Reviewed
by Judy Richter
The opening monologue in Thomas Gibbons' "Permanent Collection" sets the tone for what's to come, even though the audience doesn't know that yet. In the outstanding production directed by Robin Stanton for Aurora Theatre Company, Sterling North, played by L. Peter Callender, describes the start of his first day in his new job as director of the Morris Foundation and art museum in an upscale suburb of Philadelphia. Driving his Jaguar, the nattily dressed Sterling, who was a telecom executive, is stopped by a police officer even though he has violated no traffic laws. The cop wants to know if Sterling owns the car, then asks where he's going. The problem? Sterling is black, the cop white. Racism has reared its ugly head.
The
rest of the day goes better as Sterling meets Ella Franklin (Margarette
Robinson), who
was assistant to the museum's late founder for 26 years. He also meets Paul
Barrow (Tim Kniffin), the longtime director of education, who is white. All is cordial
at first, but the first signs of conflict appear when Sterling replaces Ella,
who is black, with his own assistant, Kanika Weaver (Karen Aldridge), who also is black. Ella stays
on in another position, however.
Alfred
Morris, who founded the museum, was an eccentric but discerning art collector.
He amassed an important collection of artwork, most of it by the leading
Impressionists, and hung it in a way that was unconventional but that reflected
the influences one artist may have had on another. His collection also included
some rare African works, only a few of which are on display. The rest are in
storage. (Morris, played by Robert Hamm, is a character in the play but appears to the
audience only.) When Sterling says he wants to display eight of the African
works in storage, Paul, who is both knowledgeable and passionate about the
collection, objects to the plan, noting that Morris' will stipulated that
nothing was to be changed.
The
tension rises, and soon Sterling accuses Paul of being racist. Gillian Crane (Melissa
Gray), a white
newspaper reporter, gets involved and uses the racist charge in one of her
stories. The conflict escalates even more, resulting in pickets outside the
foundation, lawsuits and resignations.
What's
so intriguing about this play is that each of the two antagonists -- Sterling
and Paul -- eloquently and cogently states his views, swinging audience
sympathies from one to the other. Kanika tries to smooth things over, but she,
too, gets caught up. Gillian, whose reports helped to kindle the conflict,
declares her objectivity as a reporter, but she's not above capitalizing on the
more sensational aspects of the situation. One also has to question her basic
reporting skills, for when Sterling tells her what tribes some of the African
works may have come from, she doesn't ask him how to spell the names -- a
cardinal sin for journalists.
Richard
Olmsted has
designed the fluid set with art on all walls and a turntable to switch
effortlessly from the main gallery to Sterling's office. The lighting is by Jon
Retsky, the
costumes by Rebecca Ann Valentino. The sound by Chris Houston includes a mix of classical and
African music along with spirituals sung by the Oakland Youth Chorus.
The
cast is uniformly excellent with each actor creating a believable character.
Callender, Kniffin and Aldridge in particular express their characters' deeply
held views convincingly and persuasively. Based on the true story of conflict
over the late Albert C. Barnes' collection and foundation in Philadelphia,
"Permanent Collection" is a play that stimulates thought and lays
bare racial issues that still simmer in American society.