Wine in the Wilderness Off-Broadway Reviews

In Tommy, who cheerily proclaims “I’m independent as a hog on ice,” Childress paints a bold portrait of a confident Black woman who asserts she will always be “cussin’ and fightin’ and lookin’ out for my damn self ‘cause ain’ nobody else ‘round to do it, dontcha know.” Olivia Washington’s vital performance reveals Tommy’s sensitive nature glimmering beneath her brash manner. Grantham Coleman’s easy charm makes the rather insufferable Bill somewhat palatable. Brooks Brantly and Lakisha May neatly depict the superficial neighbors. Designer Dede Ayite dresses everybody with a keen eye, while Nikiya Mathis’ wig and hair design proves essential to Tommy’s character.

Bill, the Harlem artist at the center of the play, envisions his latest work hanging in one of those ordinary places someday. A triptych of Black womanhood also titled Wine in the Wilderness, it features a painting of a young girl, a painting yet to be created, and a central portrait of Bill's ideal Black woman: a sunlit African queen with natural hair and a striking red wrap. She, Bill says, will show the "messed-up women" in his Harlem neighborhood — where the race riots of 1964 are happening concurrently with the events of the play — what they should aspire to be.