Dinah Washington’s cool, Jazz-based version of Trouble In Mind welcomed the audience into the Dorfmann to see Alice Childress’ Trouble In Mind as she sang of going down to the river where she hoped the blues would leave her. Sixty-six years on from when the play was premiered in New York the blues are still very much here and that’s what makes this 1950s piece of work seem like it could have been written in Lockdown, writes Michael Holland.
A mixed bunch of black and white actors comes together to rehearse a new anti-lynching play that is supposed to be progressive and a chance to see the two communities coming together as one. But the black people are wary and warn each other to laugh at the white director’s jokes – but not too much: ‘They don’t like to see black people happy…’
The first half shows the director, Al Manners (Rory Keenan), telling the cast he is seeking the ‘truth’ in this production, while the black actors are keeping the director happy as best they can with flattery and mwa-mwa kisses, which often means giving up some of their dignity.
In one scene where Wiletta (Tanya Moodie) sings a sad song, Manners riles her up by demanding that she dig deep into her life experiences – into her ‘truth’ – to make herself sadder. And then, when she does, she sings the blues from the heart. In fact, Wiletta sings the blues so good the director can’t handle her truth.
This is the turning point for Act 2 where rehearsals have moved on and we discover that the script, and the director, are once again showing the black race as ignorant, subservient, and like the stereotypical ‘Hello, Massa’ people from earlier plays and films – far from any of the black cast’s ‘truth’.
Something has to give and when Wiletta demands a script change by asking if Manners would, in real life, do what she is expected to do in this fictional work. He counters with ‘It’s not easy being white,’ which caused universal hoots of derision from the audience.
Moodie gives a brilliant example of all the male and female black stereotypes as she berates her director, and all while her black colleagues are more worried about losing their jobs than their self-respect.
Al Manners stormed out after the row with his leading lady and we were left not knowing if he came back to direct the play, or if Wiletta got fired. But even with the loose ends untied, the ending is beautiful, truly beautiful.
The play did not premiere on Broadway in 1955 because the producers wanted the author to make it more ‘likeable’ for the predominantly white theatre-going audience. She refused.
Trouble in mind, I’m blue
But I won’t be blue always,
’cause the sun’s gonna shine
In my backdoor some day.
Almost seven decades on and black people are still waiting for their sun to shine.
National Theatre until 29th January. Admission: £20 – £55. Booking: 0203 989 5455
ww.nationaltheatre.org.uk
Photos: Johan Persson