Lydia R Diamond’s Stick Fly, a very successful Broadway production that made its debut as a play in theatres way back in the year 2006, is a story about an affluent African-American family which is spending a weekend at its second home, situated at Martha’s Vineyard. It shows all sorts of clashes that occur between them over matters like class and everything else! Although any kind of synopsis that I present of the work here may make it appear like just another Broadway production, Diamond’s work has the twist equivalent of a tornado, that hasn’t been witnessed since the times of sophisticated artists like Philip Barry and Cole Porter!
The Broadway version of the production was presented for the first time at the Cort Theatre in New York City on December 8, 2011. It’s a lively comedy drama that works as a departure for the Broadway, from the way in which it depicts the sexual sparks and generational conflict among the members and friends of a new age African-American family. Apart from solid personality clashes, you can see pointed discussions related to various topics like class, ethnicity etc. erupting every now.
The production was directed by Kenny Leon, who apparently does take a little time in getting his bearings right. The overall rhythm of the cast seems slightly artificial and rushed during the early scenes of the production. However, the audience gets fed large doses of exposition as the entire LeVay family gets together apart from a couple of interesting guests. All of them lead to interesting emotional dynamics, presented quite dramatically.
First to arrive on the scene are Kent (played by Dule Hill), family’s younger son who is a budding novelist. He arrives with his fiancee Taylor (played by Tracie Thoms), an entomologist by profession who had never met any of the LeVay family members before, apart from Dule, and gets instantly amazed by what she sees, and the kind of casual wealth that’s on display. (Looked at closely, the title of the play was derived from a study that Taylor had carried out on the common housefly!)
The couple gets joined by Ken’s elder brother Flip (played by Mekhi Phifer), who is an accomplished plastic surgeon, quite content with his life. He makes an announcement that his girlfriend would also be meeting the family for the very first time, and is Italian by origin. Kent casually quips in and makes a remark about her which completely changes the expression on the faces of Taylor and Flip, thereby bringing about first of the several dramatic revelations in the family.
Tension really starts mounting when Flip’s Italian girlfriend Kimber (played by Rosie Benton) actually arrives on the scene. To begin with, this lady is as Italian in origin as Martha Stewart is. Nevertheless, with her association with inner-city schools’ race dynamics, apart from her privileged background, she can be seen fitting in very smoothly into the LeVay family’s groove than anyone else, especially Taylor, thereby leading to the latter’s insecurities getting multiplied many times.
Despite the fact that Taylor’s father used to be one of the most celebrated academics in the region, whose books related to African-American history can be seen displayed on the shelves at LeVay home, she along with mother had been facing a pretty horrid time after her father had abandoned them for a new family. She had been brought up in not so affluent environment and always had Daddy issues. Taylor can be seen particularly uneasy whenever 18-year-old Cheryl (played by Condola Rashad) is around who has taken over the duties normally which used to be performed by her ill mother, who had been their regular house keeper until sometime ago. Cheryl gets treated as an unofficial member of the family and is very comfortable in her role.
The Broadway production gets very interesting as one gets to watch the increasingly prickly relations between these three women. The patriarch of the LeVay family is someone known as Joe (played by Ruben Santiago Hudson). He is very clear about his opinion on Kent and the way he behaves. In one of the scenes he can be seen expressing his displeasure with a commanding contempt that Kent’s a highly talented fiction writer who had been financed by him for a law degree, a business degree and then a Master’s degree in sociology!
Lydia Diamond, whose plays had normally been produced at the regional theatre level had mentioned in an interview that she had originally set out to pen a conventional play that was more like the staple of popular theatre, more like the works of Lillian Hellman. Hence, the way in which Stick Fly depicts a complicated family having dark secrets in its past, with each one of them surfacing slowly, the needy sons and ignorant fathers, it had successfully treaded a successful path.
However, where Lisa makes it interesting is the way in which she changes the conventional recipe by blending in discussions related to African-American culture. The level of writing ranges from funny and often pointed to slack and sitcom like, while the acting can be seen varying from rich to superficial.
Taylor plays a constantly inflamed character and very nicely strikes her emotional notes, leaving enough room for her slight flare ups to appear very natural. Kent can be seen frequently defending his stand against what his father thinks of him.
Mekhi Phifer livens up the character Flip and brings about a smooth magnetism to him which perfectly suits the character. Mr Santiago Hudson on the other hand, who is a well-known and seasoned actor in August Wilson’s plays, gives an excellent performance as Joe, perfectly bringing out his dismissive side with a very fine effect.
But the discovery of the entire evening is the silently captivating character of Cheryl, played Ms. Rashad, whose work is at par with everyone else, in fact slightly better, in the Broadway production! Even when she is seen getting too dramatic, strolling in and out of the kitchen, refilling wineglasses and carrying out other shows, she makes her presence felt very powerfully. Furthermore, she is shown as very sensitive to even the slightest condescension directed at her.
The play has a very animated second act during which it reaches a boiling point when Cheryl makes a discovery, leading to a complete change in her equation with almost every character on stage. Her reaction to this melodramatic development has several shades of bewilderment, pain and shock. You can also see her delivering that perfect talkback whenever her pride is hurt.
Cheryl is the perfect embodiment of a young woman belonging to underclass, who is living amidst members of the higher class, constantly reminding herself of the potential and opportunities she has to lead a better life. The tension surrounding Cheryl is actually the center point of this Broadway production.
All in all, it’s a must watch for anyone who’s a Broadway fan and is looking for something different than usual!