Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood continues its second season under the artistic direction of Mark Valdez with an innovative and deeply captivating production of “The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington.” Director Pirronne Yousefzadeh weaves an immaculately balanced performance that takes the audience through a roller-coaster of emotions that ultimately tell an incredibly important story in an accessible and roaringly hilarious way.
“Miz Martha” opens with Martha Washington (Karen Weise Thompson) freshly widowed and on her deathbed. Ann Dandridge (Monica Scott) tends to Martha’s bedside along with her son William (Domino D. Lorian). Meanwhile, there’s an electricity in the air across Mount Vernon as in George Washington’s will all of his slaves are set to be free upon Martha’s death. Here some truly spectacular shenanigans ensue.
Martha’s condition grows ever more dire, and in a feverish state, she begins to experience a series of hallucinations in which her slaves appear as various caricatures of absurd figures, both real and imagined. At different points, Betsy Ross (Valencia Proctor) appears donning a stunning nightgown made of the American flag.
A ringmaster (Tolu Ekisola) rises from under Martha’s bed and leads Mrs. Washington to a carnival that finds her on an auction block. Just as she thinks she has awakened from her hallucinations, Thomas Jefferson (Darius Dotch) appears in Martha’s bed with long silver hair and a bright red silk robe.
All of this culminates in a trial where Martha must contend with some of the horrors of the institution of slavery facing testimony from her late husband George Washington (Mikell Sapp) and her caretaker—and more—Ann Dandridge.
While there is objectively a lot going on in this play, Director Pirronne Yousefzadeh masterfully navigates the moving parts to create a beautiful performance. “First and foremost, my touchstones in approaching this play and the many animating ideas within it was to center the fact that it is a fever dream, and that afforded both freedom and permission to make brave and bold choices,” Yousefzadeh said.
By utilizing some of the latitude the text afforded both the director and the actors of the play, they are able to use many different elements to drive the narrative further. “It was essential to filter all of this through the story of each scene and individual moment,” Yousefzadeh stated. “The choices we made aligned with the driving impulse of the play, which is to open Martha’s eyes and force her to confront the ways in which she is culpable and accountable.”
Utilizing satire as the vehicle of communication in this performance affords the actors an entirely new language to play with. Actress Valencia Proctor recalled her experience. “There can be so much about our past that feels really heartbreaking.” she said. “So to tell it from a lens of humor, which we as Black people already naturally do, is really fun. It can make some people uncomfortable, but they are necessary conversations to have.”
Actress Tolu Ekisola added, “No one in life has avoided hardship in some form, and humor elevates the drama. It makes it more realistic and relatable. People learn more when they laugh, and I think the playwright knew that.”
The sound design of the play took on an entire life of its own. Between blood-curdling screams adding texture to transitions, snippets of hit songs punctuating poignant thoughts, or the voices of the actors and actresses themselves filling up the entire auditorium, the importance of sound design cannot be understated in this project.
“Sound design is perhaps my favorite design element to incorporate because of what it conjures in the memory and emotional life of each individual audience member,” Yousefzadeh said. “The goal was to draw a connective line between the systemic racism on which this country was founded—and its wealth was built—and the countless ways this original sin continues to pervade modern society.”
“The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington” ran from March 8 to 31. Mixed Blood Theater will round out its season with a production of “Full Range,” written by Alison Carey and directed by Mixed Blood Artistic Director Mark Valdez. Performances of “Full Range” will run June 20-22 and 26-29 at 7:30 p.m., with matinee performances June 23 and 30 at 2 p.m. For more information and questions about accessibility, visit boxoffice@mixedblood.com.
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