Sweet Evalina
Sweet Evalina
Written and directed by Kyona Levine
Starring Jennifer Marshall, Val Gamble, Dynell Ma’aseia
Sparkyl Entertainment at the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre</strong>
In a world of minimal expectations, early pregnancy and a mindset that ties all tragedy into a master plan of menace, it’s hard to escape. Down by fictional Wauchula (not the one near Zolfo Springs) Betty (Gamble) runs a juke that she inherited from her mother. Daughter Jean (Marshall) dreams of higher education and a professional job that doesn’t involve riding herd on drunks. She’s got the grades, but just can’t seem to get a response from those fancy pants schools like Gainesville. The local received wisdom reiterates “how can you leave?” and they hide behind a curse put on the town by mysterious Evalina (Ma’Aseia) Evalina was the runaway orphan who they taunted until she cursed them, and now everyone who leaves comes back in box. It Brigadoon, but with an option lock instead of a time lock. OK, there’s one exception, wandering Teddy (erob) comes back to clean out his deceased mama’s house and take another pass at uptight Betty. The local censorship committee has mixed feelings – he’s cute, but he left. Must be something wring in that boy’s head. Misery and poverty are a safe harbor but there’s a happy ending – Jean is now a Gator, Dee (Tracie Turner Jackson) discovers her long lost sister, Betty accepts her daughter is a responsible adult with a future, Evalina find community and all the men folk get some decent reefer and make up with their women.
While there are some small nits in the story the town of Wauchula is full of interesting and well drawn characters. Jean’s friend Rabbit (Levette Davila) with her ghetto attitude and talcum powder tight pants was a joy, and Dee began by calling down Hell fire and damnation but made up with everybody late in the second act. Evalina was at her best as the hissing demon who demanded an offering of sweet potatoes to lift her curse. Without a doubt, that’s the homiest sacrificial offering I’ve ever heard of. Local acting stalwart Elizabeth Judith did a fine redneck fashion show, and everybody was in love with town flirt Bernice (Rhyanmichele Adams). On the male side, Teddy was sweet, Mason (Xavier Gonzales) sweeter, Stan (Chaz Roberson) had a dead on stutter, and Lou (Essex O’Brien) felt he couldn’t make it in the major leagues because he came from too small a town. If he was half as good as he claims, UF would have come down and kidnapped him.
There’s a lot going on in this story, with four or more independent sub-plots it takes some attention to follow who did what to whom when, but it’s not so bad I got lost. The center of this story revolves around what it takes to leave what’s safe but unpromising, when you need to grasp for that fairy castle and when to cut your losses and retreat. Levine has pulled off a complex piece of writing and an ambitious stage production, and I hope to see more of her work. With her knack of characterization and skill at telling a humane story with unforced humor, she’s off to good start with her oddly spelled production company.
For more information please visit www.myspace.com/sweetevalina or www.brownpapertickets.com
