As a performer, Dael Orlandersmith, who wrote and starred in the Obie-winning 1995 one-person show Beauty’s Daughter, is pure empathic gravitas. Her chopping-block physique, orotund voice, and stately bearing give her a monumental presence, while her uncanny ability to conjure exquisitely damaged and pathetic characters lends a disarming warmth to everything she does. And she captivates through the most modest of means; a slight shift of her head, lowering of her voice, or adjustment of her posture is all she needs to transform convincingly from one persona to another.
But that problem is, to a degree, inherent in Orlandersmith’s text, which journeys through several blocks of Harlem, as well as several decades of Diane’s life, without getting much of anywhere. Orlandersmith has a keen eye for the telling details of desperation (Anthony, a young man trapped in a debilitatingly unhappy marriage, makes love only by playing his saxophone), but the details don’t accumulate into anything larger than themselves. For the most part we meet a handful of people ensnared in an impoverished neighborhood, see their flaws, fears, and humanity, and move on.
Stage 773 1225 W. Belmont 773-327-5252 americanbluestheater.com $29-$39
