Midway through act one of Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of “Trouble in Mind,” Al Manners (played by Joseph McGranaghan) declares to the cast of actors he’s directing, “No matter how unorthodox my methods, I promise not to bore you.”
That statement carries throughout Alice Childress’ still-timely satirical script. Yes, it’s a very meta play about a play, which may immediately turn off some potential theatergoers. But it will certainly not bore you; in fact, it’s gripping from the first scene.
There’s a certain mythical context to this play that’s important to note. Originally performed off-Broadway in 1955, the production was set to move to the Great White Way in 1957, but that advancement was conditioned by a producer on rewrites that would make it more palatable to audiences at the time. When Childress eventually refused, the show did not go on. Instead, 1959’s “A Raisin In The Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry would have the distinction of being the first Broadway play written by a Black woman. “Trouble in Mind” wouldn’t get its turn on Broadway until 2021.
Considering the play’s plot, this sequence of events makes Childress look practically prophetic. “Trouble in Mind” finds us in a theater with a cast of mostly Black actors who are beginning rehearsals for a new play. The piece they’re preparing deals with race; it also takes place in the mid-20th century in the South and touches on themes including voting rights and racial violence. The star of the play-within-a-play is veteran actress Wiletta (Shinnerie D. Jackson) who, over the course of rehearsals, develops strong feelings about the stereotypical and inaccurate portrayal of the play’s Black characters in the script — until the director’s refusal to hear her concerns brings the pair to a boiling point.
All of the characters in “Trouble in Mind” have their own complicated views and philosophies about how to best handle the issue of race in an industry (like so many) that was not hospitable to Black voices. The two-act, two-hour-and-15-minute play really allows the audience to settle in and explore these characters through tense conversations, pointed revelations and even some laughs along the way.
This kind of meta-play must be both a treat and a challenge to direct. Director Justin Emeka and assistant director Ryan M. Rattley steered the cast through two, sometimes three layers of acting. One of the things that makes this production exemplary isn’t necessarily its explosive moments but the perfectly placed pregnant pauses and quiet, slow-moving conversations that really allow the audience to wonder what’s going on in each individual’s mind.
We get to watch young upstart actor John Nevins (Vandous Stripling II) wrestle with his desire for stardom and his realization of how he’ll be perceived as a Black actor. Then there’s standout Garbie Dukes as Sheldon Forrester, whose impulses to please the director are revealed to hide a deep desperation to survive in the theater business. Hope Anthony plays Millie Davis, conflicted in her desire to stand up for herself and her own need to keep her job. And well-meaning young white actress Judy Sears (Emma Brown Baker) deftly plays the naivete of sheltered privilege.
Scenic design by Jason Simms is simple but gives the actors plenty of places to sit, move around, confront each other and literally elevate themselves at appropriate moments, and lighting and sound design (by Abigail Hoke-Brady and Tosin Olufolabi, respectively) are natural, but several scenes of intentionally-placed spotlight and sound really heighten they play’s emotional impact. And who doesn’t love looking at mid-century costumes? KJ Gilmer’s costume design perfectly fits each character’s personality and situation, especially the clothes worn by Millie.
It’s maddening that the themes, conversations and frustrations of “Trouble in Mind” are echoed constantly in today’s discourse. But watching Childress’ work unfold onstage is one of the most compelling looks at race in America we’ve seen in some time.
Pittsburgh Public Theater’s “Trouble in Mind” will run at the O’Reilly Theater through Feb. 23. Four performances during the show’s closing weekend will be livestreamed and available for viewing through March 23. Get live tickets at ppt.org and streaming tickets at lolst.org.