Legendary writer Toni Morrison rarely allows adaptations of her books, and who could blame her after Jonathan Demme's rancid attempt to capture her 1998 book, Beloved."" Fortunately, she made an exception for a stage production of her first novel ""The Bluest Eye,"" which opened last Friday, Feb. 29, at Mitchell Theatre. Playwright Lydia Diamond said after Saturday's performance that ""for Ms. Morrison to allow the play to exist is a great gift."" Great gift indeed, as the play is a visual and dramatic heart-wrencher, and showcases several standout performances from UW students and staff.
All the play's elements were executed aptly to explore the story's central question: What is ugly, why is it ugly and how did it become ugly? Vivid art direction, beautifully meshed music and choreography encapsulate the chaos of a small town's gossip chain, from gossip mongers to their victims.'""'""
Pecola Breedlove (played by Dominique Chestand) and her family are the recipients of an entire town's disdain, not just because of their race, but their unfortunate standing as well. As the play progresses, the Breedloves are driven to madness because of their inability to fit in.
According to Diamond, the play is ""the story of a little African American girl and her family who are affected in every direction by the dominant American culture that says to them, 'You're not beautiful; you're not relevant; you're invisible; you don't even count.'"" Instead of asking why this happens, the audience is shown how.'""Pecola's parents (James Macon Grant and Sheri Williams Pannell) morph from normal people to social outcasts, but not because they chose to. The play first shows Pecola's parents as an alcoholic father and an authoritarian mother, but then reveals they were not always such unsavory characters. They were driven to the fringes because of arbitrary abuses from society. By the end of the play, the audience understands the Breedlove's situation and is left weary of the evils of gossip.'""'""
The audience's understanding, however, would not be possible without the play's wonderful acting.
Chestand, Grant and Pannell bring the Breedloves to life with classic stage play and good acting, but the most important performance of the play belongs to Olivia Dawson. Dawson plays Claudia MacTeer, the narrator and one of Pecola's two friends. She gives her character the sensitivity and adamant individualism needed to make Claudia contrast so vividly against the self-hating Breedloves. Her questioning disposition allows Claudia to show the audience that what is perceived as beautiful is often hyped and inflated.'""
The play is a prime example of craftsmanship. All the technical elements suck the audience into the minds of the characters. After seeing the play, Diamond praised the abundance of soul in the production and the director's accuracy to her vision.'""'""
Diamond and Director Derrick Sanders have cooperated to bring ""The Bluest Eye"" to Madison in a play that neatly marries book to stage. Sanders and Diamond have done their jobs nicely and without pretension. ""My job was to do Lydia's script, and trust her interpretation of the book,"" Sanders said. This focus rewards the audience with a formidable performance.'""
""The Bluest Eye"" will be making seven performances up to March 15 at Mitchell Theatre, including Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
