Last night, I had a beautiful Broadway night with The Mom’s Denise Albert and a few other bloggers. We went to see Alicia Keys’ play Stick Fly, which is playing on Broadway at the Cort Theatre. Produced by Alicia Keys, among others, this play is a vivid look at family drama in an affluent African American home. After the play, there was a talk-back with the cast and Alicia Keys, moderated by La La Vasquez.
I don’t want to spoil it for you but here’s a bit about the play:
The play is based in a home on Martha’s Vineyard, where the uber-rich summer. Kent (Dule Hill who plays Gus on Psych) is bringing his new fiance, Taylor (played by Tracie Thoms of Rent), home for the first time. Taylor is a firecracker. She is feisty and opinionated, not to mention insanely smart. His father, Joe Le Vay (played by Ruben Santiago-Hudson of Lackawanna Blues), is a doctor and every bit the male macho stereotypical father, who fishes and hunts with his like-minded son, Flip (Mekhi Phifer). The play addresses race issues in an in-your-face direct manner that the audience appreciates. Taylor gets into it with Flip’s girl, Kimber (Rosie Benton), who is Caucasian. They argue over white privilege and the angst of a vocal young black woman. While expertly addressing these issues in artfully spun dialogues, there is a soap-opera juicy storyline that plays out with Cheryl (Condola Rashad), the family’s long-time maid’s daughter. The play was gripping and the dialogue delightful but it is the actors’ portrayal of the roles that brought it all to life in an incredible manner. Condola accurately portrays Cheryl’s teen innocence but budding sexuality. She noted though, that she’s not an emotional person so it was a bit of an effort for her. She had to learn not to try to be emotional and just let it flow. The audience rooted for Taylor, the new girl trying to fit in. Traci said, “Taylor and I have an interesting relationship. She takes a lot out of me. She is raw and open and I’m not. I’m usually the level-headed one. With her, I had to layer everything on top of each other. Its the most challenging thing I’ve ever done.”
Alicia Keys came on for talk-back. She chatted with La La Vasquez about what drew her to the play and what the process was like for her. She also did the music for the play. She noted that, “The genius needs to be credited to Lydia Diamond (playwright). For her to have the pulse and protray it directly…art is supposed to send you on this eye-opening mind trip and this play did that.”
If you get a chance, go see Stick Fly. Its such delightful entertainment and would make a great date night. For more information, go to www.stickflybroadway.com. For discount rates to the show, see below:
Vera Sweeney is a mom of two beautiful children and the founder of 
