(L to R center) B’Ellana Duquesne as Mama and Kimberly Gilbert as D, with members of the ensemble of Charm at Mosaic Theater Company of DC, January 5-29, 2017. Photo by Stan Barouh.
I wish I could make watching “Charm” at Mosaic Theater
a mandatory assignment.
“Charm” is a play written in unflinching, witty and heartbreakingly quick exchanges by Philip Dawkins, a Chicago native.
The playwright’s ear for dialogue and nuance would be obvious even if the cast did not do the lines justice. This is not the case: The ensemble cast, led by B’Ellana Duquesne in the role of Mama, an older transgender woman who feels compelled to volunteer at a center for transgender and queer at-risk youths, is as good as it gets. This is not hyperbole. It would be all too easy for any of the characters to turn in an over-the-top performance, but they all deliver strong and restrained turns as a group of individuals whose lives have not been easy because of the very essence of who they are.
D, the apprehensive and overprotective queer foil to Mama’s expansive and surprisingly heteronormative persona, is brought to life with fearful and loving energy by Kimberly Gilbert. Where Mama wants her class of trans youths to self-identify and behave like young ladies and gentlemen, D is there to remind us that there is a gray area and not just in terms of gender.
Mama’s class is vibrant and tragic. Justin Weaks, as Jonelle, is a miniskirt-wearing kitten who identifies as a straight male. Nyla Rose’s Ariella has so much love to give that it turns on itself. The odd couple, Donnie and Victoria, played by Louis E. Davis and Jade Jones, seem to be there just for the free food but are far more than they appear. The dangerous loner, Beta, played by Clayton Pelham, Jr., carries a depth of character and of feeling that is mostly hidden by his shades. There’s Joe Brack’s sweet and sad Lady and, finally, squeaky-clean smarty Logan, who hears about Mama’s class through Tumblr.
Their ensemble work is excellent. The play off each other’s energies feels natural and unforced, as if we were really looking into their epiphanies and insights for the first time. Kudos to director Natsu Onoda Power for bringing the cast together in such a brilliant way. They take characters that on the surface would seem difficult to relate to (at least to this cis-gendered and heteronormative audience member) and turn them into people who feel like friends, or even, family–vulnerable family members, threatened by a society who wants to make sense of them, even as they themselves cannot make sense of what their true wants and needs are.
Watching this play at this very moment in history feels especially appropriate: How can we embrace only the things that make us great when we punish the parts of ourselves that we don’t understand or that we choose to suppress and to shun? Mama guides us through a tough but rewarding two hours and 40 minutes of teachings in how to behave better, starting with how you behave better toward yourself. There is a 15-minute intermission if you need to get some tissues, though you are warned: Bring some.
What: “Charm” by Philip Dawkins, directed by Natsu Onoda Power
Where: Mosaic Theater Company at the Atlas Performing Arts Center
When: Through January 29. For times and tickets, click here.
Why: Because if you’re not marching, this is a great way to be part of the #resistance