Let me cut to the chase: DO NOT MISS THIS EXTRAORDINARY PRODUCTION! TheatreStorm has been reviewing plays in the Bay area for over a decade, nearly 1,000 reviews, and “Sign My Name to Freedom” is easily among the best productions our beloved Bay community has seen over that entire time. It is thrilling.
This biographical piece about Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin, a long-time Bay area activist, is straightforward enough. It tells of Betty’s childhood in New Orleans, her family’s move to Oakland, how she and her husband founded a successful record store and started a family, her political awakening as a Black feminist and community activist in the turbulent 60s and 70s, her emergence as a much admired singer/songwriter performing at countless demonstrations, and her most recent job as a Park Ranger and docent at the Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park in Richmond. The play is based on her many journals and songs. Ms. Sokin is still with us at 102, although she recently retired from her Park ranger job.
There have been many plays covering this historical period, and numerous theatrical celebrations of 60s era activism, but this production carries the material to amazing new heights. Not only is the script beautifully written and dramatically well-structured, but the company has included polished choreography, a fantastic score brilliantly performed, superb acting, and seamless designs flawlessly executed. In fact, in all my years as a voting member of the San Francisco Theatre Critics’ Circle, this production is the first time I have ever thought that a show deserves to be nominated for awards in every available category. It is just that good!
The opening scene is a gem: It is the morning after a home invasion in which the elderly Betty was robbed and attacked by a burglar whom she successfully fought off. She is being cared for and calmed by a friend. As Betty, Catherine Riddley opens the play with a beautifully modulated performance. Betty is calm after the burglary, but she is also shaken and in shock. Her mood shifts rapidly from being in control to being terrified, from anger to calm, from lost to precise. It is a complex, beautifully written, psychologically acute scene. Playwright Michael Gene Sullivan polished the dialogue to a shine, and Riddley plays every note with precision. This kind of work is much more than mere storytelling. It is acting that truly lives.
As Betty tries to pull herself together after the burglary, she is flooded by memories which take life as three younger characters—representing Betty at various stages of life—enter the scene, coming to life in Betty’s mind. There is Little Betty (brilliantly incarnated by Tierra Allen), Married Betty (Aidaa Peerzada), and Revolutionary Betty (Lucca Troutman). As the current Betty struggles to hold herself together, the younger Bettys help her to find her balance as they retell the story of her life. This approach works perfectly and brings the lady’s entire history into focus.
In the telling there is music—Betty’s own songs, beautifully performed—and a company of dancers whose work references everything from ballet to circus. It is a wildly satisfying entertainment.
Director Elizabeth Carter has managed to bring together an amazing virtuosity of theatrical art with song, dance, masks, setting, costumes, lighting, and sound in perfect collaboration. Rarely does a creative team create in such perfect concert.
The story has a happy ending. Betty survives the crisis of her attack, continues to grow as a person, and we leave the theatre having celebrated a remarkably well-lived life. There is pathos, and tragedy, and racism, and disappointment, but the overall message is one of joy and hope.
Rarely have I ever left the theatre with so much gratitude in my heart.
“Sign My Name To Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin” plays at Z Space through April 13th. For further information, click here.
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Rating: ***** (For an explanation of Theatrestorm’s rating scale, click here.)
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“Sign My Name To Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin” by Michael Gene Sullivan. Based upon the life, music, and writing of Betty Reid Soskin. Concept: Jamie Zimmer. Music and Lyrics: Betty Reid Soskin. Director: Elizabeth Carter. Muisc Supervisor/Vocal Director/Arranger: Angie Doctor. Music Director/Arranger/Additional Music: Daniel Savio. Choreographer: laura elaine ellis. Dance Captian: Ahja Henry. Aerial Choreographer: Joanna Haigood. Fight Choreographer: Dani O’Dea. Scenic Designer: Mikiko Uesugi. Costume Designer: Tiersa Nureyev. Lighting Designer: Claudio Andres Silvio Restrepo. Sound Designer: Jules Indelicato. Production Manager/Props Master: Jack Dobens. Stage Manager: Lisa De Leeuw.
Cast:
Betty Reid Soskin: Cathleen Riddley. Revolutionary Betty: Lucca Troutman.l Married Betty: Aidaa Peerzada. Little Betty: Tierra Allen. Renee: Jasmine Milan Williams. Dancer/Ensemble: Jeremy Brooks, Marc Cunanan Chappelle, Markaila Dyson, Ahja Henry. Aeralist/Dancer: William Brewton Fowler, Jr., Nina Sawant, Vernoica Blair.
The Band:
Conductor/Keyboards: Daniel Savio. Drums: Jason Young. Bass: Guinevere Q. Alto Saxophone/Guitar/Toy Piano: Breakfast.
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TheatreStorm is a proud contributing supporter of the 2024 San Francisco International Arts Festival.
For a full schedule of the upcoming Festival, click here.
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