The Nacirema Society
Hosted by the Guthrie Theater
Even the best laid plans can have their wrinkles and loose ends that may eventually unravel. This is evidenced in the Guthrie Theater’s newest production, The Nacirema Society.
While the matriarch of the esteemed Dunbar family prepares her granddaughter for the centennial debutant gala of The Nacirema Society, she is confronted with a stunning accusation. One that threatens to destroy everything that she has achieved and stirs doubt in everything that she has come to believe throughout her life.
Playwright Pearl Cleage has created a fully realized world showcasing the inner workings of the upper class of African American culture in Alabama during the Civil Rights movement. A world where even as they have gained wealth and status, they must continue to assert that they belong and are just as important and vital to their community and the world at large, as their white counterparts.
Cleage has an incredible ability to string together very dramatic moments with the comedic in a way that the audience is never overwhelmed with either. Although, the second act is packed with an abundance of comedic moments that will be sure to have the audience roaring with laughter.
While the script is extremely strong, it demands an extremely talented cast to bring it to life, which the Guthrie has assembled in spades. Starting with the formidable Greta Oglesby who portrays the powerful matriarch, Grace Dubose Dunbar, with an abundance of bite but also compassion. She possesses the ability to command the stage with such fervor that it is impossible not to hang on her every word, waiting for her next instance of putting someone in their place and reminding them why she is the head of not only the family but also the society.
Guthrie darling, Regina Marie Williams shines just as brightly as Catherine Adams Green, a fellow society member and close friend and confidant to Grace. In what might be the funniest role she has taken on in recent memory, Williams is a sensation. Her characterization of Catherine is a hilarious roller coaster of emotion and physicality that is a true delight to witness.
While these two women are standouts, the entire cast is incredibly talented. They each bring their characters to life in such vibrant and fully realized ways that you being to forget that you are witness a play and instead believe that you have taken a time machine ride to the 1950’s to become a fly on the wall and witness history.
The home that the audience is welcomed into is stunningly designed by Takeshi Kata, a recent Tony Award nominee for his work on Water for Elephants. Not only has Kata created a beautiful home but it allows the audience it become fully immersed within the show due to not having to use their imagination as to how the home and furnishings would have looked. The design is impeccable, showcasing the status of 1950’s high society and how they lived but also making it feel welcoming and warm, even if some of the interactions within the piece are anything but.
Tying the aesthetic together is the costume design by Trevor Bowen. This may be the single most important design choice because it shows the audience exactly who these characters are, how they choose to represent themselves in the world, and for some, what clothing they can afford. Bowen has hit it out of the park in all aspects, from the dresses to the shoes they wear.
The Nacirema Society isn’t just a good show, it is an important show. It may be fiction but it certainly speaks to a time gone by that not many people seem to know about (this reviewer didn’t). It showcases the changing times that each generation within the show is living in and how they decide to either accept the changes or try to remain in the past that they have put so much faith in, attempting to maintain their status and traditions.
In what is certainly one of the Guthrie’s strongest entries of this season, The Nacirema Society is a true delight from beginning to end. You will laugh and you will cry (from laughing) and that is what a true hallmark of a hit is.
