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| Photo by Matthew Leland. |
In 1915, co-founders of
the NAACP, W. E. B. Du Bois and Mary White Ovington, find themselves alone in
the New York office on a Sunday morning. He is about to resign as editor of
their magazine, THE CRISIS, because the Board claims he is alienating white
supporters.
She is speaking for his detractors, not because she agrees with
them but because his presence and his message on race is the core of the mission
of the NAACP.
Author Clare Coss never
lets us forget that Du Bois and Ovington were flesh and blood people, divided
by race but joined together by a passion for truth and justice. It’s a play of
ideas, but also a love story of two people who recognize the value of honesty no
matter how much it endangers one’s relationships.
Ben Guillory is majestic
as Du Bois, dominating the action with his presence and strong voice. Melanie
Cruz, as Ovington, subtly reveals the inner strength of a woman of strong
principle. However, a lot was lost when too often her voice dropped down to
conversational level.
A Robey Theatre Company production,
directed by Guillory, with fine period set by Thomas Meleck well lit by Michéal
David Ricks.
Los Angeles Theatre
Center, 514 S. Spring St., downtown. Reservations
(213) 489-7402 or www.robeytheatrecompany.org.
Final Note: As the
audience was leaving, an elderly lady tripped over a downstage platform on the
set and fell. Someone needs to stand guard at each performance as this is a hazard
to the departing audience.
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