Stage Review - Stew (ACT)
Stage Review - Stew
Presented By: ACT Contemporary Theatre (ACT) - Seattle, WA
Show Run: March 15 - March 31, 2024
Date Reviewed: Thursday, March 21, 2024 (Opening Night)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
Did you ever watch a movie trailer, then when you go to the movie you realize that the trailer either had nothing to do with the film or that it just scratched the surface of the plot? Sometimes that’s not necessarily a good thing, but other times, the result is a wonderful surprise. The same can be said about theatre, when the title or synopsis of the show leads you to believe that the show is about one thing, and then you see it and come to the realization that the actual show is so much more. Such is the case with Stew, now onstage at ACT Contemporary Theatre’s Falls Theatre in a production directed by Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako and running through March 31. The play itself, written by Zora Howard, was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and it’s clear why. To read the synopsis, one would think that the show is just about four members of the Tucker family, Mama, her daughters Nelly (age 17) and Lillian (age 30-something), and Lillian’s pre-teen daughter Lil’ Mama, hanging out in the kitchen, preparing a meal, and talking about life, the conversation at times becoming raw and heated. That in and of itself would have been good had the play just been about three generations of Tucker women coming together and baring their souls about life, but honestly that’s only where Stew begins. The play, like the stew that Mama and the girls are trying to make and that serves as the thread that weaves Stew together, is layered, with its ingredients of plot, backstory, and emotion gradually added as it progresses until it all comes together at the end when it’s “ready” and everything makes sense.
As the play begins, we find Mama, played by Shaunyce Omar, in the kitchen working on the stew that she is preparing for a church function later that day. As the stew cooks on the stove, Mama takes a minute to prepare a cup of tea for herself. Just as she’s about to drink it, she’s startled by a loud “bang”, and dropping her cup she tells herself that it’s just someone’s tire blowing out in the street. As her daughters Nelly (Varinique Davis) and Lillian (Sherman Mitchell) run down the stairs to see what the loud bang was all about, along with Lillian’s daughter Lil’ Mama (Kataka Corn), they all question where Junior is. Junior is Lillian’s other child, who is staying over at a friend’s, so he’s ostensibly ok. Mama convinces them all the sound was just a blown tire and they get busy cleaning the spilled tea and working together on the stew for their church event later. What follows is a complex piece of art that uses stew as both a physical prop and plot device, as well as a metaphor. It explores relationships between and among family members, choices and responsibilities, and the importance of open and honest communications. The true genius in Zora Howard’s work is in the perspectives that the play provides, situations that can be examined both by Nelly or Lil’ Mama in their teens in real time, or through the lens of age and experience that Mama looks through. The show does all of this while running the emotional gamut, which makes it an altogether real feeling show. The conversations between the four are so natural, I wouldn’t fault anyone if they had to remind themselves that this is actually scripted. The dialogue is clear, even when it’s chaotic and loud, and even when more than one of the Tucker girls are speaking at the same time. It’s written well, and performed even better.
Shaunyce is exemplary in this role as the family matriarch. Her Mama is quick with a comeback, slow with a compliment, detail oriented, funny, and sad. It’s such a complex character that she plays, battling both physical and emotional demons while at the same time trying to keep order around the chaos of the family project that is her stew. It’s such a wonderful experience watching her play this part, and while the dialogue on the page is clearly superb, it’s Shaunyce who brings it to life, in fact she’s just about larger than life, so much so that the audience feels invested, happy when she is, almost despondent when she’s sad, or at the thought of her physical challenges. All of these performances are good, though, it’s an ensemble that feels like a family, and one that acts like one to boot. Their conversations are relatable to anyone who has ever had to deal with multiple generations working together in one room, and how they sometimes go sideways, but always come back to a place of love. Shermona’s Lillian has brought Lil’ Mama and Junior, whom we never actually meet, back to Mama’s house upon hearing that Mama received some not so good news from her doctor. But, like everything with this play, it’s never as simple as that, there are always two or three layers to each of the actions, conversations, and situations here. Lillian clearly is concerned with her mother’s health, and seems to be the more stable of the girls, the more responsible. She’s also critical in helping her mother come to some pretty heavy realizations, which happen at all points in Stew, all the way up to the end. Everyone’s performance in Stew is emotionally charged, and Shermona’s is no different. Her’s is more contemplative and considerate than the others, but that’s Lillian and Lillian’s position within the family. Nelly is the opposite, much younger, and much more carefree. Varinique’s character has been taking care of Mama while living under the same roof, but is longing for an escape. She doesn’t appear responsible, and she’s a reluctant caretaker, but again she is more than what she seems. These performances are rife with complexities. Like the layers of the stew and of the play itself, these actors flesh their characters out a piece at a time, like a puzzle that takes shape gradually and is worth the work of piecing it all together. Perhaps the least complex of the characters is Mama’s granddaughter Lil’ Mama. Also in her teens, she’s generally inexperienced, but Kataka’s turn shows that she’s more mature than she lets on. Sure, she’s still a kid, but there are parts of this character that are even more reliable then the older Tuckers.
Stew is definitely a thinker. When it starts, it’s easy to take it at face value, it sort of matches up with that synopsis on the ACT website that explains what the show is about. But as it progresses, it becomes more and more clear that there’s something else at play, a deeper meaning to the family project, the stew that being prepared. A lot of the details aren’t spelled out explicitly, and some of the conclusions are left to the audience, but as more and more layers are added to the stew, and the Stew, that audience is provided with all of the information it needs to draw its own conclusions.
What’s not unclear though is the quality of this production. From the cast to the creative team that Claudine has put together, Stew feels like it’s a set of gears that are set and work perfectly together. The set is exquisite. Parmida Ziaei’s kitchen leaves no detail out and is perfectly laid out to support Claudine’s blocking and the movements of the actors. The set is spread out, though it feels close, almost cozy. The soft color palette provides a good base for Connie Yun’s creative lighting that accentuates focus and emotion. The lighting is done so well, that Connie can change the mood of the show just with a lighting color or brightness change. Erin Bednarz’ sound design is generally subtle throughout, the sound of a dog barking, or a kitchen appliance in the background, but in those few startling moments when both light and sound come together, it’s next level in impact. And while the set feels like a realistic kitchen piece, Danielle Nieves’ costumes feel right as well, they look natural and at the same time serve to provide context to each of the Tucker girls, including age and personality. Stew is an achievement across the board, it’s well paced at a little over 90 minutes and there’s not a slow moment. When it’s funny, Stew is extremely funny, and when it’s poignant or sad, it’s almost tragic.
Stew, on stage at ACT’s Falls Theatre, is a layered play about family and the importance of open and honest communication. It’s also a study in coming to terms with one’s choices, actions, consequences, and life situations. Like a good stew, this work builds on itself, adding ingredient upon ingredient until it is ready and its point comes into focus. Extremely well produced and acted, Stew is a thinker of a show, that is much more than it advertises, and will be something that sticks with you for awhile after it has been taken in, like, well, a good stew.
Stew runs on stage at ACT’s Falls Theatre through March 31. For more information, including ticket availability and purchase, visit https://acttheatre.org/. Note that this show contains adult language and subject matter and may not be suitable for younger audiences.
Photo credit: Rosemary Dai Ross
