October 5, 2022
Page 13
Minority Business Edition
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
Bringing Black Joy: Presenting “Chicken & Biscuits”
O piniOnated
J udge
by
d arleen o rtega
Portland
Playhouse
has
opened its 15th season with
“Chicken & Biscuits,” a come-
dy that is specifically and joy-
fully Black. One could not ask
for a more delightful night at
the theater.
Playwright Douglas Lyons
(who previously appeared on
stage in Portland in the national
tours of “The Book of Mormon”
and “Dreamgirls”) sought to
mine the humor, music, and the-
atricality of Black church for his
first play. It’s terrain he knows
well; both he and director Cycer-
li Ash-Barlocker (a gem of Port-
land stages, including in Profile
Theater’s heart-stopping recent
production of “Sweat”) are PKs
themselves—that’s “preacher’s
kids,” for the uninitiated, and in
the Black church tradition that
likely means spending some part
of most days in church.
The setting of “Chicken
& Biscuits” is not just Black
church; it’s a Black church me-
morial service—and those of us
with church backgrounds know
that only weddings compete
with funerals for most drama in
church. Here, two sisters gather
to enact their familiar conflicts
at their father’s memorial. The
oldest, Baneatta (Valerie Yvette
Peterson, balancing anxiety
with imperiousness), is now
the church’s first lady; her hus-
band Reginald (Donterrius Ruff,
whose moves including knowing
when to stop forward and when
to step back with equal deftness)
is assuming the role of head pas-
tor in the church her father led.
The younger sister, Beverley (a
hilarious Brittney M. Caldwel),
stakes the opposite pole of re-
spectability; indeed her choic-
es of wardrobe and demeanor
equate dominance with outrag-
ing her sister.
Naturally, there are other
family conflicts in evidence too.
Simone, the daughter of Baneat-
ta and Reginald, is nursing her
own set of hurts and grievanc-
es; Treasure Lunan (last seen
powerfully embodying Aunt
Ester in Portland Center Stage’s
excellent production of “Gem
of the Ocean”) imbues Sim-
one with surprising complexity
and depth. Her brother Kenny
decides to bring his white boy-
friend Logan along, even while
both know to expect “reverse
‘Get Out’” passive-aggression
from Kenny’s family members,
who can’t bring themselves to
remember Logan’s name or ac-
knowledge his importance to
Kenny. Chidube Egbo imbues
Kenny with gentleness that de-
teriorates into exasperating but
understandable deference to
the family norms, and Austin
Comfort makes the most of his
many comedic moments as the
alien invader boyfriend. Bever-
ley’s teenage daughter, La’Trice
(Ashlee Radley having the best
time), has no intention of taking
anyone or anything seriously.
Their simmering conflicts
predictably come to a chaot-
ic boil—which is fun for us at
least. Portland Playhouse may
be ideal setting for the play’s
West Coast premiere; what bet- Chicken and Biscuts actresses Brittney M. Caldwell & Treasure Lunaan
ter place than the intimate space
of this former Black church to
Full set of outfits worn by the Jackson 5.
plunge us into the humor and
Rebecca Sapp, GRAMMY Museum.
drama of church and family
conflict. Ash-Barlocker clearly
knows her way around this ma-
terial, enlisting music and phys-
ical comedy to show us good
people who are loveable even
at their worst and respecting the
characters enough to see beyond
type. Wanda Walden brings her
reliably good instincts to the
costume design, and the cast (in-
cluding Tamera Lyn as a visitor
who may or not be a surprise to
everyone) make the fun infec-
tious, evincing signs of a com-
munity built with care.
It’s hard to imagine that the
big Broadway house where as-
sistant director Charles Grant
first experienced this play held it
as well; Portland Playhouse feels
better designed to held the play’s
intimate energy in a believable
way, though we probably have
Broadway to thank that the play
found its way to us at all. This
show may feel simple, but it is
also delicious, just like a good
meal of chicken and biscuits. It
plays through October 30.
Darleen Ortega is a judge on
the Oregon Court of Appeals
Curated by the GRAMMY Museum®
and the first woman of color to
serve in that capacity. Her mov-
On exhibit Sept. 23, 2022 – Mar. 26, 2023
ie and theater review column
Opinionated Judge appears
regularly in The Portland Ob-
Museum open daily! More at ohs.org/motown.
server. Find her review blog at
opinionatedjudge.blogspot.com.
Motown
The Sound of Young America