‘Plantanos y Collard Greens’ could use a few more ingredients
Not having tried the combination, I can’t say whether plantanos and collard greens go together, gastronomically speaking.
In the Ensemble Theatre’s “Plantanos y Collard Greens,” however, David Lamb’s half-baked script undermines some potentially tasty ingredients, theatrically speaking.
The play sets out to portray the romance of African-American Freeman and Latina Angelita, and the challenges generated chiefly by prejudices and preconceptions of friends and family — and perhaps, a little, by themselves.
Though not a new idea, it’s essentially sound and, with the right detailing, could afford a timely and involving evening of theater.
The problem is that every time the script seems about to actually develop a scene between Freeman and Angelita, or any other combination of characters, the dialogue lapses into a slew of extended digressions — examples from history or pop culture, about this or that ethnicity.
A little cultural background, unobtrusively incorporated into the action, is fine. But most of these speeches come across as labored and stilted. And there simply are too many, giving the sense that the footnotes are swamping the main text. The result is that the central relationship remains largely undramatized and we never get to know the hero and heroine well enough to care whether things work out for them or not.
Things improve some- what in Act 2, as we get a few scenes of characters simply interacting, without the speechifying. The story seems to be getting underway, fast forward and in broad strokes. But even here, the scholarly asides keep erupting. At least in one scene, a speech by Freeman’s father segues into the character teaching a class, which somewhat explains the lecture-y tone.
Overall, the play feels like a symposium, interrupted by a bit of sitcom here, a burst of hip-hop poetry there. The opening and closing scenes, in fact, depict a freewheeling poetry slam. And though Freeman’s title poem isn’t the best example of the genre, still, the play might have benefited from a more extensive use of the format.
Director Rachel Hemphill Dickson brings a good deal of energy and feeling to the rendition, with several pantomime scenes striving to fill in the script’s narrative gaps.
The production’s most helpful asset is the personable cast, mostly young actors new to the company. You might consider this the Ensemble’s “New Faces of 2016.”
Atseko Factor brings an inquisitive edge to regular guy hero Freeman. Nina L. Garcia exudes vivacity and spirit as Angelita, one of those heroines who talks back.
As Pops, Freeman’s father, Jeffery Brown smoothly suggests the setin-his-ways, yet wise, parental figure. Cheryl Boyd gamely enacts Angelita’s mother, Samana, the most exaggeratedly intolerant character, dead set against her daughter dating a black man. Her confrontation with Pops, with its uneasy comedy, is one of the more potent moments.
Tai Spikes has some good moments as Malady, who’s sweet on, but spurned by Freeman. The play hands her a big speech decrying Freeman’s pursuit of lighter-skinned women, somewhat awkward in its writing, yet Spikes puts it across with her earnest intensity.
Brandon Morgan has the play’s most overtly comic role as OK, Freeman’s buddy. He’s the card, the mischievous cut-up, slyly incorrigible. Morgan makes the most of the scene-stealing opportunities.
So there are elements in “Plantanos y Collard Greens” that we can say are perfectly OK.
everett.evans@chron.com