“Church was the only place slaves could congregate. Hats were a sign of status.”
“A woman can flirt with a hat.”
“I’d lend my children before I’d lend my hats. My children know their way home.”
The musical “Crowns” glitters, pops and pulsates with memorable quotes like these, inspiring laughter, tears, and an occasional chorus of Amens. A recent production at Murray’s Playhouse in the Park delighted audiences and elicited a range of reactions to the community theatre’s observance of African American History Month.
From the introductory slide show featuring images of African American history to the rousing ovation at the end, “Crowns” had a hat for every occasion. The profusion brought bursts of color to a simple set. Vibrant shades of purple, silver, gold, and red told tales of women at every stage of life.
One sings at church every Sunday.
“Nobody asks her to, but she does it anyway,” another remarks, one eyebrow arched in disapproval and voice drenched in irony.
In the front pew, one sits, “with the gates of hell wide open.”
Another one admits, “It took the civil rights movement to get those hats off our heads.”
The timeless story begins with a young Black woman, Yolanda, who is sent to stay with her aunt after her brother is killed in Brooklyn. Her welcome to the South includes a crash course about the role of hats in the history of these women. With the back-and-forth ease of a front porch swing, the women tell their stories.
The wisdom they share reveals that the right hat provides the secret spice for every stage of life: flirting, churchgoing, baptisms, funerals, weddings. Regardless of the occasion, “Any woman can plop a hat on her head, but she has to have attitude,” one of the characters explains.
Playhouse in the Park presented “Crowns” ten years ago, Both then and now, the production was directed by Stephen D. Keene, who recognized his own family in the cast of characters.
Mother, aunt, sister came alive to Keene, along with other members of family and community.
“The show hits me a bit differently this second time around. I’m not only serving as director,” he explained, “I’m seeing a glimpse of myself and the strong men in my family as I play Preacher/Man,” he said.
Losses of loved ones in Keene’s off-stage life — including the deaths last year of his sister, his father, and an aunt – informed his direction and his acting in this production.
“You see women you know and love as you take in this lesson and travel along on this journey,” he declared.
In a talk-back exchange after the last bows and cheers, each character had an opportunity to answer questions from the audience about participating in the play. As Velma, Michele Jones — in a stunning purple hat — confessed to being taken aback when she auditioned and was told she had to sing in the play.
“My first soprano voice disappeared with motherhood,” she said.
She expanded on that thought in the program notes, when she admitted, “My singing won’t be as great as other cast members, but I’ll bless you with the feeling of soulful joy as the lights dim down.”
Cast as Wanda, Scottlynn Ballard was appearing onstage at Playhouse in the Park for the first time. Many moments in the play resonated with her, but in scene 3 she realized the importance of her character’s shift to role model.
“It was life-changing,” she declared.
In real life, Elle Covington is an MSU student studying nursing and Spanish, but she has been part of many Playhouse productions in a variety of functions, on- and off-stage. “I really related to my character,” she said. “This role was meant for me.”
Mother Shaw, portrayed by Travonda Vaughn, has played to audiences in Chicago and Murray, but in “Crowns” she brought a unique aspect to her role. All the hats she donned in the play were her grandmother’s.
Substituting for an actor who was ill, Carruth Kitrell took on the role of Mabel and also functioned as part of the Chorus. “My grandmother’s name was Mabel,” Carruth said. “This is the story of my life.”
In his role as Man/Preacher, director Keene was comfortable playing “everybody’s husband, everybody’s daddy,” he proclaimed. ”That’s probably why I’m sweating so much.”
“Crowns” was the season opener for Playhouse in the Park, and the production lost a week of performances due to inclement weather. With an ambitious slate of events and performances on the calendar, the set for “Crowns” was quickly cleared to make room for “Freaky Friday” auditions.
Last year, the Playhouse’s 45th anniversary was marked with the purchase of a new education and storage space on Arcadia Circle in Murray. A full schedule of plays, workshops, and volunteer opportunities are available on the Playhouse website.