Review
Birdie Blue
McGinn/Cazale Theatre
June 23, 2005
VanLoan
vanloan@nyconstage.org
Martin Luther King's "I Had a Dream" speech opens Cheryl L. West's new play Birdie Blue. Birdie is on stage listening to it via radio; the speech also forms the through line for this dream-like narrative. The non-linear plot follows Birdie's reveries about love, marriage, freedom and the flow of time while caring for her dying husband. Ms. West's dreamscape is at times difficult to follow although this is never the fault of the outstanding S. Epatha Merkerson. She breaks in and out of the narrative to relate Birdie's triumphs and tribulations with a larger than life vitality which ( even when misplaced) is infectious. Billy Porter plays four different characters (two of whom are women) with aplomb. Charles Weldon is Birdie's husband Jackson who is quite engaging in a flash back as his younger self. The story line takes a rather abrupt turn near the end of the play. While it is certainly not unbelievable, it seems grafted on as being a conclusion of 'importance'. It feels like Ms. West felt she needed to bring a relevance to the material which has not been previously noted. The production is really a showcase for Ms. Merkerson and she succeeds admirably.
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