Spunk - Yale Repertory Theatre

Zora Neale Hurston’s play Spunk languished in the Library of Congress until being rediscovered in 1997.  The creative team at the Yale Repertory Theatre, where the play is receiving a joyful, rousing production through October 25, spent the last four years working to bring the show to life.  For example, there is no music included within the script so Nehemiah Luckett, the composer and music supervisor for Spunk, needed to write compositions to emulate the spirituals and folk songs of the time.   

J. Quinton Johnson and Kimber Elayne Sprawl (foreground) with Isaiah Reynolds, Alaman Diadhiou, and Mikey Corey Hassel in a scene from Zora Neale Hurston’s Spunk. Photo by Joan Marcus.

 

The result is a stirring production, a play, with dozens of songs, pulsating choreography, and a love story set in the deep, rural south where segregation is in full swing.

 

The story takes place in the mid-1920’s in a small, fictional town in central Florida.  The plot revolves around Spunk, a handsome, charismatic, guitar-playing young man who comes upon the small town.  At a gathering of townsfolk, amongst the merriment, dancing, and drinking, Spunk eyes a woman, Evalina, and is smitten.  It doesn’t matter to him that she is married.  They take up together in total bliss, until her husband, Jim Bishop, steps in to put an end to their public affair.  Matters take an ominous turn, which threatens Spunk and Evalina’s relationship, but, in the end, through various trials and tribulations, they come together for a somewhat inconclusive ending.

 

Jeannette Bayardelle, Correy West, Janiah-Camile François, Tyler Clarke, and Matthew Elijah Webb. Photo by Joan Marcus in a scene from Zora Neale Hurston’s Spunk. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Hurston, an author, playwright, and ethnomusicologist, used her fieldwork to, as stated in the program notes, “document the music and oral traditions of Black communities…”. She has taken this research to craft a work “of elders and young folks, fun-loving and bitter, superstitious, ornery, gossipy, brave and scared, none of them angels and no cartoon villains.”  Community is key in Spunk.

 

The superlative cast, under the skillful direction of Tamilla Woodard and choreographer nicHi Douglas’ vibrant, naturalistic dance numbers, work as a highly satisfying ensemble.  Ms. Woodward deftly weaves the action, dance, and song into a seamless whole.  The result is a down-to-earth milieu full of humor, drama, and passion.

J. Quinton Johnson, Shawn Bowers, Correy West, Alaman Diadhiou, and Matthew Elijah Webb in a scene from Zora Neale Hurston’s Spunk.  Photo by Joan Marcus.

 

Spunk is led by J. Quinton Johnson as the title character.  He has a magnetism and allure that captivates.  He brings an intensity layered with a breezy persona to the role.  The actor is also an accomplished musician.  Kimber Elayne Sprawl’s imbues Evalina, a lithe woman, with an assortment of moods and emotions as she moves from her troubled marriage to Jim Bishop to a harmonious connection with Spunk.  Each of the featured performers are noteworthy, but three that stood out were Jeannette Bayardell as the no-nonsense Mrs. Watson.  The actress also boasts a powerful singing voice.  Correy West brings comic chops to the role of Oral, and Alaman Diadhiou displays slick dance moves as Blue Trout.

Kimber Elayne Sprawl and J. Quinton Johnson in a scene from Zora Neale Hurston's Spunk.  Photo by Joan Marcus.

 

The sets by Scenic Designer Karen Loewy Movilla are minimally conceived, but along with Lighting Designer Gib Gibney’s sometimes luminous color palette, provide a striking backdrop to the production.  The outfits created by Costume Designer Kristen Taylor are practical, durable, and appropriate for the time-period.  Special mention goes to Nehemiah Luckett, whose varied musical work on the production is invaluable in making the show come to life.

 

Spunk, playing at the Yale Repertory Theatre through October 25.  Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.