 "Photo: Neka Jones l Echo staff photographer")
The audience rose to a standing ovation, hooting and whistling their approval for the captivating performances of this brilliantly produced version of Lydia R. Diamond's play, "Harriet Jacobs," which is based on the true events as written in Jacob's book "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl".
A cast of seven African-American actors performed all 13 of the play's character roles, both white and black. Many of the white characters are not immediately identified as white, yet the actors clearly demonstrate disassociation between slave characters.
"Dark, darker than night." These words open the door into the life of Harriet, played by N.C. Central's Tara-Whitney Rison.
The lights came up and cast a glow on Rison. As she spoke directly to the audience, her sweet voice and bright eyes captured the essence of Harriet's character.
Rison's character warns that she is here to tell the story of the daily life of work, but also of her dreams and the slight joys of life on a plantation.
She also speaks of love.
Harriet's sweetheart Tom, played by NCCU student J. Alphonse Nicholson, was a blacksmith at a neighboring plantation saving his to buy Harriet's freedom so that they can marry.
Nicholson stuns in emotional range playing two characters, Tom and Joshua, from the glow of youthful love, to the anguish of heartbreak and contained fury of subjugation.
Master Norcomb, played by the Edward Evans, casts Tom's life-savings of $700 into the fire. Devastated, Tom never returns.
Disowned Harriet resists Norcomb's advances and suffers abuse from his wife, who is played by Hazel Edmond.
Harriet later finds solace in the bakery owned by her grandmother who is a freed slave played by Marilynn Rison.
There she meets Samuel Treadwell Sawyer, a white man, played by NCCU student Justin Smith, who becomes enamored with Harriet.
He fathers two children with her but never attempts to buy her freedom.
The love she has for her children fused with Norcomb's threats to sell them causes Harriet to flee. She hid in a crawl space for seven years while she peered at her growing offspring through a tiny hole, writing her story on the pages of a bible.
Rison's vivid portrayal of Harriet's mental torment during her time of seclusion conveys a mood of intense drama interspersed with comedic relief.
In conclusion, Harriet must decide whether to come out of hiding and flee north to freedom, or remain in her self-imposed prison.
She realizes that her suffering in that cramped space has brought her greater strength and determination.
Hope, strength and beauty can live and thrive, even in the darkest hours. That is what the a Little Green Pig theatrical production delivered.
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