Famous playwright George Bernard Shaw once wrote that “If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.” Well, let it be known the women of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s latest production of “Jar the Floor” have their dancing shoes on.
The show takes place in 1990s Park Forest, Illinois, and revolves around four generations of African American women as they descend on one house to celebrate the matriarch’s 90th birthday.
Cecelia Antoinette plays the birthday girl, MaDear, a Mississippi transplant who moved in with her granddaughter after the passing of her husband, and whose ailing memory makes for some of the play’s most poignant moments.
Next in line is Lola, played by Joy Lynn Jacobs, whose mile-a-minute rips and wisecracks keep everyone on their toes (audience members included) while nursing an affinity for leopard print and men.
Then comes Maydee, played by Shannon Lamb. Determined not to become her mother, Maydee puts her career on the front burner, sometimes allowing her work ethic to overshadow the real needs of those for whom she tries to provide.
The youngest of the family line, Maya Loren Jackson plays Vennie with a resolute drive to follow her own path regardless of (or in direct rebellion to) her family’s ideals. Raisa, played by Erikka Walsh, is Vennie’s unexpected companion, whose hard-earned wisdom and sunny disposition are equally unanticipated for the household.
Directed by Gilbert McCauley, “Jar the Floor” is divided into two acts that starkly reflect the balance of love and pain that every family must strike. If the first act is breakneck comedy, the second is whiplash drama. With a perfectly simple set, all eyes are on the family’s interactions and the skeletons unleashed in the process.
And, oh, do those skeletons dance.
“Jar the Floor” runs through April 16. For showtimes and more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit The Rep’s website. You can also call (501) 378-0405 or visit the theater’s box office downtown at 601 Main St., Little Rock.