STARRING IN “AMERICAN MENU”—Cheryl Bates, Karla C. Payne. (Photos by Richena Brockinson/Lionness Photography)
by Genea L. Webb, For New Pittsburgh Courier
New Horizon Theater Inc., serves up plates of poignant humor in Don Wilson Glenn’s “American Menu” as its 31st season rolls on.
Set in 1968 Texas after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a month before the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, “American Menu” takes place in a White-owned diner run by five Black women and how they deal with the turmoil that has taken place in the U.S. and the trauma happening in their own lives.
“The playwright has artfully woven in comedy to discuss issues like abortion, murder, land ownership, ignorance, Black consciousness, poverty,” said Karla “Spirit Led” Payne, who portrays the sassy Johnnie May. “I’m living my best life in the role. She speaks her mind and she cusses like a sailor but she loves the women of the diner. She is the comic relief of the diner. This play is in constant motion. We are serving food and having more than one conversation at a time in a small space. This play is definitely a challenge and the themes are heavy. I want the audience’s first response to be, ‘wow,’ and then I want them to walk away with the heart and the struggle of the women and how they have been resilient through it.”
That resiliency is what drew Glenn to put pen to paper and write the two-act, slice-of-life play that is “American Menu.” In 2002, Glenn won the AUDELCO award for Excellence in Black Theatre, including Best Playwright and Best Dramatic Production for “American Menu.”
“I was trying to represent the African American community in that area and laughter and humor were a part of it no matter what a person was going through,” explained Glenn, who wrote the play in 1998 in about a two-week time frame. “We are still going through all of these themes today and issues that haven’t been resolved and we see how it’s impacted our community.”
STARRING IN “AMERICAN MENU”—Tajionna Clinton, Cheryl Bates-White, Karla C. Payne.
Glenn, who was born in 1965, added: “The characters in the play are the different phases I saw my mother’s life—I saw her as a young hopeful woman, I saw her become a mother and I saw her become an activist. She was a very brave woman. I remember writing it and there were a lot of assassinations that happened and there was such hope. The women are living all of this out in an apartheid-style kitchen. This country has a lot to answer to—crimes of humanity—slavery, finding people lynched in trees—these horrific things that happened to African Americans and people of color. Can this play be relevant today? Every year there’s been things happening to African Americans in this country. This play is ahead of its time because it says Black Lives Matter.”
The comedic and historical components of the play are why New Horizon Theater decided to grace its audiences with the show as its Black History Month entrée.
“We did the show back in 2006 under the direction of artistic director Ernest McCarty and we thought we waited enough to do it again,” said New Horizon Theater Inc., Chairperson Joyce Meggerson Moore. “We are happy to be doing it again. There are playwrights who, we like their plays, and we think this play will resonate with our audiences and have an impact during Black History Month. Each person depending on their historical background will be remembering or learning some things. We want to continue to keep doing shows that are a reflection of ourselves on stage. Sometimes it’s not so pretty, but that’s part of it, too. Our performers put their hearts and souls into these parts to present a well-presented play to the community.”
“American Menu” runs through Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Carnegie Library, Homewood Branch, 7101 Hamilton Ave. General seating is $25, and seniors 65 and older and student tickets are $20. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.newhorizontheater.org.
New Horizon Theater Inc., has brought back Lundeana M. Thomas, University of Louisville Faculty Emeritus and Full Professor, to direct its production of “American Menu.” Thomas leaned on personal experience to direct the production.
“In the 1950s, my mother worked as a cook in Youngstown, Ohio. I would be there with her while she did her eight hours. I was 16 years old and she taught me how to scramble the eggs, poach the eggs and make the hamburgers. It was an interesting environment,” said Thomas, who directed “The Green Book” for New Horizon Theater last season. “This is an interesting play to me. It is a day in the life, a few hours, of five women—their joys, sorrows and inspirations and their working hard. This is a little peek, but the interesting thing is that the things that happened in the 1960s are still happening today. These five Black women are working in rural Texas where there’s a ‘Whites only’ sign in the dining room. They want someone to care about them. Although these things are still happening today, we still have dreams.”
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