'Southern Girls' shows signs of brilliance
By Andres Cardenas
Daily Forty-Niner
Growing up is never easy.
The play "Southern Girls," written by Dura
Temple and Sheri Bailey, traces the life of six women--three black and
three white--born and raised during the civil rights movement in Alabama.
"Southern Girls" is opening the University
Players' season at the University Players' Theater.
The play is a brilliant and moving play
about life during the civil rights period and has the right amount of humor
and tension to keep your attention and involvement.
This is a wonderful performance by six
talented women.
The play begins with the six women playing
games as children in 1952.
When the three black girls leave, two of
the white children start to talk about the black race. The scene shows
how the parents influence what the children think. In another scene, the
black girls discuss what their parents say about the white race.
The actresses involved in the play are
remarkable. From playing with dolls and talking like children, to growing
up as women that are different and individual from each other, the cast
did a wonderful job of growing in the play's two plus hours.
The play focuses on many different topics.
Each cast member has a moment to themselves
to let the audience know their thoughts. During the monologue of Wanda-Sue
Johnson, played by Denise White-Cloud, it is shown that she would like
to be a dancer. She then performs an artistic and outstanding dance performance.
Other characters such as Charlotte Cecil-Martin,
played by Lisa Klubniken, show how her life has changed through letters
to her childhood friend June-Adele Taylor, played by Kristal Greenlea.
Two cast members come to terms with their
past and their father. Charlotte and Wanda-Sue learn to deal with the fact
that they are half-sisters. Charlotte, who is white, and Wanda-Sue, who
is black, come together by the end of the play and begin to heal old wounds.
Two women that head out following their
dreams are Wanda-Sue and June-Adele. Wanda-Sue goes to New York and becomes
a dancer.
June-Adele joins the '60s experience and
travels the world. Charlotte almost falls victim to small town life but
becomes a journalist, which is what she thought about when she was younger.
The rest of the cast was also outstanding.
Naomi Hurdle, as Natasha M. Dyer, played a black woman who wants to change
the status quo. Her sister Ruth, Roxanne Sterling, is a stable presence
in Wanda-Sue and Naomi's life. Dolly Granger-Jackson, Emily Duval, plays
a conservative southern white woman who tragically gets what she wishes
for.
The play runs until Oct. 30, performing
Tuesday through Saturday. Performances on Tuesday through Thursday start
at 6 p.m. There is a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. All other performances
are at 8 p.m. |
![[news]](http://www.csulb.edu/~d49er/Icon/news.gif){kind=icon}
![[opinion]](http://www.csulb.edu/~d49er/Icon/opinion.gif){kind=icon}
![[sports]](http://www.csulb.edu/~d49er/Icon/sports.gif){kind=icon}