In the eye of the beholder

"How do you get somebody to love you?"

That is the question at the center of the theatre department's production of The Bluest Eye, a successful adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel of the same name by playwright Lydia R. Diamond. The show is playing at the Kay Theatre at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Pecola Breedlove (Ellentinya Dodd) is an 11-year-old black girl from what her peers call a "peculiar" family in Lorain, Ohio, in the 1940s. She admires the beauty of light-skinned girls — particularly their blue eyes. She tries to make herself disappear from a world that shuns her as she "pray[s] for God to deliver [her] blue eyes."

Her mother, Pauline (Carmen Samuel), is a hardworking woman who keeps a house for a white family and is extremely strict with her daughter. Her father, Cholly (Baakari Wilder), is an abusive alcoholic whose behaviors stem from childhood tragedy. After an intense domestic dispute that drives the family apart, Pecola is taken in by the MacTeers, another poor, black family in her community.

Pecola befriends the family's two daughters, Claudia (Amanda C. Miller) and Frieda (Jasmine Meadows), and the three explore their feelings on poverty and race. They also evaluate what they truly need to be happy, as well as a family life with their father (Josef Mensah), a man who likes everything done precisely, and their mother (Dayana Byrnes), a proud woman with more attitude than she knows what to do with.

When Pecola discovers Soaphead Church (Thony Mena), a dream reader and pseudo-prophet, she thinks he may hold the key to what would make her feel beautiful and loved: blue eyes. "I want them blue," Pecola says, "so my mama will love me and I'll have friends."

Throughout the play, the ensemble cast deals with issues of racism, abuse, poverty and love. Maureen Peal, the girls' rich and beautiful classmate (Kiara Tinch), is a foil to the MacTeer family's poverty and fuels Pecola's desire for beauty, and Darlene (played on opening night by understudy Alexis Fortiz), a young woman from Cholly's past, experiences both love and racism. Meanwhile, the town's gossiping women (Ilan Najee, Erica Philpot and Hectorlyne Wuor) are judgmental and do not realize the ongoing struggles in their community.

The story is told partially through narrators, including Claudia, Frieda and Soaphead Church, and partially through dialogue. Director Walter Dallas helped the young actors blend these two techniques seamlessly, creating a show that flows smoothly as the story progresses.

Despite the raw, emotion-filled storytelling, there are also a few welcome laughs. Byrnes steals scenes as Claudia and Frieda's mother. Her attitude is over-the-top, and she keeps the audience doubled over in laughter. Claudia, Frieda and the townswomen also have several witty lines, which help break up the otherwise solemn and serious story.

A lot of the story is told on a stage populated only by actors with no set and few props. This minimalist take on scenery, which at first seems like an awkward choice, streamlines the story. With actors entering and exiting, there is no time to switch set pieces around. Instead, the cast pantomimes sleeping in beds, washing dishes and hanging up clothes on a clothesline — an effective method that never leaves the audience wondering where the action is taking place.

The crew is certainly due credit. The lighting is extremely important, as it is the only aspect of the stage that ever changes. The lighting represents seasons, times of day and even emotions. Overall, those backstage created the atmosphere in which the story is told.

For the most part, Friday's performance of The Bluest Eye went off without a hitch. All the cast members were genuine and believable. The only problem is that without microphones, the actors really needed to project, so a select few lines were difficult to make out (particularly when the actors are competing with the audience's aforementioned uproarious laughter).

Most importantly, everyone involved with the production obviously understands the significance of the story they were telling. The Bluest Eye, while entertaining, is often emotional and delves into the darkness of these characters' hearts — characters who have faced difficult pasts and continue to struggle with their identity in a country dominated by white people. Parts of the play are best described by the play itself: "a secret, terrible, awful story."

Yet, at the same time, it seems The Bluest Eye is also a celebration of these characters' dreams — dreams of happiness for their futures and for each other.

By all accounts, The Bluest Eye is yet another success from the theatre department. The performances are powerful, the story is meaningful and the lessons learned are important. A dedicated cast and crew make The Bluest Eye a wonderful journey of self-identification and struggle.

The Bluest Eye plays through Friday at the Kay Theatre in CSPAC. Student tickets are $9.

afreedman@umdbk.com

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5