Crowns

Musical (2002)
by Regina Taylor
Adapted from the book Crowns: Black Women in Church Hats (2000) by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry
Directed by Regine Vital
Associate Directed by Davron Monroe
Music Directed by David Coleman
Moonbox Productions
Arrow Street Theater
Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
April 11 – May 4, 2025

With Cortlandt Barrett (Mabel, Shango), Janelle Grace (Jeanette, Yemaya), Kaedon Gray (Man, Elegba), Lovely Hoffman (Velma, Oya), Mirrorajah (Yolanda, Oguyn), Cheryl D. Singleton (Wanda, Oshun), Mildred E. Walker (Mother Shaw, Obatala)

This curious, interesting, and often musically rousing theater piece is based on a loosely woven narrative about elaborate hats and the role they play in the lives of churchgoing African-American women inspired by the 2000 study by photographer Michael Cunningham and journalist Craig Marberry.

There is an array of women portrayed in this show, with a teenaged character named Yolanda (Mirrorajah), who does not jump on the hat bandwagon, at the dramatic center. Up until a certain point, Yolanda lives in Brooklyn and wears, atop her elaborate braided hair and casual hip outfit, a baseball cap. At a certain point, she is sent to live in South Carolina with a relative, and, at that point, gets more insistent encouragement to join the churchgoing hat brigade. She dons a flowery pink hat which gives her some context and support as she faces social challenges adjusting to her new school context. Various other characters, including the senior citizen of the group, Mother Shaw (Mildred E. Walker), who talks in considerable detail about her fascination with collecting elaborate hats and Velma (Lovely Hoffman), who claims to have two hundred of them and the challenges this kind of collection places on their domestic lives. One man (Kaedon Gray) is at the center of the group of six women and he plays various roles including Mother Shaw’s husband and a preacher.

There are quite a few songs – twenty-five – mostly hymns and rousing gospel melodies – that form the substance of this show which cannot, in its relatively short duration of about ninety-five minutes, contain full versions of them. There are any number of great and beautifully harmonized tunes, and it is at the moments when the cast is singing them out with gusto and verve that this production comes into full bloom. Together, the chorus of women’s voices is powerful and compelling, particularly notable in such vivid numbers as Oh Lord I’m Waiting on You, On the Battlefield, or That’s All Right. As well, there are some terrific solo moments, with Mirrorajah as Yolanda singing, at the outset, Where I Belong, a great rap which she pulls off beautifully. Lovely Hoffman as Velma, with her beautifully smoky voice, carries off His Eye Is On The Sparrow with mood and style.

Some funny, but persuasive, lines come to the fore, such as when Jeannette (Janelle Grace) says to Mother Shaw I want to be just like you and Mother Shaw replies, with verve, No! You want to be just like Jesus! With a newly jazzy motif supporting her, Jeanette (Janelle Grace) says, with wryness and irony, something like I’d lend my children before I lent my hats. Or, as Wanda (Cheryl D. Singleton) says clearly and forthrightly about going to church all dolled up When you go before God, you should look your best. These are clearly funny and witty lines, and they carry a lot of social weight.

An African theme underlines the show, with each of the portrayed characters bearing an African name as well as an American one. The significance of that does not always come across in the show, though there is some wonderful African drumming at the beginning and a beautiful African – I believe Yoruba – chant – Eshe O Baba Eshe – which means We thank you, God.

One of the nice features of this performance is that there is a coordinated screen with supertitles running throughout, so one can get a sense of which characters are saying what and also get a detailed sense of the lyrics. It’s a wonderful addition and much appreciated.

Keyboardist and conductor David Freeman Coleman, along with drummer Brandon Mayes, provides adept musical accompaniment throughout, including that terrific and rousing African drum solo at the outset.

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)