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Grandchildren
Repetitious but Important
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Kerri
Kanelos
December
18th 2005 |
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William
S. Yellow Robe, Jr., Playwright-in-Residence
at Trinity Rep, wrote Grandchildren of
the Buffalo Soldiers at the insistence
of his wife who succumbed to cancer in 1996.
As part African-American and Assiniboine,
Yellow Robe, Jr. had spent most of his life
feeling detached from his African roots. This
piece is his way to bring issues about race
and culture in the Native American community
to light in hopes of opening up a dialogue.
"What I want is for the play to provide
a point of civil discourse, where we can actually
sit and talk to one another without playing
the victim card, or 'my oppression was greater
than yours," he said.
Directed by
Lou Bellamy from the Penumbra Theatre Company
in Minnesota, Grandchildren follows
the story of the Robe children (Craig, Brent,
Elmo and Sugar) who are descendants of a since
deceased Native American mother and African-American
father. When eldest brother Craig returns
to his family on a Montana reservation to
witness his niece's naming ceremony, old wounds
regarding the family's heritage are reopened.
In the decade
since Craig's departure from the reservation,
brother Brent has distanced himself and the
rest of the family away from its African heritage
in an effort to find acceptance in the Native
community. Throughout the performance, it
is shown that sometimes full-blooded Indians
envy Native Americans with mixed heritage
because it can be easy to detach from Indian
roots to assimilate into their other cultures.
Since Craig is more visibly African-American
than his brothers and sister, it is much more
difficult for him to find a "home"
in either culture.
This is such
an important performance to witness because
it brings up topics about identity, oppression,
and race that are not found in mainstream
conversations. However, the performance did
seem to drag on a little too long while hammering
home the same points over and over again.
Trinity's Dowling
Theatre provides a great, intimate setting
for this hard-hitting performance. A simple,
practical stage with tall grasses, a blue
sky filled with puffy white clouds, and layered
wooden floors bring the audience home to the
Montana reservation.
The cast of
Grandchildren gave a rather convincing,
emotional performance with the exception of
James Craven (Craig), who seemed rather over-the-top
in his delivery. His monologues were overly
dramatic for no reason and did not mesh well
with the rest of the cast who appeared much
more down to earth.
Jake Hart (Brent)
gave an excellent performance because even
though he is the only sibling ashamed of his
African roots, one can't help but empathize
with his identity crisis. New York City actor
freedom bradley (Elmo) provided a great balance
as the Robe's youngest, developmentally disabled
brother, while Maya Washington (August) played
a convincing 10 year old, although this role
could have been stellar performed by a real
child as well. George A. Keller (Sugar) and
M. Cochise Anderson (Stevie) played a believable
married couple that is working together to
bring peace and understanding to their family
as well as their young daughter.
Grandchildren
of the Buffalo Soldiers runs through January
8th at Trinity Repertory Company, then continues
at theatres throughout New England. Contact
the box office (401-351-4242) for tickets
or visit www.trinityrep.com. |
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