In 'Stick Fly,' a Family That Has It All – Except

Tracie Thoms as Taylor and Dulé Hill as Kent “Spoon” LeVay, left photo, and Mekhi Phifer as “Flip” LeVay and Rosie Benton as Kimber in “Stick Fly.” Photos by Richard Termine.

BY TAMARA BECK

MONEY and privilege rarely insulate a family from its dystopias.

In Lydia R. Diamond’s “Stick Fly,” in an open run at The Cort Theatre, both money and privilege play a big part in the LeVay family dynamics.

“Stick Fly” takes place over a weekend in the LeVay’s mansion on Martha’s Vineyard. Harold, the elder son, known to all as “Flip” (Mekhi Phifer) wants to introduce his girlfriend, Kimber (Rosie Benton) to his family, including his dad, Joe (Ruben Santiago-Hudson). His brother Kent (Dulé Hill) has brought his fiancee, Taylor (Tracie Thoms), to meet the folks, too.

The LeVays are extraordinary and extremely accomplished. Joe is a neurosurgeon. Flip has followed the patriarchal business, except he is a plastic surgeon. Kent has a series of degrees. To the chagrin of his father, however, he has chosen to be a writer. Despite his father’s disappointment, even Kevin has succeeded since he is about to become a published novelist.

“Stick Fly” makes for an interesting metaphor for LRD’s examination of the LeVay clan. The play’s title comes from Taylor’s field of expertise. The neglected daughter of a prominent scholar and sociologist, Taylor is an entomologist. As she explains, since flies move so fast that it is hard for scientists to study them, they Krazy Glue them to popsicle sticks and photograph the movements of their wings.

Playwright LRD asks weighty questions about class, fealty, pride and race in “Stick Fly” – the LeVays are black – while punctuating the discussion with genuinely funny dialogue.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Dulé Hill as a father and son who ae sometimes at odds in “Stick Fly.”

Everyone in “Stick Fly” is excellent, but Condola Rashad is extremely moving as the LeVays’ maid who is forced to deal with difficult issues of family and connection. The scenes between TT and RB, which morph from fire to friendly competitiveness, also stand out.

Alicia Keys, a producer of “Stick Fly,” has written transitional music to move the action from scene to scene. These entr’actes have the potential to annoy. Or do they? In one scene, as the young folks come into the kitchen one by one, the music draws out the tension. It’s unnerving but it underscores what is going on – not allowing the “hurry-up” moment be rushed.

There is no curtain so the gorgeously architectural swoops of David Gallo’s complex and opulent set are on display throughout the evening. The majestic grandeur of the house is an eye-catching backdrop for the play.

To learn more about “Stick Fly” visit http://http://www.stickflybroadway.com/.

In ‘The Mountaintop,’ a Failed Attempt at a Setdown

Samuel L. Jackson (the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) and Camae (Angela Bassett) have a meeting of the minds in "The Mountaintop." Photos by Joan Marcus.

BY TAMARA BECK

FOR some of us, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a touchstone, a change agent who helped the United States move toward the better.

In Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop,” at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre through 16 Jan., MLK (Samuel L. Jackson) is just a man.

KH has re-imagined Dr. King’s last night at the Lorraine Motel before his assassination on 4 April 1968 as an evening spent chatting, flirting and cadging Pall Malls from a chambermaid named Camae (Angela Bassett)

In KH’s fiction, Camae brings room-service coffee to MLK’s Room 306 in a rainstorm, and stays to discuss tactics of nonviolence, Malcolm X, the Black Panthers, as well as whether the civil rights activist should shave his mustache.

Is there any excuse to deflate the legacy of MLK this way?

Chambermaid Camae (Angela Bassett) pays a call on a very special guest of the Lorraine Motel in "The Mountaintop."

It is no secret that the man had an eye for the ladies, nor that the FBI used wiretaps to try to entrap him. Despite its pacifist credo and inclusiveness, the Civil Rights Movement that MLK led was radical.

Of course, MLK’s contribution to American life is big enough to withstand its trivialization in “The Mountaintop.” However, if as SLJ has said, a generation of children doesn’t know the great man, “The Mountaintop” does not portray with him the dignity he deserves.

While the play seems to minimize MLK’s stature by emphasizing that he is a mere mortal, the production does pay close attention to some details. For instance, set designer David Gallo traveled to the Lorraine to meticulously recreate Room 306.

AB is convincing as a downhome, smart and opinionated young woman, boldly saying whatever pops into her head. As played by AB, Camae is comfortable even in the presence of a man she admires as much as the sassy maid looks up to “Preacher Kang.”

Martin Luther King (Samuel L. Jackson) had an interesting encounter in the Lorraine Motel the night before he was assassinated in "The Mountaintop."

SLJ has the tougher role in convincing audiences that he is genuinely MLK. Like the set designer, the actor has done his homework. In order to replicate the minister's conversational speech patterns as SLJ does so well in “The Mountaintop,” he listened to some of MLK's interviews. SLJ has the stature and chops to play any role convincingly and he acquits himself well in following KH’s lead in showing MLK as an ordinary man.

The truth lies, as it always does, somewhere between myth and history but the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not an ordinary man.

Visit http://http://www.themountaintopplay.com/ to learn more about “The Mountaintop.”