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Barbara Loots
Alice Childress’ classic, TROUBLE IN MIND, is currently onstage at the Baxter Theatre until 1 June 2024. It sees a stacked and stellar cast (Thembi Mtshali-Jones, Antony Coleman, Royston Stoffels, Nicky Rebelo, Adrian Collins, Daniel Newton, Lyle October, Awethu Hleli, Tamzin Williams and Alyssa van Reenen) take on this nuanced script under the direction of Mdu Kweyama.
Childress’ TROUBLE IN MIND has as interesting a staging history as the story it tells. It is a thought-provoking and ground-breaking play that puts a spotlight on sexism and racism, which themes remain ever relevant in a time when we sadly still see “isms” marginalising and demoralising so many.
Set in 1950s New York, TROUBLE IN MIND follows the challenges and tensions faced by a multi-racial group of actors as they come together to rehearse and perform a fictional play that reflects on the racial tensions that characterised the South at the time when black Americans were struggling to step out of the shackles of slavery to claim their right to vote. As such, it has been described as a play-within-a-play with the lead character, Wiletta Mayer, playing the role of Ruby in the fictional play.
As rehearsals progress, Wiletta struggles with the manner in which Ruby is asked to react to the demise of her son. As this unfolds, tension amongst the cast and director build in their understanding of what is proper and expected of everyone when unpacking a script during such a process. This is at first revealed through light-hearted and comical nudges and banter, but progressively the masks are dropped and the ever-simmering angers and prejudices are revealed.
When it first opened in 1955 Off-Broadway, directed by Childress herself, TROUBLE IN MIND was very well received. In that version, the heart-breaking end viewed through the eyes of Wiletta, was crucial to the type of story Childress wanted to tell. With the option of a Broadway transfer looking possible, a white producer (in a clear case of life imitating art, with this man reminding of the racially blinkered director, Al Manners, in TROUBLE IN MIND), requested that Childress rewrite the ending to produce something that would bring more comfort to an audience. With much eventual regret, Childress relented, and replaced her original heart-wrenching ending with one the New York Times described as lacking passion. Childress eventually didn’t recognise her own play anymore with all the rewrites she was asked to do in exchange for getting it to Broadway, that she rather retained her artistic integrity and passed on a Broadway transfer at the time. Because she stood up for herself and her vision, TROUBLE IN MIND only made its Broadway premiere in 2021.
Thankfully, as a result of Childress taking a stand for her play, it is the moving original version that the Baxter Theatre is currently staging, giving Childress’ words and vision the respectful acknowledgment and opportunity for praise it deserves. The text is undeniably witty, layered, and poignant. Bringing it to life is no easy task. For a play that touches on an array of important themes, its impact on an audience should equate to someone subtly pressing a finger on an exposed nerve with the pressure gradually building. That should be reflected in the way the play moves from comedic to heartbreaking as the tension between the characters build. This requires a very specific tempo and well-established rapport between the performers.
In the current staging of TROUBLE IN MIND, the pacing of the play is rather lethargic and falls short of that required build-up to let its dramatic ending truly sing. On opening night, the performers felt a tad under rehearsed with cues being missed, delayed in delivery, or even interrupted, giving the impression that the cast was so focused on their lines and their American accents that they forgot to listen to each other to allow a natural conversation to develop in a way that allows for emotional nuances. Hopefully, this is something that will settle within the show’s run.
Unfortunately, because of this, that raw nerve revelation that Childress’ text builds up to did not ring true on the night. This is sadly ironic, as the character of Wiletta throughout struggles with the question of whether an actor in a performance should merely rely on expected (and easily accepted) motivation of a character’s actions or whether a delivery should reveal real, lived truth. The current staging feels to fall prey to the former.
The entry of the dubious Bill O’Wray (Adrian Collins) after interval does mix things up a bit, causing a momentary spike in tone, but that energy does not ripple through to adjust the pace in general. The occasional truth bombs dropped by Millie Davis (Awethu Hleli) has the same effect of intermittent emotional flair-ups in the play. That gives one hope that something may still happen to bring this production together with a bit more punch and oomph.
Amidst all this, one does find the occasional sincere moment that shines through in conversations between Wiletta (Thembi Mtshali-Jones) and the fictional theatre’s elderly Irish doorman, Henry (Nicky Rebelo). These intimate interludes are true gems. There’s an ease in delivery to the interaction between Mtshali-Jones and Rebelo. I would easily have watched a two-hander that unpacks the world and its tragic, prejudicial shackles through the conversation and eyes of these two characters.
The antics of the over-eager stage manager, Eddie Fenton (Daniel Newton), brings sporadic lightness to the production. The role can so easily fall into the trap of merely playing the fool, but Newton leans into the comedic moments without overplaying the bit. In so doing Fenton acts as a mirror to the narrow-minded, Al Manners (Antony Coleman).
Observing the audience reaction to the play on the night, it was clear that there is a definite age divide in the manner the play is received and the crux of it processed. This was especially apparent when the character of Sheldon Forrester (Royston Stoffels) vividly relates a childhood trauma of seeing a man lynched. The older sector of the audience took in this telling with quiet contemplation while the younger component received it as a comedic delivery, laughing as Sheldon describes the burned body that was once a person. This left me perplexed and concerned, and I am still not sure how to process that.
Design-wise, the show gives a good first impression. The set looks striking and gives the impression of an empty stage which begs to be transformed into a fully fleshed out production, which in theory should work beautifully for the setting of TROUBLE IN MIND.
The issue with the set though is that it looks good but delivers on little else when it comes to functional aspects. While there are moving parts, the purpose behind those appears to be little more than to allow Henry to signal the removal of parts of it as he occasionally shuffles across the stage. This adds nothing to the unfolding story apart from showing the audience the set is cool, and it moves.
The one very smart aspect – the use of the dimly lit Baxter’s Main Theatre as the backdrop to the Flipside stage to place the whole play on a stage in preparation for a performance – is abandoned fairly soon into the production. As such, the impressive set reveals itself as a case of form over substance.
There are some design inconsistencies too: The production goes all out to give the audience the ‘50s New York feel with the beautiful and elaborate costumes, but then drops the ball by letting the fabulously clad actors sip out of modern-day disposable coffee cups. This adds to the impression that the aim was to dress the production with a lot of “things”, but not necessarily considering what all the “things” add to the story.
I exited the theatre with mixed feelings about this TROUBLE IN MIND. I am not sure the current staging has sufficiently settled to do justice to Childress’ words and vision. I do hope that it does so soon, as the play has all the bones of a very witty and moving night at the theatre.
You can catch TROUBLE ON MIND onstage at the Baxter Theatre’s Flipside until 1 June 2024, with bookings online through Webtickets.