Roz White and Teresa Castracane star in MetroStage's production of "Black Pearl Sings!" now through May 29. Photo by Chris Banks
MetroStage is presenting "Black Pearl Sings!" by playwright Frank Higgins now through May 29.
The story centers around musicologist Susannah Mullally who works in a Texas prison during the 1930's Depression-era who discovers inmate Alberta “Pearl” Johnson who might have information about the origin of a song that can be traced back to its original roots in Africa. Susannah is an ambitious Library of Congress musicologist searching for the African roots of slave songs. Pearl is a strong-willed African American inmate with a soulful voice and steely spirit. The two develop a fascinating relationship that arises from an unlikely partnership that features 19 American folk and spiritual songs.
Some of the musical numbers include: "Little Sally Walker," "Six Feet of Earth," "This Little Light of Mine," "Do Lord, Remember Me," and "No More Auction Block for Me." The music director is William Hubbard and the director is Sandra L. Holloway.
MetroStage Producing Artistic Director Carolyn Griffin said that she is always looking for "little gems" that will showcase some of their favorite actors, so when Roz White mentioned "Black Pearl Sings!" to her last season, it seemed to completely fit the bill, she said.
"Roz is one of our favorite, versatile actors, and the role of Alberta 'Pearl' Johnson is perfect for her: rich dramatic acting and a capella singing," she said. Playing opposite her in this two-person show is Teresa Castracane, an actor making her MetroStage debut.
"But in addition to these great roles for two actors, this play has such an interesting historical base, given the fact that in the ‘30s there was such an interest by ethnomusicologists searching for the origins of American slave songs and other indigenous music," said Griffin.
And with the Library of Congress right here, there are tens of thousands of recorded songs from the 1930s that are fortunately preserved for history because of this research, she added.
Griffin said she finds it interesting when a playwright is influenced by some historical fact (remember last fall in MetroStage's "Uprising," which used John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry as a jumping off point, leading to a fascinating story with a historic base, she added).
"The playwright in the case of 'Black Pearl Sings!' has created two very memorable characters both on important journeys, depicted by two very interesting, accomplished actors," said Griffin. "And that is what we do at MetroStage."
Actress Teresa Castracane plays the role of Susannah, a Depression-era musicologist who travels the country looking for folk songs to record for the Library of Congress. "She's driven, ambitious, and has sacrificed some personal relationships for the sake of her ambition," she said. "But she has also suffered setbacks due to being a woman in her field, at a time when it was expected she would marry and have babies. Through the play, she learns some lessons that begin to open her up a bit."
She said the two actors spent a good deal of time calibrating the initial tension between the two characters. "It was important to see some friction between these two strong-willed women, so that there would be room for their relationship to grow," she said. "At the same time, we didn't want to go so far that audiences would feel alienated or put off. There was a lot of wiggle room in the script on this point, and it was fun to fine-tune our work on that first scene to start the story off on the right foot."
She thinks the play is for anyone interested in seeing strong female characters and relationships on stage. "It also provides a lot of food for thought on the topic of race relations and the troubled history of this country," she said.
She added: "Most of all, though, I'm hoping that audiences will be moved — by the story, but especially by the music. There are songs of every emotional color in this play, and so far, I'm really enjoying watching our audiences enjoy those musical moments."
Performances for "Black Pearl Sings!" are Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $55 to $60 with student and active military discounts available. For ticket reservations, call the theatre at 703-548-9044 or go online to www.metrostage.org. The venue is located at 1201 North Royal St., in North Old Town Alexandria. There is free parking and fine dining nearby. The theatre is handicap accessible.