Review: IMMEDIATE FAMILY DEBUTS IN CHARLOTTE, NC at Booth Playhouse

Immediate Family, written by Paul Oakley Stovall (one of Charlotte’s own) and presented by Blumenthal Arts at the Booth Playhouse, is a feel-good, fun-filled, “coming-to-age” depiction of similar nuances that may occur within a Black family.  It is directed by the illustrious Phylicia Rashad, a fellow Texas native (she’s from Houston, I’m from Sugar Land – about 20 miles due South). who for many years graced our television sets as the respected matriarch, Clair Huxtable, on The Cosby Show, whose recent directorial work on the stage play, Purpose, was recognized with a “Tony Award for Best Play” at the 78th Annual Tony Awards.

Before the lights even dimmed, my attention was captured by one of the most stunning sets that set the tone of the production, designed by Winston-Salem’s own award-winning scenic designer Paul Tate DePoo III—whose impressive career includes assisting Tony Award-winner David Zinn and Michael Cotton on the design of Michael Jackson’s This Is It.  

The characters are as distinct as they are relatable. It always amazes me how siblings can have the same upbringing, in the same house; yet, be vastly different.  Eldest sister Evy (Christina Sajous) embodies the archetypal “big sibling” role.  She feels she is the one who should be in control and must carry out the desires of their father – as if she bares the sole responsible for carrying on the family’s "legacy”.  She is the one the other siblings seek approval but also keeps secrets from because of her shallow viewpoint. Case in point, the middle brother, Jesse (Elijah Jones) is concealing a couple of secrets concerning his relationship status. Let’s just say that the photographer he suggested for hire for the wedding is not just an “employee” but he’s Jesse’s lover, Kristian (Andy Mientus). Everyone knows the secret except Evy (little brother Tony (Freddie Fulton) figured it out). And Jesse also concealed the fact that Kristian is White, a major “need-to-know detail” in a Black family. The even bigger secret is that Kristian proposed to Jesse, although he had not given him a definitive answer—a revelation Evy is far from ready for.

Tony, the groom-to-be, has his own surprise in-store—his bride is pregnant. Stepsister Ronnie (Britney Coleman), the daughter of their father and his White mistress, brings another layer of tension. Having only met her father twice—once when her mother confronted him by showing up on his doorstep, and once at his funeral—Ronnie carries the weights of rejection and abandonment, medicating her pain with alcohol. While her brothers have accepted her, Evy clings to the past and keeps Ronnie at arm’s length.

Every family has that neighbor who is more like family – who is the life of the party and that would be Nina (Kai Almeda Heath), who unlike Jesse, her friend, is openly gay.

There were several components of this production that I absolutely loved. I loved the pace…I was so enthralled in the story that intermission came sooner than I anticipated. I loved each character, and each actor was perfectly cast. But there is another favorite aspect of the production showcased and its something nearly every Black household, especially in the South, is serious about and that’s the card game, Bid Whist. That’s when you know, you have matured and are seasoned, when you know how to sit at the card table and play Bid Whist. In my immediate family, we don’t fool around with our card playing. And unless you are familiar with it, you will not know the terms “five uptown”, or “four no”, nor will you know what a “kitty” is. My family were avid Bid Whist players and like Evy, you couldn’t come “half stepping” or “reneguing”. And, you had to be an expert in “trash talking” – that made the game fun and more competitive.