"Mad at Miles" Recommended For Men and Women of All Races

I've read about the National Black Theatre Festival for years, but I only attended for the first time two years ago. I had an ulterior motive: to preview a play that I knew that Triad Stage planned to offer the following February and see if it might be appropriate to take my eighth-grade students to see. As it turned out, "From the Mississippi Delta" included content that definitely would NOT have been appropriate for middle-school students, but I appreciated the play enough to check it out again when it did appear on Triad Stage.

I've seen two of the plays that are being performed next week in Winson-Salem: "Mad at Miles: A Black Woman's Guide to the Truth" and "Extremities."

I've never seen "Extremities" on stage; I've only seen the movie version that starred Farrah Fawcett and Alfre Woodard. As I remember, the movie dealt powerfully with painful, provocative issues surrounding rape. On stage, this story might be even more intensely felt by audience members who will witness the action and the characters' interactions live. Attending the play might remind some viewers of the strong performance delivered by Fawcett in the main role. (I believe that Wendy Raquel Robinson, who played Principal Regina "Piggy" Grier on "The Steve Harvey Show," will be playing the part that Fawcett played.)

"Extremities" will probably be worth attending, but if you want a recommendation, plan to see "Mad at Miles." As far as I know, you can't rent "Mad at Miles," and even if you could, I'm not sure that anything less than a live performance could do its content justice.

"Mad at Miles" was peformed on Triad Stage earlier this year in its Cabaret theatre, and while it was an in-your-face performance about how too many men (including Miles Davis) mistreat women, it wasn't a one-note (unforgivingly angry) performance. You wouldn't expect to laugh or feel inspired by such a horrible topic, but as put together by Pearl Cleage and as performed by its three female stars, "Mad at Miles" brought to the surface just about any and every emotion you could imagine, making you feel hopeful at the same time that you felt the intense anger pouring out of its protagonists.

I'm not sure if the same three actresses will be performing "Mad at Miles" in Winston-Salem at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM on Thursday, August 6, 2009. If it's the same three performers, be prepared to witness an amazing production, and if any or all of the actresses are different than the ones who performed on Triad Stage, hopefully they too will do this important play justice.

Call 336-723-7907 to order tickets ($25.00 each). If voice mail picks up, just leave your name and phone number, and you'll receive a call back. I don't think you'll regret putting forth the time and money to see this play. Just keep in mind that the content is very mature, and it's probably not appropriate to take children to see.

Here are some more details: Venue: RJR Black Box. Phone: 336.723.2266. Thursday, August 6, 2009, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. 301 N. Hawthorne Rd. Winston-Salem, NC 27104.