Is “Head of Passes” exceptional theater? Let me answer that question with two words—Phylicia Rashad (so yes!). Rashad plays Shelah, the ill matriarch of a Louisiana family who is dying and needs to tell her children. Her house is next to Head of Passes in Louisiana, an area where the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico meet. Although the home is lovely, it is easily flooded because of its location. On this evening, a party has been planned by Aubrey, Shelah’s oldest son. Although people were invited, no friends show up. The only people at the house, which has sprung multiple leaks in the living room because of severe rain, are Shelah’s younger son Spencer, her stepdaughter Cookie, her best friend Mae, Dr. Anderson, who gave her the deadly diagnosis, and Creaker and his son Crier. Those two are there to serve the partygoers.
Shelah is a Christian woman who does not even allow the word “devil” to be uttered in her house, even when it refers to the egg dish. She slowly learns that her son has planned a party for her and is glad for the opportunity to possibly tell her children about her illness and make plans for the future.
As each character enters the house, they bring another facet to this deep family drama. This play is not just about an elderly woman who is dying. It is about the family foundation she has built over the years and the family secrets she tried to ignore. A simple party, a birthday party for Shelah, becomes an almost impossible event to achieve.
Neither of Shelah’s sons are happy Cookie was invited. Cookie doesn’t speak to the family. She has a disgraceful existence with her two little sons. She is only someone who will be around to use Shelah. You feel Shelah’s pain as she looks at the state of her family and the state of her own life. You can feel this mother who has raised and loved her children but has also made mistakes in the way she raised them. Shelah finds herself taking a hard look at her life and the lives that she has given her children. She has to question decisions that she made as a parent. She has to question things she wondered about in her mind but never confronted in real time.
This drama, based on the book of Job in the Bible, makes one think of the strength and resiliency of the human spirit. It also brings to mind the people in Louisiana who suffered in Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, and the total sense of loss that they must have felt while still maintaining the strength to survive. It made me think of how much they must have questioned God’s purpose and wisdom and wanted to curse his name. This story by Tarell Alvin McCraney truly will touch your heart and soul. Between Shelah’s monologues as she speaks to God and the cohesive direction of Tina Landau, you will feel your mind, heart and soul touched on several levels.
One of the things that impressed me from the time that I entered the theater was the beauty and detailed work of the set by C. W. Mercier. The innocent, delicate look of this Louisiana home, far away from the main town, is so vividly and drastically disrupted, you can’t help but break down with Shelah as the structure and foundation of her home, her person and her family break down in front of your eyes.
While it is beautifully obvious that Rashad is the star of this riveting drama, she is also joined by a phenomenal cast, which includes Francois Battiste as Aubrey, the oldest son and the person who is worried about his mother. He is the son she raised to think he could take on the world. J. Bernard Calloway comes in with high energy and focus as Spencer, the son who tries to help but usually messes things up. Alana Arenas is exceptional as Cookie, the stepdaughter who is holding in a secret that is causing her a lot of pain and anguish. Arnetia Walker is endearing as Mae, Shelah’s childhood friend and someone who tries to be there to help her. John Earl Jelks is amusing as Creaker, a waiter who likes to sample the liquor bottles while he works. Kyle Beltran delivers a fired-up performance as Crier, Creaker’s son who he only recognizes when he’s tipsy. Crier has serious son/father issues going on that he lets come to the surface.
“Head of Passes” is a must-see! It will make you appreciate the life that you have and realize that there are a lot of people less fortunate than you.
For more information, visit www.publictheater.org.
