The Black Rep's 'The Bluest Eye'

When I heard that The Providence Black Repertory Company (The Black Rep) would be presenting an adaptation of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, my first inclination was to get my hands on a copy and read the previously unread novel. After thinking a while, I decided that I wouldn't read it before I saw the production so I would have no preconceptions.  Having seen this production of The Bluest Eye, I look forward to reading Ms. Morrison's novel.

Pecola (Margaret Odette Perkins), a poor black girl growing up in 1940's rural America, is the center of The Bluest Eye.  Her mother, whom she addresses detachedly as "Mrs. Breedlove" (Jackie Davis) and father Cholly (Raidge) barely scratch out a meager existence.  Things are so bad that the other poor black folks in town pity them.  Mrs. Breedlove and Cholly were very much in love, once.  Time, poverty and alcohol have all taken their toll.  

During a particularly tough winter, the family gets 'put outside'. Their home is damaged as to be unlivable and they have no family or support system while in crisis.  There is no greater shame in the small Ohio town of Lorain than being 'put outside'.

Pecola is sent by the state to live with the family of two girls from school, sisters Claudia (Akela Marsh) and Frieda (Jade Guerra) who adore and are adored by their put-upon Mama (Cilla Julia Bento).

The story opens with the telling of a horrible event happening to Pecola.  The event is described quickly, and in language that made me question if I had heard correctly.  The horror is described again; I had understood.  We move on.  The narrative is told circularly and ends roughly where it began.  While on the journey, the audience is a witness to moments that we, ourselves, would spend a lifetime to forget, and would be reluctant to share with our most intimate friends. 

Margaret Odette Perkins is cast against type as the homely Pecola. Individual audience members are able to project their own desire to belong, to be loved, onto her character. Perkins is beautifully expressive in the role.

Akela Marsh and Jade Guerra are delightful as Pecola's devoted friends Claudia and Frieda.  Each of the actresses has a fine sense of comic timing, providing warmth and pathos to the tragedy. Alexandra Metz darts on and off stage in multiple roles, most notably as Maureen Peal, the popular and pretty light-skinned girl at school.

Black Rep regular Raidge turns in a fine performance as Cholly and his transformation from young lover to alcoholic villain.  Raidge and Cilla Julia Bento have an easy on-stage report.  Keith Mascoll makes the character of Soaphead Church, the would-be mystic, almost likable.  

Director Don Mays guides his actors through an intricate performance.  Every movement, every breath, every eye roll is calculated.  In the Black Rep's current space, seven actors on stage is a very large cast.  With such an intimate space, in such a heightened narrative, everything is magnified.  Mays does a commendable job directing this adaptation, deftly moving the story.

In The Bluest Eye, we can see ourselves in Pecola. We might not want the blue eyes of the pretty girl on the Mary Jane candy wrapper or to be as glamorous as our favorite film star. We may simply want to feel significant, while feeling invisible.  

The Bluest Eye runs through March 9, 2008 at The Providence Black Repertory Company.  General Admission tickets are $20.00, with student and senior tickets, $10.00 each.  Showtimes are Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. is Pay What You Can.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.arttixri.com or by calling (401) 621-6123

Photo Credit:  John Deputy

Photo #1: Margaret Odette Perkins as Pecola

Photo # 2 Jade Guerra as Feieda, Margaret Odette Perkins as Pecola and Akela Marsh as Claudia, with Keith Mascoll in background as Soaphead Church

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