Rory Dale
Marler Stone and Teresa Willis are cast members of an anti-lynching play in "Trouble in Mind" at Circuit.
It's anyone's guess why Circuit Playhouse (on Poplar Avenue) will soon be renamed the Evergreen Theatre. Or why Playhouse on the Square (on Cooper) will next be called Circuit Playhouse. Or why the grand new theater on Cooper and Union will inherit the name Playhouse on the Square when 1) it is not on the square, and 2) if the people who own nearby Overton Square get their way, then Playhouse by the Supermarket will be a better name for the theater company.
Why can't the new theater, opening next week, begin life with a new name? Something that won't confuse the same theater people who still refer to the local university as "Memphis State."
Rory Dale
Marler Stone and Teresa Willis are cast members of an anti-lynching play in "Trouble in Mind" at Circuit.
Five years from now, I predict that we'll still be sending people off to see shows at the new Playhouse or the new Circuit. Or in reminiscing upon the good ol' days, we'll talk about the old Circuit and the old Playhouse.
The genesis of my kvetching is this: There's now a very nice show running at Circuit Playhouse called "Trouble in Mind." It's the last of Playhouse's regular-season plays that will appear at the theater on Poplar. After this one ends, all the plays move to the new Circuit, or the old Playhouse, whichever you fancy.
The annoying name changes make it hard to focus on all the great things Circuit (the current one) offers theatergoers: proximity to the stage, good sight lines and an intimate feel. The same ensemble-driven dramas won't have the same environmental embrace in the new Circuit Playhouse.
Directed by Tony Horne, "Trouble in Mind" illustrates how well the venue amplifies a wide emotional range. Circuit has long been the actors' stage.
Set in 1955, the cast of a new Broadway play has gathered for the first read-through of the script, an anti-lynching play. The four black actors slowly realize that the white director, played by Tony Isbell, has a different idea of what realism looks like when it is portrayed by a black actor.
The play brings to mind past Circuit hits such as "Orson's Shadow" and "The Compleat Female Stage Beauty," inspired by pages from theater history. In this case, playwright Alice Childress provides a clever satire of the so-called liberal white artists who try to take on a noble minority cause, not really knowing how minorities feel about that cause.
Horne's actors give performances that are so incisive that the script comes across as a contemporary critique on that historical period when black men and women could only get roles portraying stereotypes.
Teresa Willis, in particular, evolves beautifully as a typecast "Mammy" character who finally insists on artistic integrity at the risk of getting fired. Maya Geri Robinson is Millie, a glamorous actress consigned to playing maids.
"I know what's right, but I need this job," she sighs.
Some will be stunned to learn the play was written in 1955. "Trouble in Mind" holds up beautifully in the hands of this cast and under the proscenium of this beloved little theater.
"Trouble in Mind"
The play continues through Feb. 7 at Circuit Playhouse, 1705 Poplar. Shows are 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $20. Call 726-4656.
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Comments » 1
CrowTRobot writes:
This is the first I've heard of the name changes. If true, it's unfortunate...and seemingly pointless.
But then, I'm one of those who still says 'Memphis State'.
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