She's Got Harlem on Her Mind

When Eulalie Spence died in 1981 at age 86, her obituary noted that she was a retired school teacher but didn't mention that she was also an award-winning playwright of the Harlem Renaissance. Unfortunately, Spence only received money for her writing once, when she optioned a screenplay to Paramount Pictures in the early 1930s. Eventually, she gave up on her playwriting. (Spence taught high school elocution, English, and dramatics in New York City from 1927 to 1958; one of her students was Joseph Papp, who cited her as a major influence.)

Déja Denise Green and SJ Hannah in "The Starter"
Photo: Kat duPont Vecchio

Spence wrote comic plays depicting Black people as they were, despite pressure from W.E.B. DuBois to write serious propaganda pieces. She also insisted on writing in dialect, not a popular choice at the time. (For more on Spence, check out "From DuBois To Lupino To Papp, Harlem’s Legendary Eulalie Spence 1894–1981" on the site Harlem World here. My thanks to Harlem World for much of the information above.)

Jazmyn D Boone and Raven Jeannette in "Hot Stuff"
Photo: Kat duPont Vecchio

The Metropolitan Playhouse is presenting a wonderful evening of three of Spence's one-acts through March 12. The plays depict slices of Harlem life, with themes of trust, love, and getting by. They also underline the effect of money, and the lack thereof, in people's lives and relationships. In "The Starter," TJ proposes to Georgia, who immediately asks, "Has yuh got any money, T.J.?" "Hot Stuff" focuses on Fanny, who tirelessly hustles for money by working hard, selling sex, and cheating numbers players out of their winnings. And in "The Hunch," a major numbers win changes two people's lives.

Jazmyn D Boone and Terrell Wheeler in "The Hunch"
Photo: Kat duPont Vecchio

All three plays are funny, energetic, insightful, and well-acted. The solid cast includes Eric Berger, Jazmyn D Boone, Dontonio Demarco, Déja Denise Green, SJ Hannah, Raven Jeannette, Monique Paige, and Terrell Wheeler. The smooth, thoughtful, and smart direction is by Timothy Johnson. Musical numbers--music by Johnson--surround the plays, providing energy, atmosphere, and delight.

She's Got Harlem on Her Mind starts with a bare stage and Vincent Gunn's lovely backdrop. Appropriate and attractive scenery is brought on and off by cast members. Jevyn Nelms's costumes, with an assist from the tdf Costumes Collection, are fabulous. (Would it be churlish of me to suggest that some of the costumes were perhaps inappropriately fabulous/pricy for some of those characters?) The lighting, by Leslie Gray, is particularly good, providing both the appropriate atmosphere and some gorgeous stage pictures.

Photo: Wendy Caster

In a world where theatre has developed the reputation of being too expensive (as, indeed, Broadway is), Metropolitan Playhouse tickets max out at under $32. Three fascinating one-acts, solid acting, beautiful design, intimate seating, reasonably priced tickets--go, already!

Wendy Caster