Review: Alice Childress' FLORENCE & MOJO at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey-Two Plays Enthrall Audiences

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) continues their 2022 season with Florence & Mojo, two engaging one-act plays on their Main Stage written by the renowned African American playwright, Alice Childress.

The show opens with Florence, a story set at a southern train station. It is followed by the two-hander, Mojo: A Black Love Story that delves into the lives of a once married couple. Each play is smart, marvelously performed, and impressively directed by the company's veteran actor, Lindsay Smiling, who is making his directorial debut. Tell your friends, gather your group, and enjoy premier American classical theatre on the Madison stage. Florence & Mojo will be performed through November 13th.

In Florence, Mama (April Armstrong) is at her local station awaiting a train that will take her north to New York City to see her daughter, Florence, an aspiring actress. As she bids good-bye to her loving daughter Marge (Billie Wyatt), and speaks to the station's Porter (Eric Mills), Mama realizes that the trip will be an arduous one. Prejudice in the segregated south is evident when she meets Mrs. Carter (Carey Van Driest), an upper class white women who is also traveling to the city. Mrs. Carter professes to be open-minded, yet during her conversation with Mama she insensitively states, "I try but I find it difficult to understand you people." Mama's dignity and love of family brings this story full circle.

In the play Mojo, Irene (Darlene Hope) appears suddenly at the home of Teddy (Chris White), upending his plans for the evening. The two have not seen each other for years and at first, they are rather abrupt with each other. Yet as the story unfolds, facts about the couple's relationship, Irene's unhappy past, her failing health, and a long-held painful secret emerge. Irene is discovering and wants to share with Teddy their African roots, which she calls "the blackness I never knew." This is an intense, genuine story of love coupled with people's overwhelming struggles.

The design team for Florence and Mojo set the ideal stage for both of the plays. The team includes set design by Harlan D. Penn; lighting design by Brian Sidney Bembridge; sound design by Steven Beckel; and costume design by Patrice N. Trower. The Production Stage Manager is Jackie Mariani.

Alice Childress's plays are known for addressing thought provoking and meaningful social issues in the Black community. STNJ's production of Florence and Mojo gives metro area audiences the opportunity to see a unique, dynamic production that will be long remembered after the curtain call.

Florence and Mojo runs for 1 hour and 50 minutes with one 15-minute intermission between the plays. The show will be on the Main Stage through November 13. Patrons can purchase tickets by calling the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or by visiting https://www.shakespearenj.org/. Single tickets for Florence and Mojo range in price from $39 to $69. The Theatre offers $15 student rush tickets, which are available 30 minutes prior to each performance, with a valid student ID; a limited number of Pay What You Can tickets for every performance on a first-come, first-serve basis; a $30 Under 30 ticket option, which offers $30 tickets for patrons aged 30 and under, with valid ID. Other discounts are available including a 10% discount for Bank of America customers and employees, members of television's THIRTEEN, AAA members, and others.

Photo Credit: Sarah Haley

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