Ethel Waters
Triad Stage

Ethel Waters – a legend that many of us do not even know about. If pressed we can recall her strong and vulnerable unique rendition of “His Eye is On The Sparrow”, but unless you see “Ethel Waters” at Triad Stage (April 11 – May 2, 2010), I am convinced you will not get the full version of her miraculous story. Not only was Ethel Waters an incredible singer, but she also happened to be black, poor and a woman in a time when it was unacceptable to be any of those things. This play is particularly important not only as an incredible work of art, but as a biography, and a striking historical account.

Waters began her career in the 1920’s singing blues in touring vaudeville acts. After rising to fame on Broadway she starred in several motion pictures. Yet even as she rose to fame, she could not escape the racism that plagued her entire life. The exciting thing about theatre is that we get to take an intimate look at difficult issues like racism through a story that we can all empathize with and relate to. Greensboro local, Cassandra Williams, vividly recounts Waters’ experience of begging for help after she was pinned underneath the wheel of a car in an accident. A white man responds to her pleas by telling her she got what she deserves for joyriding around in a “white man’s car.”

As we follow Ethel Water’s story, our understanding for her hatred and our disgust grows with her. When a young boy is lynched in the lobby of the theatre where Waters is to perform as a warning for her to not “start any trouble”, we understand a little more personally how deeply her revulsion runs. Even at the height of her fame playing leading parts in Hollywood films, she continues to fight for equal treatment with her white counterparts from the producers.

Yet although the playwright, Larry Parr, clearly values our knowledge of these gritty and important details, he refuses to do our community the disservice of allowing us to leave the theatre with our divisions rekindled. Williams continues to recount the moment after speaking with Billy Graham, who requested she join their crusade, where she realizes that she has come to practice racism against white people. She questions, “Has every white person been hateful towards me? No.” and she recalls a white woman who helped her find medical attention when hospitals were for whites only.

The choice to reveal this part of the story – discovered in Water’s later years – was a very positive and healing one. Preston Lane, Artistic Director of Triad Stage says this season will “celebrate what unites us and examine what breaks us apart”. “Ethel Waters” is the perfect example of a play that does just that. As a biography, the play is powerful. It chronicles a story of incredible strength and guts that Waters’ possessed that allowed her to rise out of the slums of “Philly” to become a global success. Yet it also shares the vulnerability of losing her kind and loving husband because she didn’t know how to give or receive love. The play honestly shares her experience of depression and gaining 100 pounds at a time, only to find her purpose and reclaim her life.

As art, “Ethel Waters” is a feat. Did I mention this is a one woman show? This rich story with all of its complexities was delivered single handedly by one person. Simply by taking on this play, Williams exudes Ethel Waters’ bravery and daring. Williams not only held but claimed my attention for the entire play. I spoke with director Donna Baldwin-Bradby after the performance and she shared with me a little about her process. She saw herself as a facilitator and said her focus was on “giving Cassandra everything she needed” leave her room to play and also trigger specific memories. And play she did! There was such a joy and genuine childlike spark in Williams, especially as she was playing segments of Ethel Waters as a child. Donna also commented on the fact that this part is usually played by a younger actress. I think that would have been a mistake. Williams had the ability to depict the wisdom and beauty that came in Waters’ later years, and was also fully capable of exploring her childlike self. In speaking with an audience member and playwright after the show, he says his biggest compliment to the piano player, George Bass, (who was also on stage the entire performance) was that he was “invisible.” I absolutely agree! Bass fit into the story not vice versa. His focus was to serve the production. The music was also “invisible” in its seamless integration into the play. There was an incredibly symbiotic relationship between the drama and the music, with each enhancing the other. Waters’ songs never took you out of the drama; rather they offered insight into it by showing you the soul behind the song. Likewise, for someone who loves her music, the drama provides additional context for the songs; enriching their meaning.

I saw the show opening night, and perhaps that explains some of the areas for small improvements. Although Williams was very interesting, she almost did too much: there were multiple transitions close to each other that could have flowed more simply. Also, at times the voice and performance was pushed a little. With such a powerful performance, the audience will allow you (and, in fact, wants you to) pauses when the moment demands it. This experience (and it was that), reiterated for me the power of the arts. I don’t know of another way for us to as successfully come together to learn and talk about some of these issues. Because we are openly empathizing with the character, the conversation is much easier to grasp and digest. Choosing to make this play a one woman show was a powerful way to deliver the content because you cannot argue with personal experience. Instead, you find yourself absorbing the circumstances of the play in a way that you could not replicate by reading a history book.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this production! Thank you for your work.