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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2020)
Page 12 January 29, 2020 Brisk and Funny ‘Mean Girls’ Tackles Skin Color C ontinued from P age 5 its rumored promise of a potential date with Bobby Brown! -- until a new girl, Ericka (a lovely Mor- gan Walker) arrives from the U.S. She is kind, eager to make friends, and well-endowed with American beauty products, knowledge of American culture, and light skin that is naturally hers and not just a sign of better whitening products. (“Wow! You really are blessed!” one of the girls exclaims, to Pauli- na’s evident horror.) Even the two adults in the pic- ture--the school’s beleaguered headmistress, Frances (Kisha Jar- rett), and her own former rival, the visiting pageant representative Eloise (Sara Williams), who finds a way to mention in nearly every sentence that she was Miss Gha- na 1966--embody the essential conflict that these women carry in their bodies. Although Frances urges all the girls to audition for the pageant, to Frances, Paulina is the only real contender; she is driven, deserving, and embodies a truly Ghanaian standard of beau- ty. As Paulina gloats to the girls, “Headmistress likes to make ev- eryone feel like they have a fair chance, but we all know I’m the best.” But once the ambitious and practical Eloise lays eyes on Eric- Photo by r ussell J. y oung /P ortland C enter s tage at the a rmory Tonea Lolin, Kayla Kelly and Andrea Vernae perform as teenage girls who fight over who is prettiest, most worldly and who has the best shot as a contestant in the Miss Ghana pageant in ‘School Girls’ or, The African Mean Girls Play.’ ka, she sees the promise of a real shot; Ericka, with her pale skin and more European features, is what the judges like to see: “girls who have a more universal and commercial look.” In this brisk and funny play, it’s a small but powerful point: even in Ghana, one’s proximity to whiteness is what determines one’s value. And even though the play isn’t subtle and packages its truth in buoyant humor, the point, which too few audience members will have even begun to inter- rogate, is well made. Colorism operates relentlessly no matter where you are. This production benefits from a uniformly solid cast that lives the jokes and nervous energy and hints of underlying sorrow in their bodies. These women know the power of this material and carry it in every muscle and pore. Each is funny and beautiful in her own way, and each (including Taylor) fails to measure up to the impos- sible standard of whiteness. And the show is buoyed by Wanda Walden’s spot-on costumes, which comically express the inherent humor in African girls aspiring to 1980s American pop culture, which is itself somehow inherent- ly and comically aspirational. Bioh’s play feels too short; I wish she had carried her very good idea a bit deeper. But spend- ing a brisk 80 minutes with these splendid women is too precious an opportunity to miss. The produc- tion runs through Feb. 16. Darleen Ortega is a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals and the first woman of color to serve in that capacity. Her movie and theater review column Opinion- ated Judge appears regularly in The Portland Observer. Find her review blog at opinionatedjudge. blogspot.com. Avalon Flowers 520 SW 3rd Ave., Portland, OR 97204 • 503-796-9250 Cori Stewart-- A full service flower experience • Birthdays • Anniversaries • Funerals • Weddings Owner, Operator Open: Mon.-Fri. 7:30am til 5:30pm Saturday 9am til 2pm. Website: avalonflowerspdx.com email: avalonflowers@msn.com We Offer Wire Services C annon ’ s r ib e xPress 3625 NE MLK Jr Blvd, Portland OR Call to Order: 503-288-3836 Cannon’s, tasty food and friendly neighborhood atmosphere. Open (hours) Mon-Sat: 11am-7pm Sunday: 11am- 6pm Closed Tuesday ‘Life is Fare,’ an Eritean/American film, dives into both the struggles and joys of being part of an immigrant community in the United States. The film will conclude the five-week Cascade Festival of African Films on Saturday, Feb. 29 at the Hollywood Theatre. The director Sephora Woldu will be in attendance at the screening. From the African Perspective C ontinued from P age 6 a Civil War.” This autobiograph- ical performance by Ifrah Man- sour explores Somalia’s civil war through poetry, puppetry, videos, and interviews, confronting a vio- lent history with humor. The per- formances are 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 8 and 5 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Moriarty Auditorium. Other highlights include mati- nee shows for the whole family, a focus on women filmmakers and a special series showcasing fully re-mastered classic films from seminal African filmmakers. For the complete calendar of film screenings and director ap- pearances, visit africanfilmfesti- val.org.