“Direct from Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys” The
Fountain Theatre (323) 663-1525 Through Nov. 10
Controversial historical dramas are difficult to stage in small
theaters, especially when the topic of the dramatization is a
heinous event. However, The Fountain Theater succeeds at not
beating the audience senseless with politics and melodrama in
“Direct From Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys.” This
powerful piece unveils the true story of racial injustice told
through the satirical lens of a Vaudeville performance. The story
reenacts the trial and conviction of the Scottsboro Boys, nine
black teenagers who were wrongfully accused of raping two white
prostitutes in Alabama in 1931. This historical event infuriated
the nation, and its aftermath ended up being one of impetuses that
eventually led to the Civil Rights movement. The play is described
as “an evening of Vaudeville and sorrow,” and the play
is performed in past-tense by the eponymous nine in the purgatory
of a train station. The performances of the nine-member, all-black
cast are first rate all-around. Their routines are amusing, yet
when the underlying truths are revealed, the effects are chilling.
There are some uncomfortable moments in the play, including
references to the prison rape of one of the boys, who was 13 years
old, but what makes the scene most discomfiting is the truth behind
the drama. This production is an example of the power that live
drama can possess. This play will make you laugh, it will make you
angry, and you will exit the theater in a daze. -Scott Schultz
“Nickel and Dimed” Mark Taper Forum (213) 628-2772
Through Oct. 27
The truth about the “working poor” springs into view
and onto the stage at downtown’s Mark Taper Forum.
“Nickel and Dimed” is a socially minded play based on
Barbara Ehrenreich’s book “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not)
Getting By in America.” The book was the culmination of many
months spent living the life of America’s working poor by
taking on low-paying jobs and cheap housing. The play, written by
Joan Holden, alters very little to fit the book onto the stage.
Sharon Lockwood plays Barbara, while the rest of the cast fluidly
moves through each vignette playing different characters in each.
All of the actors do a great job fleshing out characters even when
they cross lines of race, geography and gender. The dialogue is
well-written, poignant, true, and funny. The storyline is engaging
““ it is hard not to get captivated by each of Barbara’s
low-wage jobs and people and conflicts that fill them. The only
real disappointment comes early in the second act when one of the
characters breaks the fourth wall and starts telling the audience
why some people really need maids. Regardless of how this segment
was intended, it comes across as a way to excuse some of the
play’s convictions about middle-class America’s
antagonization of the working poor. But the Taper should be
applauded for putting on a show that makes the political so
personal, creating both a social critique as well as a funny and
entertaining show. -Kelsey McConnell