Velvet Green Summer is all about family; the one we are born into and the one we create as we pass through life. That is perhaps a theme that resonates even more with the LGBTQ community, as so many of us have had to move away from our biological families and had to create new ones as we move through life.
It is even more important for Ash, adopted into a strict and rigid nuclear family, she is constantly searching for the place where she belongs. Eventually, that involves searching for her birth mother, whom she eventually meets.
Abbie Fricke is a delight in the lead role of Ash; even when she stumbles over her lines, she does so in character.
The rest of the ensemble: Jill Bellak, Taylor Lyn Dawson, Michele Verdi-Knapp, Katie Jackson, Eduardo Marquez, Brian McCormack, and Ryan Townsend are all strong, especially when playing multiple roles. That’s especially true for Jill Bellak, playing Ash’s adoptive grandmother, biological aunt, a school clerk, and her birth mother’s lesbian best friend.
With so many actors playing multiple roles, it was often confusing, especially since there was little done to alter their appearance. This was especially jolting with the role of Ash’s adoptive and biological mothers, both played by Michele Verdi-Knapp. Although her interpretations were distinctly different, a more drastic change of appearance (even something as simple as a wig with a different hair color), would help.
K Ehly does an excellent job, both in the creation of the script (adapted from an earlier work called Baby Girl) and in the direction of the play. A lot is covered in an hour and 40 minutes, and it all flows seamlessly.
The selection of background music does a lot to help set the scene, and lighting helps create dozens of locales on Empire Stage’s tiny set.
Highly recommended.
Velvet Green Summer
Kutumba Theatre at Empire Stage
1140 N. Flagler Dr., Fort Lauderdale
954-646-1000
Through May 24
