Mom-daughter relations at center of Jar the Floor

Cecelia Antoinette can identify with matriarch MaDear, her character in the Arkansas Repertory Theatre's latest production, Jar the Floor.

In the show that revolves around four generations of black women in Park Forrest, Ill., MaDear is about to be honored on her 90th birthday.

"All my family is making such a fuss over me," Antoinette says, "but all I want to do is read my Bible and watch my soap operas, especially that one As the World Whirls.

"And I can relate to that part of my character, since I knew I was addicted when I once was scheduled for an audition for 1 p.m. and I moved it so I could watch All My Children."

Gilbert McCauley, a frequent guest director at the Rep (this show is his eighth production for the theater) and associate theater professor at the University of Massachusetts, is quite familiar with the work by Cheryl L. West, whom he knew in graduate school. He directed the play's professional premiere in Seattle in 1991 and adds,"This will be my fifth time to direct the show, which is set in the mid-1990s, with the time of day being midnight."

"It's all mothers and daughters," McCauley says, "and people say that the play is kind of like making you laugh and then punching you in the stomach. The family gets together for this birthday celebration, but they end up uncovering old wounds and working that out, as seen through the lens of humor and compassion."

Antoinette's MaDear is the mother of Lola, played by Joy Lynn Jacobs. Lola is the mother of Maydee, played by Shannon Lamb, and Maydee is the mother of Vennie, played by Maya Loren Jackson. Raisa, played by Erikka Walsh, is the only white character and a "friend" of Vennie. (There are no male characters in the play.)

One play theme is that things that are not acknowledged eventually boil over, McCauley says, noting that at some point, "everyone in the play demands to be heard."

"MaDear lives in my house now," Lamb says. "I play her granddaughter and I'm a worker bee, focused and driven ... in the process of getting tenure at her college with the belief that you work hard, go to school, you set your life up like this and things will fall into place for you.

"She doesn't have time for dilly-dallying, shenanigans like 'Oh, I want to sing and be a drifter.' And that's what her daughter wants to do, go to Europe and be a singer."

Walsh says, "I play the 'friend' of Vennie. She and I want to go to Europe, along with me having a health issue; I'm battling cancer."

Antoinette calls Walsh's character "the ears of the play," as a character "who makes anyone comfortable enough to listen to the play, not just because of her race, but also her character's content."

McCauley notes that MaDear is struggling with a bit of dementia "and is trying to hold onto those parts of her past that she feels most connected to, with one of those being her late husband, whom she talks to all of the time."

Parental guidance is suggested due to strong language.

Additional play performance events include:

• At noon today, the Clinton School of Public Service Distinguished Speaker Series will present the Rep's producing artistic director, John Miller-Stephany, and members of the cast and creative team. To reserve free seats, email publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or call (501) 683-5239.

• At 6 p.m. today, the play's second preview performance will include Beer Night, provided by Lost Forty Brewing and the Arkansas Times. And at 6:15 p.m. today, the creative team will give a talk before curtain.

• Friday, the play's official opening night, will feature a post-show reception with the cast, along with complimentary champagne and light hors d'oeuvres from RSVP Catering.

• At 7 p.m. Sunday (only April 2), "Pay Your Age Night" will permit those between ages 22 and 40 to pay the equivalent of their age for a ticket. There are 100 such tickets available to buy and only four tickets per household will be sold, with proof of age for each person in a party required at the time tickets are picked up. There will be a complimentary wine tasting provided by Colonial Wine and Spirits.

• At 6 p.m. April 6, a Beer Night will be provided by Stone's Throw Brewery.

• At noon, April 7, there will be a brown bag lunch lecture and discussion about mother-daughter relationships in black literature at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 500 W. Ninth St.

• At 6 p.m., April 7, there will be pre-show music in Foster's.

• The 7 p.m. April 12 performance will be sign-interpreted by Raphael James of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He will be positioned in front of a special section and deaf patrons are encouraged to contact the Rep box office to reserve seating.

• On April 15, following the evening performance, there will be an after-party, with drinks and appearances by cast members in Foster's.

Weekend on 03/30/2017