Angela Polite. Photo courtesy of Angela Polite.
“Mary Speaks” is a one-woman show, brilliantly written and performed by Angela Polite. Polite draws audiences into the life and times of Mary, a girl who was prophesied to bring light into the world. That light is revealed to be a son, whom she must protect at all costs. Her grandmother embeds the divine directive into her spirit: “Always speak up and always speak out.”
Like a needle and thread dipping in and out of fabric, this story takes you on a journey back and forth through history, displaying the joys of African American culture and the truths of mother/son relationships throughout some of toughest racial moments in the American experience.
This, however, is not a play that only Black mothers can understand. Anyone who has felt loss, dreams dashed, joy or pride can connect to Polite’s many characters. I dare say that anyone who has a mother can be moved by the joy and pain of Mary’s life.
Just as baby Mary and Mary’s baby are unveiled at birth to reveal the light, this play sheds light on moments in history that some audiences may have previously been unaware of–for instance, the Tulsa Race Massacre, the Jim Crow era, the Vietnam War and others, when Black lives were deemed unworthy of existence. It is this journey through history that opens eyes of understanding to the recent uprising in wake of the murder of George Floyd.
Playwright Polite does this without judgment or preaching. She masterfully weaves story over story, always holding onto the main thread that is Mary and her son’s relationship. As the play continues, it seems that this American history is the soil in which her son has been planted. Subtly, Polite’s masterful script shows us the parallels between the life of Mary, mother of Jesus, and the life of this 20th-century Black mother. And though a journey through African American culture and history is not without its church moments, they become demonstrations of culture and moments of context, without forcing a religious point of view on anyone. The call and response of the Black preacher’s cadence and music draws audiences in, without pushing anyone away.
Polite fully embodies each character, while continuing to demonstrate a masterful ability to gently transition from one person to the next. The props, lights and musical accompaniment, played by Music Director Jeff Bolding, all take part in telling the story. The simple set becomes a poor grandmother’s southern home, a rich white lady’s kitchen, the foot of the cross, a bloodied street–and the audience has no trouble sustaining their disbelief in those moments.
“Mary Speaks,” written and performed by Angela Polite, with musical direction by Jeff Bolding, should not be missed. It is a powerful part of the Good At Heart Festival at Open Stage of Harrisburg.
“Mary Speaks” runs through March 30 at Open Stage, 25 N. Court St., Harrisburg. For information and tickets, visit https://www.openstagehbg.com/shows/maryspeaks.
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
