Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, MA
through July 23, 2017
By Barbara Stroup
 |
| Photo by Daniel Rader |
The presentation of a brand new play takes some
institutional courage, especially in a setting like the Williamstown Theatre
Festival, where the season is short and the sixty-three season reputation is
stellar. There is nothing shaky about “Where Storms Are Born” by Harrison David
Rivers - a tight, true work from a voice that seems secure and authentic. The
audience meets a mother and son just past a crisis, adjusting to a recent loss
while discovering both individual strengths and the strength that comes from
family bonds.
The creation of complex characters seems to flow from Mr.
Rivers’ pen, drawing the viewer into both the family and the situation. In
Bethea, his writing reveals layer after layer of a mother’s grief, humor, and
inner resources. Myra Lucretia
Taylor is amazing in this key role – humorous, poignant, maternal and just
plain believable. Her sons, Myles and Gideon, were ably acted by Christopher
Livingston and LeRoy McClain.
Although the themes of wrongful incarceration, prison death,
single parenting, and gay relationships have currency and newsworthiness, this
is not a “campaign” play. The almost all-white audience seemed to have no
difficulty identifying with the ups and downs of the on-stage family. There was
just the right mix of humor to leaven the serious side, especially in Joniece
Abbott-Pratt’s portrayal of a best friend aptly named Worthy. The dance
sequence was a happy highlight.
Staging was minimal and effective use of a table at center
stage allowed the frequent scene shifts to be seamless. The fire escape that
dominated the set was where the brothers bonded, allowing the audience to see unusual
and welcome expressions of tenderness between two men of color.
A play like this is why theater matters; we go sit in the
dark to meet characters like this, and we leave thinking more fully about them,
and even thirsting to know more of their journeys.
