By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

If I were putting together a list of the best original plays I'd ever seen, Lynn Nottage's Ruined would definitely make an appearance. It was an exquisite, painful, but ultimately hopeful interpretation of Mother Courage set during civil war in Congo and dealt with female genital mutilation, the physical and emotional cost of war, and the desperate attempts of one woman to stay safe by rejecting either side of the fighting. It was gut-wrenching stuff, rooted in interviews Nottage did throughout the Congo with people who had suffered through the sorts of things she was writing about.

In other words, I'm damn glad she took a break from dark drama for her follow-up to write the delightful (though still serious, sharply intelligent) comedy By the Way, Meet Vera Stark. I hope this writing experience allowed her a little more breathing room and a lot more fun. The results certainly indicate that's the case.

In the 1930's, Vera Stark is a maid to actress Gloria Mitchell, helping her rehearse for a part as an octoroon in an epic new film. Vera hopes Gloria will help her get a role in the movie as the maid Tillie who has actual lines and a chance to really perform. As her friend Lottie (the pitch perfect, scene-stealing Kimberly Hebert Gregory) can attest, most roles for black actors just call for cotton picking, woe-is-me line readings, and Negro spirituals. Act I is Vera's attempt to get the part. I was wholly unprepared for the shift in Act II which led us to a contemporary academic conference on the affects and meaning of Vera's career and an investigation of her last interview--which is played on stage in front of us--to promote a Vegas concert appearance, just before she disappeared from the public eye.

This is a crafty, sly show. It presents us with the history, then shows us two sets of characters-those present, and those looking in from the outside--trying to deconstruct what it all meant. Ultimately, it is a criticism of academics (Gregory again, in a second role, beams), an account of the toll taken on trailblazers, and a celebration of (and apology to) those who lead the way.

At first, I was disappointed with where Act II was going. I loved being with the characters of Act I so much that I wanted to keep watching them. You're lulled into expecting a very traditional play, so when the rug is pulled out, there's a touch of disappointment. At least, there was for me. But Nottage is an exceptional writer, and it quickly becomes clear that she's taking us where she is for a reason, and the play is more interesting, more unique, and just plain richer for it.

If I have a criticism of the show, it's about the direction: there's a whole lot of mugging going on. Even melodramatic actresses probably aren't quite as melodramatic as Gloria. And Vera in the first act doesn't quite pop as much as I wish she did. In fairness, Sanaa Lathan bites into the older, more bitter Vera with abandon, so any questions I had about her performance in the first act shifted from wondering how good of an actress she was to wondering why she wasn't directed to be as sincere and precise as she was in the second. Daniel Breaker is wonderful as a chauffeur and a professor. Karen Olivo is passable as an aspiring actress in the first act but delightful as an angry feminist in the second. Really, though...any time Gregory takes center stage, she is inspired, hysterical, and...god, she's just amazing. Trust me.

But the criticisms are quibbles. The writing is so strong that the show doesn't need to be played over the top. Regardless, I really enjoyed the whole thing. And whatever Nottage does next, I'll get tickets. Based on just a few shows I've seen by her, she appears to be one of the best, most vital writers working here right now.