Penumbra

Issues of class, wealth, and fame bubble to the surface in this play which is part comedy, part kitchen sink drama, and a whole lot of good music thrown in for good measure. The play chronicles Peggy Clark’s social ambitions and her two sons struggle to reconcile their family’s expectations of them with their own personal and artistic goals. At times, the Clark family seems obsessed with appearances and fairly shallow. However, as the play progresses, you see that this family has a deep acceptance and love for themselves as they really are, and they are able to let go of some of the social pretentiousness that Peggy, in particular, feels the need to project.

Blue was written by Charles Randolph-Wright and premiered at the Arena Stage in Washington D.C. in 2000 with the legendary Phyllcia Rashad in the role of Peggy and Michael McElroy as the title character Blue Williams. Nona Hendryx, who rose to fame as part of Patti Labelle and the Bluebells and who is a Grammy award winner composed the music for Blue and co-wrote the lyrics along with Randolph-Wright.

The play depicts some autobiographical material from the life of Charles Randolph-Wright, who grew up as part of a successful South Carolina family in the funeral business. Randolph-Wright is a member of the Wright Family Foundation, whose mission is to preserve and record the Wright family’s contribution to York County, inspire other African American families to do the same, and preserve and maintain African American cemeteries.

Black middle and upper class experiences are sometime depicted less frequently than African Americans struggling with poverty and working class experiences in film, television, and on stage. Blue depicts both successful musicians and successful businessmen and as such Penumbra Theatre Company’s production on this portrayal works well to reveal the myriad experiences and manifestations of black culture and black identity present within this country.

May Mahala
August Wilson Dramaturgical Fellow

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