in massive gaps left by my sub-par American education on global history. Both are slower reads but highly worth reading.

A Fistful of Shells: West Africa from the Rise of the Slave Trade to the Age of Revolution by Toby Green

This is the best single history of any part of Africa I've ever read and should honestly be taught in all schools. I picked it up after my month-long trip in West Africa because my overall knowledge of African history and cultures is so severely lacking - the only region we ever learned about in school was Egypt and even that was almost remedial - and I needed to have a more well rounded understanding of the world. This was the perfect book to fill in my gaps. It's impeccably sourced and researched but remains quite readable and includes lots of maps, charts and photos to help visualize the information. The author provides highly nuanced approaches towards gender history and politics, the true impact of colonialism and religious influence, and embraces a complexity that dazzled me.

I wish more history books were this thorough and honest; there is no cover up or one-sided perspective here. The insistence on depth enriches every chapter and leave you with a full 360 degree view of life in West Africa in the period of transition between the 15th and 18th centuries. Toby Green's approach to history by using currency to explain how slavery started and true impact it had in this region and globally is a brilliant idea, and I think this information should be taught in all American classrooms as a mandatory part of understanding why chattel slavery was different and how deeply it robbed an entire continent of its potential. If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. Highly, highly recommend.

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

I've heard this book so frequently mentioned by several highly successful folks on various podcasts and interviews as one of their favorites that I finally had to see what all the hype was about. What I got was a totally fascinating history that has completely changed much of my understanding of medieval Eurasian history. We hear so little (and certainly never positive) news of Mongols or Mongolia today, but the legacy left by Genghis Khan and his progeny, particularly Khubilai, is truly remarkable and deserves a much closer, fairer examination than it has often gotten. For example: did you know Genghis' empire was larger than all of North America combined and far, far larger than any other in history? He's the most successful empire builder to live past the age of 35 (dying at age 70). He introduced modern concepts like diverse leadership teams (always promoting on ability and intelligence, not by family relationship) and the first ever paper currency to strengthen his empire. His armies always included mobile engineering teams who would construct the infrastructure and weaponry needed for each specific voyage on-site as it was required, essentially a battalion of human 3D printers. They were also the first fighting force to successfully capture cities by traveling across frozen waterways. He was the first person to unify what is now India and China, and it's not impossible to think those nations would never have existed without his organizational influence.

If you're a history buff this is a must-read to enrich your understanding of world history and understand what short shrift the Khans have gotten over the years. It's not an apologia or a white wash - there were some highly violent, destructive acts taken by these armies and they are honestly depicted here - but that is only a tiny part of their story and the other side really deserves to be told. I found this completely fascinating and am recommending this book to people constantly.

Best Science Book - The Madame Curie Complex: The Hidden History of Women in Science by Julie Des Jardins

This was an amazing read that will launch 1,000 more - there are so many incredible women scientists I learned about through this book who I otherwise would never have heard of. The long history of women's difficulty in entering scientific fields is well researched here; my only quibble is that I wish it was a little more diverse including a wider range of women of color. The book groups subjects roughly by era but also by scientific discipline, a theming which helps show the lineage between female scientists and how they were able to build upon each other (much like you might see "genealogies" of chefs, academics or other professional careers). Portions about women who were deliberately cut out of promotions, Nobel prizes, etc. were completely infuriating and I can't begin to imagine the scientific discoveries we lost as a result. It was really interesting to note the differences Jardins drew between the style of male and female scientists. Sometimes this could get a bit exaggerated, but I do think there's something to be said for a difference in approaches yielding different results. This is a great read for all lovers of narratives like Hidden Figures and discovering those whose vital contributions have been historically overlooked. 

Best True Crime / Mystery - Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

I came across this book in an article about the Oklahoma! musical revival, threw it on my list for shits and giggles, and it completely blew me away. Killers of the Flower Moon has the same power of a Truman Capote, Jon Krakauer or Erik Larson kind of nonfiction; it's impossible to put down and almost as difficult to believe that its dark narrative is 100% true. I was shocked at how little of this history I knew and how violent it was. The contemporary American attitude towards Native Americans tends to be negative ("why aren't they over it yet?"), without recognizing how far the trauma committed against native peoples extends even into the present day. The events of this book take place well under 100 years ago and are shockingly evil, including deceptive marriages, poisoning and violent assault of people's spouses and own children, theft and worse. This book unwinds like a good mystery novel with plenty of suspects, moving targets, and unsolved mysteries that span decades. It's also a light history of the founding of the FBI, which is an event that I didn't know I needed to learn about and information I feel will be useful in the future. I highly recommend this, especially to fans of mystery or true crime books. It's another missing piece of American history that I've already called upon in the months since I read it.

Best Sports Book - Levels of the Game by John McPhee

I don't normally read sports books, but I'd seen this recommended by Tim Ferriss and others for years and finally got tired of hearing about it. Levels of the Game is surprisingly hard to find but it was so worth the wait. Everything said about this slender book is true: it is so much more than simply a sports story, and it really is one of the best pieces of short writing I've ever read, a true masterpiece of short form. I flew through the 150 pages or so in a single sitting and have been mentally chewing on it ever since.

At surface level this is just a gripping play-by-play of a legendary tennis match between Arthur Ashe and Charles Graebner; however, I quickly learned there is so much more packed in here. Deep character studies and biographies of both contestants are seamlessly interwoven throughout the match, and through them a window in to the wider issues of mid-20th century (and, I would argue, contemporary) America. The intense focus and detail here manages to make a brilliant case study of polar opposites of American privilege, racism, regional discrimination, classicism, religion, culture and so much more. It's truly a study in contrasts and had Graebner and Ashe not been teammates playing for Team U.S. in an international competition at the same time this match occurred, I think this match would have become as famous as Billie Jean King's "Battle of the Sexes" but in a racial context.

This book is truly fascinating, even for those who don't like sports very much, and if for no other reason it's worth a read for the truly excellent prose. I am still astonished at the mountains of detail John McPhee packs into clean, simple but elegant language in well under 200 pages - it's a masterpiece of construction and I am definitely striving to achieve his economic, elegaic style in my own writing.

Best Memoir: Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas

Immigration seems to be the issue of our times and there is no better book to read to understand this issue than Dear America. Something that gets lost in all the numbers and statistics on either side of the immigration debate is the vital understanding that these are not things we are talking about - they are people who have thoughts, feelings, needs and rights. There is so much nuance lost in the soundbite-driven conversations by talking heads on cable news, and people's lives are hanging in the balance.

This book has the perfect levity between personal memoir experience and hard data. As a former reporter for the Washington Post, Vargas is no slouch with his research, and all the data here can be backed up. Whichever side of the immigration debate you're on, I'd highly encourage you to pick up Dear America and gain some core understanding of this issue from someone who knows it most intimately. I suspect it's going to continue to be vital knowledge to have, especially as our economy continues to evolve. This is a must-read for every American citizen and I'd recommend it to any demographic.

Best Book About Women: Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard

Say what you want about GOOP: I was turned on to Mary Beard through GOOP's podcast and if I get nothing else out of it, it was fully worth it. This stunning, perfectly concise text analyzes the place and perception of women in Western society stemming back to the classical age (aka Greeks and Romans) and it is a fascinating look at texts like The Odyssey that so many of us have read (but this time with totally fresh eyes). I think most of us are aware by now how deeply rooted sexism is, but I also think we do not always see how explicitly and intentionally grounded that sexism is all the way back to our earliest cultural myths. Beard utilizes several delightful contemporary examples to apply her theories, and I blew through this in barely over an hour. Highly recommend this for all readers - it's got deep things to say in an easily accessible package and will really blow your mind with some of her examples.

Best African Lit / Locally Published Work: She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore

I have been reading a huge amount of work by African writers over the last few years, so when I saw that Minneapolis publisher Graywolf Press was releasing this I had to snap it up right away. This book was so good. It is truly diasporic and managed to weave three totally different character's plot lines seamlessly together, making it a story that people of many different identities could engage with. Structurally it is reminiscent of Yaa Gyaasi's transcendent novel Homegoing, although this has more complexity and narrative threads to weave together and a spicy dose of Marvel's Luke Cage to keep it modern. It felt to me like modern African superhero magical realism, with a little Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Wakanda and Marlon James all mixed together. It makes for a really fresh combo and I was deeply pulled into this narrative; it was hard to believe that this was Moore's debut novel and this book packs a lot of plot into 300 short pages. If you're into mystical fantasy / historical fiction, this is definitely one you should pick up.

Best Novel: The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal  

I fell in love with Balli Kaur Jaswal after reading Erotic Stories of Punjabi Widows, which I saw on a Reese's Book Club pick. This book (her second) solidifies her as one of my favorite new authors. This has all the touristic charm of stories like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel but without the colonial gaze. Jaswal is so expert at having honest conversations about issues directly affecting women but packaging it into a treacly beach read text, which is stunningly difficult and achieved here with ease. Topics covered here include sexual assault, abortion, arranged marriage, immigration, sexism, Punjabi culture, and more - which sounds heavy but I promise that Shergill Sisters was one of the most fun reads I had all year. I flew through this book and could easily have devoured a whole series.

Best Fantasy: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia  

I'm always looking for new fantasy fiction and I couldn't have been more thrilled with this one. I know almost nothing about Mayan civilization and mythology, something I am actively working to rectify. I found dipping into this new world really fascinating, especially with the complexity it treats death. It's a thrilling fantasy tale but also romantic and uniquely empathetic in a way I haven't seen in similar books; the author makes a point of prioritizing compassion and grace even in the characters with the darkest and most twisted motivations. This is a complete world on its own (lots packed into just over 300 pages!), but I could easily see it becoming a detailed series. It's like American Gods meets Akata Witch, but Mexican / Mayan style. Highly recommend to fantasy / mythology lovers who want something unique and new to read.

Best Children's Book - Tie 

I read a lot of children's literature this year. I know some people consider children's books not to be "real" literature or cheating for book counts, but hear me out: anyone who has attempted writing projects knows that writing more concisely is actually harder than providing length. Being able to communicate a full story in 50 pages or less with short, easy to pronounce words that can entertain grownups and kids alike is no easy task. Thankfully there are some fantastic new arrivals to the children's lit scene that you and the kiddos in your life can equally enjoy.

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o 

I threw this on my to-read list the second I heard Lupita Nyong'o was writing a book and so was one of the very first to get this from the library. Let me tell you - it lives up to all of the hype and more. The illustrations are luminous, seemingly glowing off the page, and are totally captivating with rich, full hues. The story is extremely affecting and you can tell how personal it was for Nyong'o to write. I had teary eyes only a few pages in, and the beautiful resolution will put a real warmth in your heart.

This is intended to speak to kids who are feeling downtrodden about their dark skin, but I actually think it's a good book for all kids to help soften assumptions / answer questions about skin color differences. Reading something like this at a young age would have helped introduce ideas of racial awareness to me at a foundational level that would have really served me later in my adult life, and I'm so glad it exists for kids now. I want this book to get ultimate support for the simple message (and to support Nyong'o, of course), but it's also just a very high quality, beautifully illustrated children's book that is among the year's best. Highly recommend for grownups and kiddos alike.

Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

This made the rounds on a bunch of best-of lists for children's books last year, and I found it really delightful. It's a simple book but one that beautifully shows how to accept and even celebrate people who present differently. I've always loved the term mermaid for trans / queer people and this book makes it even prettier. The centering of black and brown bodies in this story is also special and a beautiful celebration of diverse life.

In the debate around trans and LGBTQIA rights, one of the first questions raised is always "well what do I tell my children?" A book like this gives an easy answer: just tell them the truth. Kids are far more open minded and accepting than they get credit for, and I'm so glad that books like this exist to make the conversation easy for all parties. This is appropriate for kids of any age but especially ages 3 - 8 or so and definitely is a good tool for helping to explain the existence of queer / trans people if a child is asking about it. The colorful illustrations are also a top selling point.

Best Fairy Tale Re-mix: Cinderella Liberator by Rebecca Solnit

Rebecca Solnit is a perennial fave and the second I heard she had re-imagined a fairy tale I had to check it out. There's a lot to recommend this book, Solnit's feminist re-imagining of Cinderella among them, but the real standout to me were the stunningly gorgeous die-cut illustrations. Every image is portrayed through intricately cut silhouettes and it's a lovely way to tell the story. I almost wish this were a picture-only book, just to have more delicate illustrations to enjoy. This is probably best enjoyed by grownups or older kids (I'd say age 8 and up?) to get the full effect.

A Shattering Glass Menagerie

When you think of vaunted authors of American Theater, few names loom larger than Tennessee Williams. 

Photo by T. Charles Erickson

Pick just about any famous play or screenplay from the mid-20th century - A Streetcar Named Desire, Camino Real, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - and his name will be there.

Photo by T. Charles Erickson

The Glass Menagerie (aka the play that started it all) is currently on stage at the Guthrie Theater, and it provides an interesting rear view 75 years after it's original publication. The definition of a smash success, this semi-autobiographical play immediately launched Williams into the upper echelons of the American literati, a precipitous climb which he struggled to withstand for many years (as beautifully described in his essay The Catastrophe of Success, which may hold more wisdom in our hyper-digital age than when it was first published). It's a strange play for a first work, with a wistful, haunting patina that is older than its years.

Photo by T. Charles Erickson

For those who have (like I had) not seen The Glass Menagerie yet, the quick synopsis is: The play opens on the fire escape outside the Wingfield family apartment, which is composed of Tom, his crippled sister Laura, and their audacious mother Amanda (their father having flown the coop years before). Tom is desperately unhappy, spending nights full of dreams of becoming a working author or traveling adventurously and slogging away at the local warehouse by day. Laura is desperately shy and becomes increasingly insular as she ages, preferring her glass animal collection (the glass menagerie) to contact with the outside world. Amanda has spent years bootstrapping her children into adulthood but begins to panic about Laura's future as she yawns towards her late 20s with no suitors in sight, and recruits Tom to help her make a match for Laura. Tom inadvertently chooses the one person who can light Laura's flame: her childhood crush Jim O'Connor. Jim spends a lovely evening in courtship with the Wingfields until a devastating revelation cuts the night short and ends the play, leaving us all to wonder at Laura's future and the cruelty of chance.

Photo by T. Charles Erickson

It doesn't sound like much but it's a full world in that apartment, architecturally designed by Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams. The characters drift through in ethereal costumes from Raquel Barreto, Christopher Akerlind's soft lighting design and the gentle hum of Darron L. West's sound design, which only enhances the dreamlike effect. Despite being housed on the cavernous Wurtele Thrust stage, the focus of our attention as an audience feels small, like viewing the play through an aperture. We're on a constant full zoom, whether it's on Laura's tinkling glass trinkets or the luminous candelabra and cushions on the floor. It's a total snap in time, a sepia-toned postcard to the past, and it leaves you in a bit of a hush as you exit the theater.

Photo by T. Charles Erickson

The cast's sophisticated presence, three of four of whom are Guthrie newcomers, adds to this antique effect. I adored Remy Auberjonois in Cyrano de Bergerac last spring; as Tom here, he has less panache but a humble Jimmy Stewart quality that works for the play. Grayson DeJesus is everyone's favorite heartbreaker as Jim O'Connor, winsome and sweet and sentimental. Carey Cox, who was the understudy for on Broadway, is a spectral whisper across the stage as Laura. You can't help but feel sorry for the chaos around her, and she's just as delicate as the glass menagerie itself. The real star for me, though, was Jennifer Van Dyck as a magnificent Amanda Wingfield. Abrasive, direct and completely unflinching, Van Dyck is the blend of Joan Crawford and Kris Kardashian that you never knew you needed; I founder absolutely riveting throughout the show.

Photo by T. Charles Erickson

I'm not really sure how to describe my feelings about The Glass Menagerie overall. It's a strange play - a first publication for the author that feels like a retrospective; 75 years old with monologues that feel right at home in our icily digitized modern social structures; a snapshot of the past with the everlasting tale of heartbreak and loneliness. I can say that it has haunted the edges of my subconscious since I saw it, licking at the back of my thoughts and turning into phantasm all its own. It's an unusually quiet season opener and worth a stop on one of our endlessly rainy fall evenings before it closes on October 27. For more information or to buy tickets, click on this link.

Photo by T. Charles Erickson

Cyrano de Bergerac is a Sumptuous Delight

Lavish. Painterly. Sumptuous. Elegant. Winsome. 

T Charles Erickson

These are just a few of the words that floated through my mind while watching the Guthrie's delicious new show Cyrano de Bergerac (Cyrano) last night.

T Charles Erickson

The tale of the monster and the damsel falling in love has been a popular story spanning centuries. We've all heard of Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or even (more modernly) The Shape of Water. The best of these, however, might be Cyrano de Bergerac - and let me tell you why.

T Charles Erickson

The best way I can think of to summate Cyrano is that it's a mashup of Beauty and the Beast and The Three Musketeers. Cyrano de Bergerac is a dangerously efficient swordsman and perhaps the most gifted poet of the land. He is charming, charismatic, courageous and chivalrous, but there's one problem: his nose. Cyrano has an enormous, deformed nose that takes over his face and becomes a point of conversation everywhere he visits. He has learned to deal with this and his life would be happy but for one thing: he is desperately in love with his second cousin Roxane, a beautiful and equally intelligent woman, but is convinced she could never love him because he is ugly. When he learns Roxane is in love with a handsome - but dumbstruck - fellow soldier named Christian, Cyrano hatches a plan to write Christian's letters and speeches of love to Roxane, essentially combining his soul and Christian's face into one spectacular lover. The plan works swimmingly until Christian realizes that Roxane is really in love with Cyrano through the letters he has written and that his pretty face is no longer enough; unfortunately, Christian dies before he is able to tell her, and Roxane and Cyrano spend the next 14 years in comfortable friendship before she learns too late that Cyrano's was the voice she loved so well.

T Charles Erickson

This large cast seems even larger thanks to a constant transformation between various wigs, facial hair and costumes. It's a dizzying array that only works due to the excellence of this band, led first and foremost by the awe-inspiring Jay O. Sanders as Cyrano. Sanders has so much gravitas in his performance; he reminded me on stage of a Patrick Stewart or Ian McKellan, possessing a Shakespearean temperament but a French joie de vivre. It's a potent combo, and the cast swans around him to meet his excellence. Jennie Greenberry is wonderful as Roxane, completely charming the audience from her first line. Ansa Akyea had the audience in stitches as the multifaceted Ragueneau; he truly is our local Idris Elba, and I'm always so happy to see him in leading roles on main stages. Remy Auberjonois brings his best Dumasian Three Musketeers temperament to his role as the captain Le Bret, giving the show a steadfastly honest pillar. Cameron Folmar is excellent as the slimy Count de Guiche, managing to make the character sympathetic despite his despicable tendencies - no mean feat. And I have to call out Nate Cheeseman from among the many supporting company members, all of whom were excellent. Between his sniveling Wickham and lively soldiering in Cyrano, Cheeseman is quickly becoming my favorite period actor in #tctheater. He manages to find the comedy and special moments in every show he's in, and his quick punctuations throughout Cyrano are definite highlights.

T Charles Erickson

As alluded to before, not only is the acting rock solid, but this is easily my favorite production design so far this year. Cyrano glitters from every feathered cap to bejeweled high heeled shoe, and it's a stunning visual. The set, designed by McKay Coble, is a life-size lacquered cabinet of curiosities, which is slowly stripped away and re-set in ever-sparser iterations as the action unfolds. Jan Chambers provides the *most* lavish costumes; it seems nearly every character is dripping in laces and capes and gloves and jewels, shining sumptuously at us from the stage and manipulated with charisma by each performer. I didn't see a person named for the wig and facial hair design, but I have to call it out separately - they add so much to place us firmly in the French aristocracy, and it truly enhances the fantasy and comedy of each scene. Ditto for the makeup and prosthetics team, who do a superb job crafting Cyrano's infamous nose (which is made fresh for every - yes *every* - single performance). The all-female blocking team, including Kara Wooten for fighting, Maija Garcia for movement, and Lauren Keating for intimacy, clearly coached this cast to perfection down to the last twitch of a fingertip. Elisheba Ittoop provides soft, looming context with her sound design, and Rui Rita gives us truly painterly lighting design - every scene is like looking through a Rembrandt, and it makes those gorgeous sets and costumes gleam even more richly.

T Charles Erickson

All the elements of this show perfectly align to make a delicious performance. It's visually sumptuous, beautifully acted, and the story is just so captivating. Not quite fairy tale, not quite romance, it exists in a liminal space between genres that truly has something for everyone. Swordfights? There's one every other scene! Comedy? The lines are often hilarious plays on words! Romance? Everyone is trying to woo each other in this show! Drama? Cyrano closes with a soft, wistful monologue that has all the gravitas of Hamlet's soliloquy.

T Charles Erickson

My favorite part about Cyrano is that it fully resists easy answers. As an audience, you can't help falling in love with Cyrano's beautiful soul and weep for his loneliness. However, as the character himself says - this is not a story where the beast transforms into a prince. The lesson in Cyrano is not only that looks are not the most important part of a person, but that sometimes we are our own greatest inhibitors of happiness. Had Cyrano just told the truth, he may have been able to spend many happy years with his love. It's a deceptively poignant play, and is in my top three favorite shows I've ever seen at the Big G.

T Charles Erickson

The Guthrie clearly spared no expense in putting on this production and it certainly paid off. This show would make a delightful date night and if for nothing but the eye candy (although the content is pretty good too!), it's certainly worth a trip. Click here for more information or to get tickets before Cyrano closes on May 5.

T Charles Erickson

My Favorite Reads of 2018 (So Far)

Some excellent #beachreads for your consideration

I'm always game for a good #shelfie

Reading roundups have become one of my favorite perennial posts, and for good reason. I'm an avid reader and started tracking the books I read on Goodreads a few years ago to have a better way to remember my thoughts about everything I was reading. After faithfully logging 100+ books read annually for a few years in a row, I wanted to share some of the highlights with the world - after all, what's the point of reading so much if you don't have a way to engage with each text? What's been especially interesting is tracking how my tastes in books have changed over time. This is a much "fluffier" list of books than I might have read in the past, but all of them are books that have genuinely thrilled me and that I think anyone can enjoy and benefit from reading. All opinions are my own and reflect books I've read in the calendar year 2018, so there will be items that were not published this year but are still awesome. Take a look at my choices and let me know - what are some of your recent favorites? And to see everything I read, follow the books tab here on Compendium, or click here to follow me on Goodreads.

Best Book of 2018: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

I realize this headline might be slightly hyperbolic, but I just finished this book and can't relinquish my excitement. Rarely have I read something so truly original, and this delighted me from cover to cover. I have quickly learned to always listen to Reese Witherspoon's book recommendations (much like we do with Ms. Oprah), and I don't think I could have found this book on my own without her. This book has everything - it's super sexy, funny, winsome, has a murder mystery, is modern, ageless, and truly, totally unique. It's begging to be made into a movie (which will hopefully happen soon - this was optioned by Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions and Film4, a British TV channel) and I cannot wait to go back and read Jaswal's earlier books. The characters in Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows (isn't the title alone just so delightful?!) are so well rounded and it really reminded me how little we think of "women of a certain age." Despite the fact that this reads like stereotypical chick lit, it actually has a lot of really thoughtful things to say about race, ageism, immigration, cultural differences, traditional values vs. modernity, and so much more, and it says them in a way that never feels forced or heavy-handed. I was absolutely delighted with this rich novel and couldn't put it down (I actually had to pace myself as I read to savor every word). This is truly a perfect summer read, make sure you pick it up! 

Best Nonfiction: So You Want to Talk About Race? by Ijeoma Oluo

If there is one book that everyone needs to read *right now,* it's this one. Oluo has a beautiful, approachable yet frank writing style that perfectly handles the difficult subject of race. I've heard from so many people, especially white people, that they don't know how to sensitively and intelligently talk about racial issues; this book beautifully does all of the heavy lifting for you. Oluo breaks down some of the FAQs of fraught racial conversations like "Why can't I say the N word?" "Why do we need affirmative action?" and "What is white privilege?" in a way that anyone can understand and connect to. She heads off tangential arguments, speaks to both sides, and begins each chapter with her own lived experience, humanizing each issue in a way that sets you at ease and gets you seeing the world through her eyes. Racial equality is a work in progress, one I work on every day and I constantly fail at, but I keep trying - because it's so very important. I've never seen a better definition of why we have to try, how to do so, and how to pick yourself up after making a mistake than this book. I genuinely wish I could afford to buy 1,000 copies of this and just hand them out on the streets to people. If you're struggling with how to cross divides, understand racism in America (especially in its more subtle contemporary forms), or finding the words to explain exactly why certain things are worse for some and not all of us, read this book. It will put things elegantly and plainly to help you navigate this and find inclusive solutions to the problem. 

Best YA Fiction: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I've seen people raving about this book for months and I can now understand why. Like the work of J.K. Rowling or John Green, The Hate U Give is a great example of how YA fiction is increasingly complex, thoughtful, and empowering and for way more readers than just children. There are so many serious themes, particularly about the effects of poverty and police brutality on communities of color, that are not trivialized or simplified here; instead, Angie Thomas trusts that the teenagers she writes for can not only handle the truth but use it to make the world a better place. I was captivated for the full 450 pages of this book and easily could have read more if Thomas wanted to write it. Though this was technically written for teens I think adults can really benefit from reading and enjoying The Hate U Give. And if you're not the reading type, you're in luck - the film version, starring Amandla Stenberg, just released the trailer and will come out in October 2018.

Best Family Drama: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

This is another Reese Witherspoon recommendation that I couldn't put down. Little Fires Everywhere is not a book I would have picked up on my own but I was riveted from start to finish. I literally devoured this whole book in one sitting - the same way I did watching Big Little Lies last year, another narrative that I would have said I didn't like if I judged it based on a blurb. Little Fires Everywhere is engaging, intriguing, poignant, and has such a pull of mystery throughout every page.  I am beyond thrilled that Reese and Kerry Washington are co-producing (and starring in) a TV series adaptation of this and I cannot wait to see it. If you like thrillers, mysteries, family dramas, outsider stories, etc. then you will enjoy this, but I'd encourage anyone to pick it up even if they think it sounds boring and watch themselves be pleasantly surprised.

Best Fantasy Series: The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin

I'd seen oodles of glowing reviews of The Broken Earth series and finally had to read it for myself. I immediately dove into the first book and finished it in less than a day. This is an accomplishment because a) the book was nearly 500 pages and b) I hadn't read a book that long that quickly since high school, I think. This pattern quickly followed suit with the final two books, leading me to read almost 2,000 pages in less than three days. Jemisin really is such an original writer; you can't help but be captivated by the detailed, totally new worlds she constructs. I like to think everyone would love this series, but I think this is an especially great fit for fans of dystopian books, fantasy, sci-fi, magic, mysteries, inter-generational narratives, and totally original stories. There are shades of all the great fantasy writers here - Octavia Butler, Ursula Le Guin, Tolkein, Rowling, even a little George R.R. Martin. N.K. Jemisin has jumped near the top of my long list of women of color who are absolutely killing it in the literary game these days - between she and Nnedi Okorafor, I think I've been spoiled forever to really great science fiction. If you're feeling a little lackluster about your reading list (or just the news in general these days) and want to escape to a beautifully described, totally engrossing fictional story, look no further - this series has it all!

Best Sci-fi Series: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

For the sci-fi genre the Binti books are quite short, but don't let that fool you into thinking they are simplistic. I love all of Okorafor's books but this is now second only to the Akata series - Binti is so unique and a really rich saga that belies its length. Interestingly, I like the sequels even better than Binti #1, as they beautifully connect Binti's new and old worlds. I love the way that Okorafor seamlessly connects ancient African tribes to hyper futuristic and alien worlds. There is a lot of Ursula LeGuin in the Binti books, but in a fresher, newer, more Star Trekkian way that I really enjoy. This story is extremely cinematic and I can imagine a vivid, velvety shooting that is part Dune, part Issa Rae. I'd love to see Janelle Monae option this and make it into a film or TV series as she'd be a perfect shepherd of the narrative. Binti is a must-read for sci-fi fans.

Most Meditative Book: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

I'd seen this highly recommended by several people I know and finally threw it on my to-read shelf. What a joy this book was! It is beautifully written and very meditative. I found myself savoring every page and almost feeling as if I was having a spiritual experience while I read. The tone is part memoir, part scientific, part devotional, and I really engaged with every essay. I was lucky enough to grow up in a rural small town and vividly remember being raised in woods similar to the ones Kimmerer describes. Every sentence brought me back to the delicious smell of pines and oaks and loamy soil and my youthful obsession with identifying plants and flowers. I connected so readily with her poetic writing and scientific mind, and I learned so many things about botany, about the Northwoods, about Native American cultures and languages and history - the list goes on and on. I read this at the same time as the Sioux Chef's cookbook and it was a perfect pairing, with Kimmerer's deeper insight into the ecological and historical perspective paired with Sherman's culinary histories. I'd recommend this book for anyone who loves nature, history, learning about different cultures, celebrating Native Americans, beautiful writing, poetry, ecology and botany, and more. 

Best Book That Will Break Your Heart: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

What is it lately with exciting writers putting out amazing books that totally shatter you? This wandered my way (I suspect like most other people) because of Oprah's book club, and I decided to check it out. Turns out I pretty much read it straight through in a single sitting and couldn't put it down; the writing is so rich and compelling. I love how Jones switches the chapters between perspectives of each major character; often it feels messy when writers do this, but her writing is so tight that it works flawlessly and really helps make the story fully well rounded so that you never totally align with any one character. I will caution that if you prefer happy stories, you'll definitely be getting teary by the end of this one. It's still absolutely worth reading, and it completely broke my heart. I could pretty much sum this book up by saying "Oprah is never wrong" and leave it at that - this is a beautifully written book and it's a perfect beach read for the summer. I've also made it a goal to support more small publishers and this is a stunner out of new-to-me Algonquin; if you click the link in the header you'll go to their website, which is more than worth a perusal for some unique literary gems from diverse voices that you're sure to love. 

Best Graphic Novel: Baddawi by Leila Abdelrazaq

Palestine was a recent stop in my Around the World book club and this was the perfect choice. After some dry, difficult translated books it was nice to have a graphic novel to enjoy, and this one manages to pack so much substance into a short amount of space. Telling the story of the conflict in Palestine through the eyes of a child, Baddawi really hits home how much the Palestinian people have suffered over the last 80 years. To be stateless, without a passport or country recognized by other nations, is quite an unfathomable hardship - you are never a legal resident anywhere, you can't travel, and there are so many things blocking you from fulfilling basic needs and safety. It was impossible not to think of the Arab of the Future books or Persepolis while reading this - Baddawi fits comfortably into that niche. I actually wished this was longer and could have included more detail as the story is beautifully told and impactful. Baddawi is an important, accessible read for anyone looking to understand the conflicts surrounding Israel in the Middle East. I highly encourage you to pick it up. 

Baskerville Offers a Sublimely Comedic Rendition of Sherlock Holmes

Every once in a while, someone surprises theatergoers with a sublimely fresh take on an old story. 

Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (Baskerville), the latest in Park Square Theatre's annual mystery series, offers a totally new perspective of The Hound of the Baskervilles, perhaps the most famous of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I was first introduced to the narrative as a kid watching Wishbone (I'd LOVE to see a fresh remake of that classic children's show FYI); later in many film iterations; and a couple of times on various theater stages. It's always been presented to me as a serious, eerie, almost horror-esque piece. Normally this is Not My Thing, but I love Sherlock Holmes and have always found it interesting to compare takes, so I roll with it.

Imagine my surprise then when Holmes and Watson strut onto Park Square's stage played by female actors, surrounded by an unapologetically diverse cast, and the show is downright... campy? Within minutes the whole audience was teetering with laughter, and by the end of the play we'd all gotten out several belly laughs. It was totally unexpected but it worked for me, and hats off to the actors and crew for committing 100% to a big risk that really pays off.

A quick summary of the play goes like this: Dr. Mortimer appears at 221B Baker Street and implores Holmes to investigate the untimely death of his patron Charles Baskerville and protect the new heir to the estate. The suspicious circumstances of Baskerville's death are too tempting for Holmes to leave behind, and she and Dr. Watson set out at once to investigate. Their case leads them quickly to the eerie Baskerville manor on a moor in Devonshire, where they meet a host of shady employees and suss out multiple suspects. It seems that everyone living on the moor has a secret to keep, and as we learn more about said secrets it becomes increasingly clear that the biggest of all is hiding in plain sight. I can't say too much more - most of the fun is in figuring out whodunnit after all - but it's a wild ride involving people in disguise, convicts, burned letters, ghostly figures, and a plethora of accents.

I'll be honest: right away I found the over-the-top comedy to be a little much. It felt like it was cheapening the story and overacted, and I wasn't on board. But the more we got into the show, the more genius this vision from director Theo Langason felt. Much like the pleasant revelation that Romeo and Juliet could be funny (click here to read my review of the Guthrie's excellent production last year), I began to think: why *couldn't* Sherlock Holmes be a funny story? I mean at this point the character is somewhat of a cliche, and if there were any story to spoof, Baskerville would be it. The entire narrative - from the ghastly mastiff that frightens the Baskervilles to death, to the macabre manor on a moor, to Sherlock's impossibly adept deductions - is so over the top that it makes for a perfect parody. That's not to say that this production doesn't have its serious moments; there are many times when we are held in suspense and still feel the creepy vibes radiating from Devonshire. But the overall mood was light, which I frankly welcomed, and really allowed this talented cast to showcase their many gifts.

This rendition could only work with people who are supremely talented and all-in, and this cast delivers. Anchoring the action are McKenna Kelly-Eiding and Sara Richardson as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively. Their chemistry is terrific and they make an awesome pairing. Kelly-Eiding has a droll delivery that retains Holmes' serious nature while still being a whole lot of fun; Richardson has a posh, spot-on accent and wide-eyed narration that I found positively delightful. The rest of the cast plays multiple characters each - I'd say at least 5 or 6 characters per person - in a dizzying order that lifts the tempo of the show. Ricardo Beaird brought a Keenan Thompson quality to his parts, and I found his farcical acting really hilarious. Eric "Pogi" Sumangil brought a self-aware attitude to his caricatures, and his masculine strutting had me in stitches. The biggest surprise was new-to-me Marika Proctor, who disappeared into each part and delivered perfectly pitched accents for each and every character. She disappeared into her roles and was totally delightful, and I hope I get to see her in more productions soon. It's clear overall that this cast had a total blast getting into character, and it was fun as an audience to see them clearly enjoying themselves so much; it helps us all feel in on the joke, and there's no way such a preposterous take on this story could work otherwise.

The basis of the set (designed by Eli Sherlock) is a wall of portraits in wealthy manor, with large portrait frame-style entrances that various sets are pushed through as the show progresses. It cycles through a dizzying range of settings - from offices to 221B Baker street to rooms in the manor and the moor itself. For as many set pieces as there are, you can double (or triple!) the number of costumes (designed by Mandi Johnson) and props (by Sadie Ward) that cycle through the show. It's an astonishing amount of work to keep track of, but the usage is pretty seamless and allows us to keep being surprised as each new character and location is unveiled. Hats off to the all-female crew led by Laura Topham (three cheers for that!) who keep track of all of this and swiftly transition us between vignettes. Baskerville clocks in at a little under two and a half hours, and it would feel really long if it weren't for their expert work. There are several nice lighting moments as well from Michael Kittel that truly set the mood, working in tandem to direct us to the intended emotion with the flick of a switch.

Baskerville is such a great example of what happens when you get a diverse, talented team together and enable them to really let their imaginations run wild. It's one more gem in Park Square's growingly progressive portfolio, and I was totally charmed by this fresh take. I think even purists can get in on the joke if they come with an open mind. It's Victorian-mystery-novel-meets-Wes-Anderson-films-meets-Scooby-Doo, and who doesn't want to see that?! Baskerville runs at Park Square Theatre through August 5; for more information or to buy tickets, click on this link.