“Voice of Good Hope” inspires at Civic Theatre

By Emilie E. Tole
Western Herald

The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre’s production of “Voice of Good Hope” is inspiring and thought-provoking.

The play, which is fairly new — it premiered in Chicago only ten years ago – was written by Michigan native Kristine Thatcher.

“Voice of Good Hope” is a biographical account of the late congresswoman Barbara Jordan. Barbara Jordan was the first black woman from the deep South to hold a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The play begins at the end and goes through a series of flashback scenes to recount pivotal points in her life and career. These scenes are few and long and are mostly shared between two actors. There are no company scenes, and I found this aspect of the production different, yet intriguing.

The play is performed in the intimate space of the Parish Theatre, and therefore, the set is very limited. All props remain on the stage for the play’s entirety, but are strategically relocated and used when necessary. I usually prefer simpler sets so the focus is on the actors and actresses. However, the first half of this production left me looking for other places to focus my attention.

The play itself is beautifully written and Alfrelynn J. Roberts was fantastic in her portrayal of Barbara Jordan. Unfortunately, these theatrical gems were not well complemented by most of the cast in the first half. This is not to say that the cast did a poor job or were given poor direction, but the unequivocal talent of Roberts surpassed their performances.

The second half of “Voice of Good Hope” was much improved. I found myself fully engaged in the scenes and being convinced of their historical reality. This portion of the play is peppered with ethical and moral conversations and left me considering my values and priorities.

Throughout most of the play, Jordan is portrayed as a powerful and influential career woman, but in the last scene the audience is introduced to Barbara Jordan as a more emotional being.

The play is an excellent account of the life of Barbara Jordan and I feel influenced by her even though I had no previous knowledge of her before I saw the production. It is a story of determination, relationships, values and the struggles in life that sometimes get in the way of our hopes for success. The story of Barbara Jordan is one of encouragement and empowerment.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Feb 25 2010. Filed under A & E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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