REVIEW: Fremont Ave (Arena Stage)
Good news for us audience members: Lil-Anne Brown just can’t seem to be able to take a break. The acclaimed director, seen frequently around DMV stages, was just announced to be taking the helm for New York City Center’s The Wild Party in the Spring. But before then, the Fela! director has given us two energetic productions to savor locally: the recently-closed Play On! at Signature, and now a world premiere play at arena by Reggie D. White, the snappy and intelligent Fremont Ave, directed with deep flavor and a care for its central essence.
Book
Fall tends to bring with it a wistful air, a pang of nostalgia as the sun-death of winter approaches and we reminisce on the action of summer. Around DC stages so far this season, these feelings have fostered a wide collection of plays that deal with what we leave behind, and what we inherit. The Inheritance (Round House), The American Five (Ford’s), and Fremont Ave all seem to exist in concert in this way, often calling back to each other despite their lack of direct continuity. Fremont Ave follows a family — or perhaps, a singular spirit?— over three generations of existence in Black America, through the device of one singular house on Fremont Avenue in Los Angeles and via its blisteringly quick-witted and funny script. Beginning in the 1970’s, George is a music therapist at a local hospital, and now serves as an emblem of the recently desegregated, up-and-coming Black middle class. Now a homeowner, his achievements are juxtaposed with his success is his new housekeeper Audrey, trying to make ends meet with three jobs and stuck in a sorry marriage with a young child. Their inevitable connection sparks a family and the establishment of several bits of the recurring quirks that come with it, including the attitudes of certain foods and cutesy traditions. While this first act takes a longer time than expected, it is stuffed with rich characterization that lays the well-needed bedrock of the incredibly strong second and third ones. It’s endearing to watch the genesis of such a rich family and their evolution over the subsequent eras: the second following George and Audrey’s son Robert in the early 1990’s as he tries to join his law school friends in passing the bar, and the third in the present in a cathartic inter-generational dialogue between George, Robert, and his son Joseph, in the present-day. Issues of the time sneak into each plot in creative ways, often erupting in visceral drama that has visibly lasting fallout in later eras. White’s intelligent characterization is addicting across every character, from the unlikeable bullies of the second era to the one-off partners of other ones. Ultimately, Fremont Ave’s exploration of the evolution of the Black middle class is sharply executed and often daring, and covers a breadth of issues in a warm, familial manner that is refreshing, even if it takes a while over its 2-and-a-half hour runtime for something to “happen”. 9/10
Acting
Powerhouse performances breathe even more vividity into the rich script, driving raw electricity into already zippy dialogue. Bradley Gibson is the sole presence that remains consistent across the three acts, and his magnetic versatility is worth the price of your ticket alone as he expertly encompasses three characters over one bloodline. But each act surrounds him with a superb array of supporting performances, from the brilliant quips of Jerrika Hinton’s Audrey to the platonic drama of Jeffrey Rashad’s Tony, Stanley Andrew Jackson’s Walter, and Wildlin Pierrevil. Act III provides the bulk of the story’s development, as Gibson is flanked by two masterful turns from Kevin Mambo and Doug Brown (and an additionally charismatic Galen J. Williams). 9/10
Production
For the central house, Kathy Perkins’ lighting is full of yearning and moody color. The set doesn’t change by particularly large magnitudes, but designer Tim Mackabee’s subtleties between eras are noticeable and charming (who among us also has Black family members with an “Obama Room”?). Jos N. Banks’ costumes are excellent across all acts, each with character traits that are reflective, timely, and overall gorgeous. 7/10
Viz
The vivid colors and static lines of the key art are derivative of the oft-maligned Corporate Memphis aesthetic, but: it can work if you put in the effort to imbue personality. Arena has done this via the personable caricatures of both key book locations and characters as if they were part of a playing card deck, creating something that could be only flat into something engaging and fun while tying to a central element of the game of Spades. The pre-show house, dark and barely moved-into, is a cool welcome to prime for the action. 8/10
Verdict
Arena continues the strong start to their 75th anniversary season with an sweeping, superbly-written family drama. 33/40
