Spunk:  Three Tales by Zora Neale Hurston
a stage review
by Jeanne Powell

The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre in San Francisco concludes its 26th season with Spunk: Three Tales by Zora Neale Hurston, adapted for the stage by George C. Wolfe.  Spunk is a collection of Hurston stories first published in the 1930s, and Wolfe has adapted three of them for the stage.  Hurston (1891-1960) was a major literary influence in the historic Harlem Renaissance.

Sweat celebrates the resilience and resourcefulness of Delia, a washerwoman married to Sykes, an unfaithful and abusive husband who underestimates his wife. The staging evokes Eatonville, Alabama, the small town where Hurston grew up, with its milieu of porch sitters who witness main events and offer communal wisdom and commentary.

The Gilded Six-Bits takes us into the world of an adoring husband, Joe Banks, whose wife Missie May is tempted by the glitter of another. It’s a strong story of love, infidelity and redemption. Hurston’s portrait of Missie May is powerful because the author refuses to play to the stereotypes prevalent in her day, and gives us a heroine who is sexually complex, rather than a tragic mulatto or bad girl turned pariah.

And Story in Harlem Slang showcases Hurston’s talents as one of our greatest folklorists. She re-creates the vivid slang and colorful humor of two flashy con artists playing the dozens and trying to hustle a wary domestic. The program guide thoughtfully includes a glossary of Harlem slang so the audience can keep up with the fast-stepping flimflammers as they bull-skate, jump salty and air out.

Just as important as the story line are the choreography and music. Darryl V. Jones is director and choreographer. Jones comes to the Bay area from the University of Michigan, where he was assistant professor of theatre and drama. He has extensive directing credits, and is the recipient of several fellowships. The wonderful music is provided by Chic Street Man and Kim Nalley. Onstage, Rodney Street plays Guitar Man.The very talented cast includes C. Kelly Wright, Donald E. Lacy Jr., Hosea L. Simmons Sr. and Reginald White.

Kim Nalley is outstanding as Blues Speak Woman, Killer Diller Queen and other characters in this lively production. She is an internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist, actor and producer as well as the owner of a popular night club in North Beach. She has captivated audiences at jazz festivals around the world. San Francisco residents may have seen Nalley in the long-running Teatro Zinzanni.  Visit http://kimnalley.com.  Visit the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre - http://lhtsf.org.

see also http://listenandbeheard.net/archives (2007)