It must have been daunting for students in this term's Hopkins Center Mainstage production, "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," to even read for a part in the play.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson is among the eyes peering back at you from the audience on your opening day, the director, Clinton Turner Davis, has overseen this same production four times before and his last production won six Audience Development Committee awards and then there are the toughest critics of all in the audience, your friends.
But for the troupe of actors who comprise the cast of one of Wilson's most daring works, the job seemed pretty easy.
"Joe Turner's Come and Gone" is staged in 1911 when Herald Loomis (Lewis Berry '97) and his daughter Zonia (Gery Grantham) come a-lookin' for Martha Loomis (Grace Eboigbe '99), Herald's wife and Zonia's mother.
Herald searches for 11 years, traveling from town to town on foot asking about his woman "who has long hair and stands five feet from the ground."
Herald and his daughter happen upon the home of Seth Holly (Brandon Dirden) and his strange mix of neighbors. Herald boards at Seth's home and from there he continues his efforts to find his long-lost Martha. It is at Seth's home where the action begins and ends much like Herald's search for his wife. The ending is both stirring and passionate and the whole production resonates with much force.
Berry gives an over-the-top performance in the role of Herald Loomis. Playing the somber and terse character, Berry voices the trench-coat clad shadow of a man with a deep guttural baritone which later underlines the deep soul-searching that the character encounters towards the end of the play.
Eboigbe plays the part of Martha Loomis well, accentuating the pain and misery that she has endured when she had to forget about her daughter and her husband in order to continue along with her life.
One of the final scenes pairs both Berry and Eboigbe together in a wonderful battle of words as Eboigbe renders a heart-wrenching and emotional-filled rendition of the 23rd Psalm while Berry recounts what he has endured.
Saadiah Fowlkes '97 plays a shaman of sorts, Bynum Walker, whose character brings certain mystical elements to the production. In this capacity, Fowlkes presents his character with an enigmatic quality. There is always a certain gleam in his eyes, and you wonder at times why he grins. He sees things that are hard for other characters to discern.
Latia Curry '98 plays Mattie Campbell, who first comes to Bynum Walker for help and leaves in better spirits. She has stage presence and finesse, qualities hard to develop.
The play is like no other the Hop has staged in quite some time due in large part to August Wilson's Winter term residence at the College. Davis hails from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, where he is a professor of drama and signed on to direct the play after an invitation was extended to him from Dartmouth Drama Professor Victor Walker. Also the credits are studded with contributions from across disciplines and include a large corps of student workers.
It is an exceptional performance of an exceptional work. "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" is deftly directed, acted and staged. The production should only continue to better itself with each staging which is thanks in large part to stage manager Shavon Fields '98.
