Deidra LaWan Starnes, Jasmine Joy Brooks, and Tamieka Chavis in “The Mamalogues” at 1st Stage. Photography by Teresa Castracane.
In a creative twist, the audience quickly learns that they are the newest members of the BBSM (Bougie Black Single Moms) sisterhood, when they are warmly welcomed into the fold by BBSM President Lauren Holmes, PhD, (Jasmine Joy Brooks), and Founder Tasha Simmons, M.D. (Deidra Lawan Starnes), who have organized a full agenda for the group’s 2022 Annual Retreat. The retreat takes place in a beautifully appointed spa where, as the women address each item on the agenda, their stories—painful, joyous, messy, and complicated—unfold with humor, grace, and uncompromising honesty. They share their feelings about motherhood, professional success, personal setbacks, and lost relationships, while confronting the challenges of being Black women raising Black children in White suburbia.
…funny and moving, but also complex…powerful…
Written by Lisa B. Thompson and directed by Angelisa Gillyard, “The Mamalogues” is funny and moving, but also complex and deeply troubling. The narrative makes clear that Black women’s voices and their stories are still not being heard over the din of enduring stereotypes, and that racism is not the sole culprit. Black women are navigating a world rife with sexism and classism, which the play examines, providing some of the most thought-provoking moments of the evening.
The three women who bring “The Mamalogues” to life are gifted actors who slip in and out of a diverse set of characters with ease. Deidra Lawan Starnes (Tasha) brings brilliant comedic timing to her role as the bold and edgy pediatrician who the enthusiastic but serious-minded Lauren (Jasmine Joy Brooks) constantly attempts to keep under control. Tamieka Chavis (Beverly) movingly describes the fears she feels for her children’s safety, but also seamlessly transforms herself into a young impoverished mother struggling to survive.
1st Stage is the ideal setting for this play. The theatre is large enough to accommodate a detailed and elaborate set by Jonathan Dahm Robertson, but small enough to allow for an intimate theatrical experience that included moments of audience and cast interaction. Costume designer Jeannette Christensen provided simple yet versatile costumes that transported the women from a spa lounge to a hospital emergency room and out to an inner-city soccer field, among a dizzying array of other settings.
“The Mamalogues” will certainly make you laugh, but it will also challenge you to think about difficult issues with no easy answers. With as powerful a play as this one, you might decide to challenge yourself to be a part of the solution.
Running time: Two hours with no intermission.
“The Mamalogues” EXTENDED through May 15, 2022 at 1st Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road, Tysons, Virginia, 22102. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
