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PlayMakers Rep's Crumbs from the Table of Joy
Is Entertaining, Educational, and Uplifting

Lynn Nottage's Crumbs from the Table of Joy at PlayMakers Repertory Company stars (from left) Mengwe Wapimewah
as Ermina Crump, Jadah Johnson as Ernestine Crump, and Nate John Mark as Godfrey Crump (photo by HuthPhoto)

"Luck" by Langston Hughes (1902-67).

Sometimes a crumb falls
From the table of joy,
Sometimes a bone
Is flung.

To some people
Love is given,
To others
Only heaven.

Think about a "table of joy." Think about "crumbs" falling and "bones" being flung.

The 1950s were 70 years ago, and New York City is nearly 500 miles from Chapel Hill, but PlayMakers Repertory Company manages to serve up a slice of the lives of a family of that time and place with their current production of Lynn Nottage's Crumbs from the Table of Joy.

Crumbs from the Table of Joy, which premiered Off-Broadway in 1995, is a groundbreaking play in that it is the first one ever to center on the life of an African-American teenage woman, on her struggles, her hopes, and her dreams. PlayMakers Rep director Tia James brings together all the necessary elements to make for an evening that is at various times entertaining, educational, and uplifting.

Crumbs from the Table of Joy stars Mengwe Wapimewah (left) and Jadah Johnson as Ermina and Ernestine Crump (photo by HuthPhoto)

The Play:

When the curtain rises, Godfrey Crump's wife has died, leaving him to care for his two teenage daughters, Ernestine and Ermina. Paralyzed with grief, Godfrey seeks solace in a religious cult led by Father Divine. To get closer to Father Divine, Godfrey moves his family from their home in the rural South to New York City. The problem is, Father Divine has relocated to Philadelphia.

The play begins with 17-year-old Ernestine Crump addressing the audience. She gives a brief sketch of what their isolated life is like as the only black family in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood. Even among other African-Americans (at the girls' school and the father's job), each member of the "downhome" rural Southern Crump family is very much a fish-out-of-water.

Ernestine soon "steps into" the family's apartment, and the action of the play begins.

When we enter the Crumps' apartment, we find Father Divine's presence looming over their lives by way of a huge framed portrait mounted over their hearth. His rules dominate Godfrey's life, dictating how he runs his household and how he raises his daughters.

Father Divine actually renames everyone in the family. Watch for the various ways that the Crumps respond. Keep in mind that renaming involves the preliminary step of un-naming, and remember the fact that un-naming and renaming had been one of the evils of the institution of slavery.

Part of the plot of the play will focus on Godfrey's repeated efforts to meet Father Divine and his disappointments when they fail. One could easily get the impression that Godfrey is Waiting for Godot. The ever-patient Godfrey jots down questions that he intends to ask Father Divine and stores them in a little box. Watch for what happens when this (Pandora's) box is opened.

Along the way, we learn that Ernestine loves going to the movies, because she can immerse herself in the plot of the movies, thereby escaping the harsh realities of living without her mother, of living under her father's rules, and of living in the prejudiced society.

We also learn about the graduation dress that she is making for herself. Watch for a few poignant moments in her progress.

Conflict arises when the family is joined by Aunt Lilly Ann Green -- the deceased mother's sister who is far more "earthy" than Godfrey. She smokes, drinks, and parties. She believes in working for equality for all and is a member of the Communist Party.

Further conflict arises when Godfrey, having disappeared for a few days, returns home with a new wife -- a white woman from Germany.

Lynn Nottage anchors the story firmly in the 1950s, with references to the state of race relations, to the "Red Scare," and to the aftermath of World War II.

Side Note: Father Divine was an actual historical figure of the time -- the founder of the Peace Mission Movement, a precursor of the Civil Rights Movement.

Jasminn Johnson stars as Lily Ann Green in Lynn Nottage's Crumbs from the Table of Joy at PlayMakers Rep (photo by HuthPhoto)

The Acting:

As Ernestine Crump, Jadah Johnson expertly navigates the changes from "narrator" to "character" and back again. As narrator, she has a detached, matter-of-fact style of speaking. As a character, she embodies the passion and resilience needed by a young woman in her situation. Johnson is quite impressive with the character's "At least I wish it had happened that way" moments -- watch for them.

Mengwe Wapimewah infuses the character of Ermina Crump with a great measure of "pluck" and bounciness. Always feisty, Ermina will never shy away from conflict.

Nate John Mark's Godfrey Crump is obviously still greatly pained by his loss and just as greatly determined to do his best for his family. Mark shines brightest at intense moments in his character's interactions with his daughters, his wife, and his sister-in-law.

Jasminn Johnson has created the character of Lily Ann Green as a "force of nature." Lily lives by her own rules, and Johnson hits all the right notes. Watch for the head-to-head moments between Lily and more than one of the other characters. Watch, also, for Lily's laughter when Godfrey tells her "We don't keep liquor in this house."

Elizabeth Dye's Gerte Schulte is a very real post-war German refugee -- accent and all. Dye makes it easy to believe her character's honest desire to be part of a peaceful Crump household and part of American society. It is just as easy to believe her character's naivete regarding race relations. Additionally, Dye treats us to a couple of heartfelt songs.

The Tech:

Scenic designer Jan Chambers has created a true-to-life modest apartment from the 1950s. The vintage refrigerator and kitchen area, as well as the furniture and the table-top radio fairly scream 1950s. Equally impressive are the impressionistic panels that suggest multiple locations above-and-behind the apartment.

Costume designer Sabrina Guillaume-Bradshaw is equally up-to-the-task with the variety of vintage 1950s, character-specific clothing (rural and urban) sported by the cast.

Lighting designer Kathy A. Perkins and sound designer/composer G. Clausen are both on point.

Crumbs from the Table of Joy stars Elizabeth Dye (left) as Grete Schulte and Jadah Johnson as Ernestine Crump (photo by HuthPhoto)

Nice Touches:

• Locating the portrait of Father Divine above the hearth, higher than anyone's head.
• Cookies in Godfrey's pockets.
• Period-sounding jazz music between the scenes, especially at the end of the first act.
• Everything Lily does that involves cigarettes and liquor.
• The subtle shift in lighting during the sequences that lead into the "I wish" moments and the appropriately more stark shifts back into "actuality."
• The appearance of actual crumbs at a key moment.
• The sequence involving the questions emptied out of Godfrey's box.

Memorable Lines:

• "Some of us are struggling with the little things."
• "Ya gotta find your own truth."
• "Red scare? Should be called black scare!"
• "Are my bags OK in the hallway?"
• "I can smell the orange blossom and the pig roasting on the spit."
• "Victory, Virtue, and Virginity!"
• "At least I wish ...."

Nate John Mark stars as Godfrey Crump in Lynn Nottage's Crumbs from the Table of Joy at PlayMakers Rep (photo by HuthPhoto)

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

Godfrey's hairstyle struck me as out-of-place for 1950 (but I could be wrong).

Some of the "city language" and dance moves that Ermina picks up seem a little too modern.

Almost every detail of Lily's upscale clothing was quite appropriate and impressive for the character's outlook and attitude, but I was surprised that she had not chosen back-seamed stockings.

PlayMakers Rep's production of Lynn Nottage's Crumbs from the Table of Joy stars (from left) Mengwe Wapimewah as
Ermina Crump, Jasminn Johnson as Lily Ann Green, and Jadah Johnson as Ernestine Crump (photo by HuthPhoto)

The Bottom Line:

PlayMakers Repertory Company's production of Lynn Nottage's Crumbs from the Table of Joy is well worth experiencing. It does everything that a good piece of historical fiction should do. I highly recommend it.

Lynn Nottage's Crumbs from the Table of Joy at PlayMakers Rep stars Jadah Johnson as Ernestine Crump (photo by HuthPhoto)

Lynn Nottage's CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20-22 and 25-29), directed by Tia James and starring (in alphabetical order) Elizabeth Dye as Grete Schulte, Jadah Johnson as Ernestine Crump, Jasminn Johnson as Lily Ann Green, Nate John Mark as Godfrey Crump, and Mengwe Wapimewah as Ermina Crump (PlayMakers Repertory Company in the Paul Green Theatre in UNC-Chapel Hill's Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art). DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://issuu.com/playmakersrep/docs/crumbs_from_the_table_of_joy. TRAILERS AND FEATUETTES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btfEPMt4f6c&t=1s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9sYWXNSItU&t=2s. PRESENTER: https://playmakersrep.org/, https://www.facebook.com/playmakersrep, https://www.instagram.com/playmakersrep/, https://twitter.com/playmakersrep https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayMakers_Repertory_Company, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO7crv41zzCYf9HxRDUEVdw. 2024-25 SEASON: https://playmakersrep.org/season/2024-2025/. PRC BLOG: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/our-blog/. VENUE: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/paul-green-theatre/ and https://museum.unc.edu/exhibits/show/names/paul-green-theatre. DIRECTIONS/PARKING: https://playmakersrep.org/visitor-info/directions-and-parking/. CAROLINA TOGETHER COVID-19 PAGE: https://carolinatogether.unc.edu/. CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY (1995 Off-Broadway Play): https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1948, http://www.iobdb.com/production/659, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumbs_from_the_Table_of_Joy. THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/. LYNN NOTTAGE (Brooklyn, NY-born 2009 and 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama-winning playwright and screenwriter): http://www.lynnnottage.com/, https://playmakersrep.org/artists/lynn-nottage/, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/3672, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/lynn-nottage-483794, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636618/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Nottage. NOTE 1: The 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22nd, performance will feature Open Captioning, followed by a Post-Show Discussion. NOTE 2: Arts Access, Inc. of Raleigh will audio-describe and American-sign-language interpret the show's 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25th, performance. For the best view of the ASL interpreters, call the box office at 919-962-7529 or e-mail prcboxoffice@unc.edu. TICKETS: $20 and up, plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-962-7529 or prcboxoffice@unc.edu. PLEASE DONATE TO: PlayMakers Repertory Company. Melissa Rooney's Triangle Review Review Permalink. Susie Potter's Triangle Arts Review Review.

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