Heidi Schreck, Clare Barron, and Samuel D. Hunter are among the rising American playwrights nurtured in the early stages of their careers by Page 73. The company now supports the work of yet another talented new writer with its admirable premiere staging of Zora Howard’s STEW, which opened on Saturday.
A contemporary drama regarding African-American mothers and daughters, STEW unfolds one Saturday morning in a tidy kitchen in Mt. Vernon, a now predominantly black suburban community situated in lower Westchester.
The Tucker family’s matriarch known as Mama (Portia) is up early, cooking up a big stew and side dishes for a church event. A loud popping noise that erupts outside on the street, which Mama dismisses as a blown tire, awakens the rest of the household.
Mama’s two daughters are Nelly (Toni Lachelle Pollitt), who still lives at home at 17, and Lillian (Nikkole Salter), a married woman in her thirties, who’s staying there on a weekend visit with her tween offspring Lil’ Mama (Kristin Dodson). Lillian’s teen boy Junior already has gone out to hang with friends. Lillian’s husband J.R. is expected to arrive later for the meal.
Comfortably clad in sleepwear, heads wrapped up in scarves, the women drink tea, snap beans, roll out dumplings, and worry over the stew. As they talk with each other and sometimes on the wall telephone—this story predates mobile devices—other family worries arise.
Lillian frets about Mama’s apparently fading health. Mama is more troubled to hear that Lillian and J.R. are “having a hard time.” Nelly, obviously in a defiant mood, nurses other concerns. Sulky Lil’ Mama prepares to audition for a school staging of Richard III and gets coached in Shakespearean delivery by Mama and the others, all leading ladies of the local amateur theater group.
Who’s this man who keeps calling up Lillian? When is Junior due back? Where’s J.R.?
As the ostensibly realistic play progresses over 90 minutes and five scenes, it becomes apparent how closely these women of different generations resemble each other in body language, speech patterns, and even in their outlooks. When Lil’ Mama balks at helping make the meal and is told by the others that “women should know how to cook” it is clear how she is being bred to conform to Tucker traditions.
Is this simply a domestic drama or is Howard subtly painting a larger picture here?
A thoughtful work, STEW grows serious in tone and finally concludes on a tragic note. The earlier Richard III monologue urging “tender babes” to hear a mother’s lamentation proves to foreshadow the ending, which in its final moments turns surreal to reflect everyone’s horror.
Howard’s meaningful use of Shakespeare—cunningly expressed in a humorous context here—is indicative of the craft she brings to this compact new drama, which is especially rich in fluent everyday conversation as it studies recurring patterns in mother-daughter relationships. (I must confess to misconstruing the family tie between Lillian and Nelly, who I did not realize were sisters when I saw the show. That mistake probably is due less to Howard’s exposition than to me being an old white guy.)
Staged at the intimate 75-seat Walkerspace, Page 73’s first-class production is smartly directed by Colette Robert, who draws authentic performances from a tightly-meshed ensemble led by Portia, an actor who firmly grounds the play with her down-to-earth presence. Robert’s skillful usage of Stacey Derosier’s mostly natural lighting and Avi Amon’s at times ear-scrubbing sound design supports the drama, as does the realistic kitchen set (with a working stove) designed by Lawrence E. Moten III.
Not incidentally, anyone who samples and enjoys STEW might want to get a look at Premature, a new feature film co-written by and starring Howard, which will be released by IFC Films later this month. A Harlem-bred performer and writer, Howard clearly is an upcoming artist to watch. Page 73 sure knows how to spot talent.
STEW opened February 1, 2020, at Walkerspace and runs through February 22. Tickets and information: page73.org
