Friends of the American Library News
April 1999:
On Saturday March 20th, Word for Word dazzled the audience at the "Maison Pour
Tous" in Celleneuve (Montpellier) with its adaptation of Rose-Johnny by Barbara
Kingsolver.
Directed by Sandra Langsner-Crews
Music composed by Georgiana Gomez
| Cast |
|
|
| Georgeann |
|
Delia MacDougall |
| Rose Johnny |
|
Wendy Radford |
Mary Etta |
|
JoAnne Winter |
| Mama |
|
Sheila Balter |
| Daddy/Bud Mattox |
|
Joel Mullenix |
| Little Leroy |
|
Hansford Prince |
| Cleota |
|
Marcie Henderson |
| Aunt Minnie |
|
Susan Harloe |
| Miss Regina |
|
Nancy SheIby |
| Ed Charney / Lester Wall |
|
Adrian Elfenbaum |
|
|
|
| Technical Staff |
|
|
| Stage Manager |
|
Dave Young |
| Costume Consultant |
|
Susanna Douthit |
In Rose-Johnny (from "Homeland and Other
Stories" 1989), the good people of Walnut Knobs do not appreciate that
"different" woman, Rose-Johnny, at Wall's Feed Store. Rumors circulate and
children are told to keep their distance. Only after ten-year-old Georgeann dares to
befriend Rose-Johnny, does the woman's tragic past come to light.
Rose-Johnny, like all of Barbara Kingsolver's works, deals
with the lives of ordinary people faced with difficult life choices. Their decisions have
consequences that are sometimes tragic, often cathartic and always profound. Georgeann's
choice to show her affection for Rose-Johnny in a small southern town in 1950s America
makes her the target of ridicule and scorn in a closed community that is rife with racial
and sexual prejudice.
Director Sandra Langsner-Crews stages the production using a set
stripped to the bare essentials. Her wonderfully expressive cast delivers all of the power
and emotion of the story through a combination of dialog, narrative and movement. True to
the Word for Word tradition, the author's work is left intact. The subtle
yet evocative music by Georgiana Gomez adds even more depth and texture to this stunning
production. In one of the most powerful scenes, Marcie Henderson's beautiful performance
of "Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child" made the key scene all
the more moving.
Delia MacDougall plays to perfection the ten-year-old narrator of the
story, Georgeann. All innocence and openness, she is remarkably convincing as she learns
about acceptance and the "power of the lie".
Wendy Radford's portrayal of Rose-Johnny is nothing short of
extraordinary. Her heavy, plodding movements, her interaction with Georgeann as she
teaches her the essential lessons of tolerance and understanding, and, above all, her
sickbed scenes are breathtaking.
The entire cast supports these principal players with outstanding
talent and sensitivity. Well-versed in Word for Word's unique theatrical
concept, all of the cast members contribute greatly to the overall success of the
performance while appearing to be having a wonderful time doing so.
Word for Word's productions have become the highlight
of the year at the American Library. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the
Florence Gould Foundation and to Air France for making this year's tour possible once
again. We hope that the annual Word for Word production will become an
enduring tradition in Montpellier.
-Kevin Lightner
Kingsolver, Barbara, Rose-Johnny, from Homeland
And Other Stories, New York, HarperCollins, 1989, 244 pages.
Visit Barbara Kingsolver's excellent web site.
See the HarperCollins web pages devoted to Barbara Kingsolver.
WORD FOR
WORD
1360 Mission Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 543-9505
(415) 626-1138 fax
Word for Word is a program of the Z Space Studio
Word for Word's performances are
made possible by a generous grant from the Florence Gould Foundation and support
from Air France.
