Spunk at Signature Theatre

Spunk

Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Avenue Arlington

An unearthly Guitar Man and Blues Speak Woman tantalizingly interweave three tales of the early 20th century African American experience, from the fierce determination of a resilient washerwoman, to the zoot suit struts of 1940s Harlem, to the bittersweet innocence of young married love.

Thru - Jun 23, 2019

Tuesdays: 7:30pm

Wednesdays: 7:30pm

Thursdays: 8:00pm

Fridays: 8:00pm

Saturdays: 2:00pm & 8:00pm

Sundays: 7:00pm

Box Office: 703-820-9771

www.sigtheatre.org

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Spunk Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"...In such close quarters you notice all the details Douglas lavishes on the script - the changeable tones of Sherrice Mojgani's lights and touches on Kendra Rai's costumes that range from a bejeweled headband to the flashy extra pattern on the Harlem slang slingers' suits. The style is florid, and it works because it takes Hurston seriously. All of it, especially the acting, has heart."

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- Nelson Pressley

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...While there may be other productions of Spunk that make use of larger stages and more props, this production stretches the audience's imagination much like Hurston did when she penned her tales. The vocal talent alone makes this production worth attending."

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- Michele Simms-Burton

Talkin Broadway - Recommended

"...Director Timothy Douglas has brought together six performers-a guitar player and singer (Jonathan Mosley-Perry), a blues singer who also acts (Iyona Blake), and four actors (KenYatta Rogers, Marty Austin Lamar, Drew Drake, and Ines Nassara)-to recount Hurston's tales through her own words, "in the key of the blues." George C. Wolfe, the original director, adapted the stories in a story-theater style where some actors narrate while others act out the scene."

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- Susan Berlin

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

"...This production shows solid ensemble work, as they all move between roles, stories, and styles of telling, including sharing narration at times. Iyona Blake as Blues Speak Woman grounds the entire piece with her singing chops and soulful understanding of these characters. Ines Nassara draws into herself as if she would disappear into her own clamshell if she could then suddenly opens her heart and appears radiant in the next moment. KenYatta Rogers gives us both the twisted mouth, walk, body of a man devoured by meanness and at the same time provides glimpses into the brokenness and loneliness of such a man, himself a victim of the abuses of poverty and racism. Marty Austin Lamar as Jelly teams up with Drew Drake as Slang Talk Man, and they slip, strut, slide and generally dish each other enough dirt that get us in the audience to howling with laughter."

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- Susan Galbraith

BroadwayWorld - Somewhat Recommended

"...I've never been disappointed by a show at Signature Theatre. Even their ongoing Grand Hotel, which is working with some less-than-stellar source material, is elevated by the wonderful craftsmanship and talented artists this theater welcomes. The same can unfortunately not be said of the disappointing Spunk, which opened in Signature's more intimate ARK theater on Friday. Zora Neale Hurston's masterful prose falls flat in a production that feels like it opened too soon, resulting in an evening lacking in the gumption this show tries to champion."

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- Sam Abney

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Spunk at Signature Theatre

Spunk

Spunk Reviews

Washington Post - Recommended

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

Talkin Broadway - Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

BroadwayWorld - Somewhat Recommended

Spunk Photo Gallery

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