Push Party
Written by Nia Akilah Robinson, Directed by Chesray Dolpha
Theaterlab at 357 W 36th St. 3rd floor, NYC
June 7-23.
Photos by Travis Emery Hackett
The Bleeding Woman
Not too long ago, my friend and I were talking about sister friends. They are the women in our lives who are not our real sisters yet so much more than best friends. It is the realm where women hold you up, shade you, love you, hate you, tell you about yourself, talk about you to your face, and then defend you if someone else dares to say something about you or to you. It is the realm where when everything falls apart, sister friends magically appear and make it all better. They got you. It is an indescribable love, an indescribable relationship, and indescribable bond. I am so blessed to have these women in my realm.
Nia Akilah Robinson masterfully weaved the lives and stories of Lovely, Harlem, Lelo, Shadae, Perfect, and Princess into a 100-minute play never leaving stories unfinished. Under the adept direction of Chesray Dolpha, the sister friends , portrayed passionately, lovingly, and authentically by these incredibly talented actresses - Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, Nedra Snipes, Claudia Logan, Brittany Davis, Clarissa Vickerie, and Breezy Leigh - share a glimpse into the lives of six mothers at a moment in time at a push party in the community center. A push party is similar to a baby shower except that mothers are the focus rather than the baby. The mother is celebrated and pampered by their loved 0nes. Push parties can also occur after the birth of the baby and happen multiple times for multiple pregnancies whereas a baby shower is focused on baby number 1. It’s a beautiful tradition.
Ambience is everything. I have been to many a party in many a community room in my life. The moment I walked into TheatreLab’s white box; I knew exactly where I was. Yi-Hsuan (Ant) Ma attention to details was spot on - the flyers, menus, and services on the bulletin board, that one window that does not open, the colors of the room, the furniture that you know belonged to someone in the building at one time. The audience was all in before the show singing along with Erykah Badu and Mary J. Blige. The L-shaped seating made us feel like flies on the wall getting all the tea. The writing flowed so effortlessly that there was a natural exchange of energies between the audience and actors. This has allowed us to share space with generational trauma, systemic racism specifically within the health system, midwifery, and societal biases experienced by black women.
Walk with them through the laughter, tears, and shade!
“Sometimes I ignore all the bleedings.
When I’m trying to patch up my own blood.
And it feels like
Lately
With our world
I’ve been patchin’ myself up over and over and over.”
Produced by The Heath.
Click HERE for tickets.
Reviewed by Malini Singh McDonald.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on June 8th, 2024. All rights reserved.