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The Talented Tenth
By Richard Wesley
Directed by Aaron Todd Douglas
Produced by Congo Square Theatre Company
At Green Street Theatre at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts
777 N. Green Street
Chicago, IL
Call 312-733-6000, tickets $30, 2-for-1 for Saturday matinees
Thursday & Friday at 8 pm
Saturdays at 2 & 8 pm
Sundays at 3 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 10 minutes with intermission
Through April 20, 2008
“The talented tenth were those exceptional blacks who were destined to save their people from ''contamination and death.'' --W. E. B. Du Bois
Worthy look into the Black upper class unfolds
Congo Square Theatre has mounted comedy-drama that deals with the role of the new privileged class of Black that has emerging throughout America in the last decades. Playwright Richard Wesley, himself a Howard University and member of the Black elite, has penned a story about a group of best friends since their youthful idealistic days at college.
We see them in the 1980’s as they are vacationing in the Caribbean as they speak about money, social status and their enjoyment of the good life. Bernard (Ron Conner) still has socially liberal tendencies that foster guilt at not doing enough to help poor Black raise their living standard. Wesley paints a portrait of three successful Black families pointing out that compromises were necessary for corporate advancement. Bernard, despite being an aggressive visionary, was determined to make money and empower the Black community through socially active radio programming.
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We learn that Bernard’s college love was killed fighting in Angola to free Blacks. He married a light-skinned old money elite woman, Pam (Bakesta King) and entered the white corporate world. But Bernard’s thoughts keep returning to those idealistic collegiate days. We also learn that his sexy mistress, Tanya (Ericka Ratcliff) looks like his politically active dead love. Over the years Bernard moves up the corporate latter while his unhappiness grows as he is haunted by guilt for not living the life he really desires—that of service to the Black community.
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The Talented Tenth deals with the struggle some successful Blacks have with their conscience. The question of whether they “bought in or sold out.” Wesley offers a balanced view of the issue as we see that the Black revolution just may not be over, just being reframed. This play presents a hopeful resolution to this issue. There is humor, honesty and a worthy discourse of the contemporary social dilemmas facing successful Black businessmen. Erick Ratcliff, Ron Conner and Bakesta King gave effective performances.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2008
Jeff Recommended
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