In “The Refuge Plays,” Nathan Alan Davis has delivered a gem to Broadway that looks at the connection shared by family members over generations; a haunting connection that allows our passed-on relatives to visit us, warn us, guide and advise us about positive, helpful things we can do to improve our lives. I love that they can also give you a few bucks.
The world that Davis creates in “The Refuge Plays” will touch you on different levels. Deep down, we all want to believe that our loved ones who have gone on are able to be around us and help us with this journey called life. In Davis’s work, the family of Grandma Early shares a special connection.
This Roundabout Theater production at the Laura Pels Theatre Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (W. 46th Street) gives the story of this family in a reverse order. We first see members of the family in the present time and they are struggling, living in a home that Grandma Early and Grandpa Eddie built in the middle of the woods in Southern Illinois; a house that needs wood to have heat, where water comes from the creek, and with an old truck that belonged to Grandpa Eddie.
The family members who live in this one-level home are Gail, her daughter Joy, her grandson Ha-Ha, and her mother-in-law Grandma Early. Gail is a recent widow; her husband Walking Man was killed in a freak accident. Elderly Grandma Early has nothing but contempt for Gail and speaks to her harshly all the time (and has her reasons for resenting Gail). She has a soft spot for Joy and Ha-ha, however.
Everyone in this family has experienced seeing and speaking with Walking Man. What he tells Gail is shocking.
There are a lot of spiritual aspects in this production. As the scenes change, you are taken into detailed moments of the backstory of the matriarch of this family. You learn about her parents, get to know what Walking Man was like as a young man, and see when he first met Gail. Finally, we see where Grandma Early’s story began.
There is something very poignant about watching a story told backward, in a manner of speaking.
The play is 3½ hours with two intermissions, but it is worth it. You walk out feeling a connection to your own family tree.
The cast is terrific. Early is played by Nicole Ari Parker, who delivers every metamorphosis of this character with distinction and vitality. She has a marvelous presence on stage that will grip your attention.
Jessica Frances Dukes is extraordinary as Gail. Her emotions are so raw and so real, and her reactions to her mother in law, Grandma Early, are so understandable. You truly sympathize with this character on many levels, but you also understand her sudden change of spirit.
Ngozi Anyanwu is wonderful as Joy. She is trying to balance her love and respect for her grandmother with her need to defend her mother. She is also someone who is being thrust into responsibility.
JJ Wynder as Ha-Ha, Joy’s son, is charming. He has been sheltered a lot from the outside world and he seems fine with the simplistic existence he has with his family in the woods. He buys into the ways of his family, which is very interesting.
Crazy Eddie, Early’s husband, is magnificently played by Daniel J. Watts. He delivers this character with a lot of compassion, understanding, and gentleness.
Lance Coadie Williams is completely funny, delightful, and engaging as Dax, Crazy Eddie’s younger gay brother.
Mallori Taylor Johnson is quite lovely as Symphony, a love interest for Ha-Ha and someone who has a mysterious connection with the family.
Lizan Mitchell is stunning as Clydette, the mother of Early and grandmother of Walking Man. She delivers her role with grace, tenderness, and love. She is joined in this gorgeous delivery by Jerome Preston Bates as he plays Reginald, Early’s father and Walking Man’s grandfather. These spirits walk the earth to assist their living generations on their journeys in life. The spirits also facilitate what needs to happen to continue a very spiritual journey for this family.
What do I mean? You’ll have to go to see it to find out.
For more info about “The Refuge Plays,” visit roundabouttheatre.org.
