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Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God February 14, 2004 at Harbourfront Centre. This play was written by Djanet Sears. While I had never heard of her prior to reading about this play, I have since learned she is a very renowned Canadian writer and a winner of the Governor General's Literary award. Having seen the play, I can understand why. Confronted with another work by Ms. Sears, I would take it seriously and have high expectations. This play was part of the Mirvish subscription series for 2004. At first, the most I knew about it was from the brief description in the subscription advertising. As time passed, I heard much more. In November or December, 2003, one of the play's stars was the house guest on Avril Benoit's CBC Radio One afternoon show in Toronto. Jackie Richardson is an actress I was familiar with. Throughout her interview she was funny and engaging. She described some aspects of the play that made it sound quite compelling. On the morning of the play, I went to the internet to get directions to the play. While doing so I came across a review by Richard Ouzounian. He is the theatre critic for the Toronto Star and is a frequent contributor to CBC Radio. I have come to appreciate his wit on radio and to respect his theatre reviews. He described the play as a must see and described one of the actors, Walter Borden as giving a splendid performance. Having now seen the play, I agree completely. The play revolves around a black woman who has suffered some personal tragedy and is still sorting out the implications to her faith. Her ancestors include settlers who were granted land in the Owen Sound area as a reward for loyal service during the War of 1812. Now, I was aware that former slaves comprised a military unit during that war and that they had distinguished themselves in their service. I was also aware that they had been granted land in exchange for that service. I recall hearing a radio documentary some years ago about one of the unit's members and his ancestors and the story was quite compelling. This play incorporates this rich history and gives it modern meaning. You see, the area settled by these former soldiers became known as Negro Creek. In 1995 or so, in a bout of political correctness, the local township decided to change the name of Negro Creek Road. Quite rightly, the descendants of the soldiers viewed this as an erasure of their heritage and were successful in blocking the move. This struggle represents one of the backdrops to the play. One of the other backdrops is a group of older residents who have joined together to conduct "liberations" in the community. Specifically, they have chosen to steal objects of racist depictions of black people or objects of historical significance. Things such as lawn jockeys; Aunt Jemima figurines and an historically significant War of 1812 soldier's uniform. This group steals the items in order to treat them with the respect they deserve. Combined with this effort is a funny, subtle and all too true reminder that racism is alive and well in Canada. Marg described this play as the best one of the season. Indeed, it was the best play I have seen in quite a while. I do not say this lightly, for just the week before we saw Copenhagen, which I found to be riveting. The cast was great. The staging was amazing. The chorus provided a visual backdrop to each element of the play. Much of the play takes place on the banks of the Negro Creek. The chorus would stand at the front of the stage weaving and bobbing in a simulation of the water. With another cast member at stage right using a barrel of water and a ladle, the sensation of flowing water was remarkable. Small touches like these made the visual presentation wonderful. The Harbourfront Theatre is an intimate venue. The seating is hard and the acoustics are terrible. My one complaint was that some of the dialogue was inaudible. However, this play was simply terrific. It was funny, poignant and very emotional. Tears flowed and emotions leaped. The ultimate message, that God is found in people, was stirring. I would recommend this play to anyone - its message is kind and its presentation was excellent. Colin Empke |
