Our very first time attending a play at the Generic Theater (underneath Chrysler Hall in Norfolk) was to see Flyin’ West on Saturday, September 23^rd, and we were not disappointed.  Flyin’ West is a period piece, taking place in a rural, all-black town in Kansas in 1898.  The story revolves around three sisters (two by blood, one by choice), and their views on and interactions with race, love, and community, as they figure out how to make their own way in a post-slavery world.  And making their own way is a huge part of this play, as the leading lady (Sophie Washington, played by Jennifer Kelly-Cooper) has a master plan to make this town of Nicodemus into a paradise of sorts for her black community.   She lives with her sister-by-choice, Fannie, who has a blossoming relationship with a neighbor Wil, and recently moved-in elderly neighbor Miss Leah (played by Cynthia Tademy), whom Sophie lovingly and constantly bickers with.  But things get complicated when Fannie’s sister Minnie comes to visit with her husband Frank, and it becomes increasingly clear that Minnie and Frank’s relationship is extremely toxic.

This play is extremely moving, and you need a top-notch cast to bring the level of emotion necessary to make it work.  Apparently, the Generic Theater is brimming with talent, as they decided to double-cast four of the six roles in the play, with only Kelly-Cooper as Sophie and Ashlee Ray as Minnie on stage for every performance.  We saw the cast they lovingly label as the N., Kansas cast, but with one adjustment, as Fannie was played by Delia Davis in a last minute switch due to unforeseen circumstances.  Davis did an absolutely incredible job, as even though she only had a few days of rehearsal (and in a role that has many, many lines), we would have never known she wasn’t the regular performer except that it was announced beforehand.  Kelly-Cooper was able to pull off Sophie by balancing a tough exterior with an extraordinary level of care for her family, a very tough line to toe.  Davis’s chemistry with love interest Wil (played by Jeffrey Phillips) is palpable throughout, and Ethan Marten, in the role of Frank Charles, was appropriately evil.  But this play revolves around the women’s relationships with each other and the world around them, and this cast made those relationships come to life.  You could feel the history and gravity of the sisterly bond between Sophie, Fannie, and Minnie.  You could feel the care that Sophie and Fannie have for Miss Leah.  And you could see Miss Leah step into her evolving role as mother figure for these three young women. 

This play is a lot of dialogue, about hard subjects, with pretty much all the action happening in one single house.  That can be difficult to keep moving and interesting for an audience for around three hours, but director Terrance Afer-Anderson made it happen beautifully.  I never once got antsy, but rather was totally engrossed by the story unfolding, feeling the tension rise throughout, worried about what would happen to the characters on stage, celebrating and mourning with them.  He got the characters moving enough to keep it interesting, yet not distracting in any way whatsoever.  Costuming (by Meg Murray), and hair and makeup (by Becky Styles) was also well done in this play, making these actors look like they belonged in the late 1800s.  We cannot wait to get back to the Generic Theater to find out what they have in store for us next.