Theater Review : The Right Sisters Make ‘Flyin’ West’ Take Off

“Flyin’ West,” Pearl Cleage’s post-Civil War tale of the founding of the still-existing all-black township of Nicodemus, Kan., offers up a tantalizing story, rich in detail and possibility.

San Diego Repertory Theatre realizes some of the potential in Cleage’s 1992 play. Its triumphs are the creation of slaves turned pioneers--Miss Leah and Sophie Washington, magnificently played here by Irma P. Hall and Sylvia M’Lafi Thompson.

But the play needs judicious cutting and rewriting. At 2 1/2 hours, it’s too long for its slender story, with much exposition wasted on telegraphing every turn.

The show is set in 1898. Years before, like tens of thousands of former slaves, Sophie Washington had seized the opportunity of the Homestead Act of 1860 to claim free land for her and Dove sisters Fannie (Jackie Mari Roberts) and Minnie (Sarah Davis). Sophie, Fannie and Minnie consider themselves sisters although the relationship is never fully explained.

Instead, the story concentrates on the intrusion of Minnie’s abusive half-white husband, Frank (Dominic Hoffman), who hates his black heritage and tries to make money selling Minnie’s share of the land to white speculators. A subplot of romance between former slave Wil Parrish (Damon J. Bryant) and Fannie seems calculated to suggest a more positive male-female relationship.

Under Floyd Gaffney’s sensitive direction, all the actors give spirited, appealing performances, looking at home on Ron Ranson’s rugged set, wearing Judy Watson’s authentic-looking pioneer clothes.

But many of the characters are thinly drawn, an exception being Hall’s Miss Leah, an elderly neighbor who befriends the sisters. Hall, an unforgettable MaDear in the Old Globe Theatre’s “Jar the Floor” last season, makes you feel the pain, the strength and the indomitable humor of a leathery old woman who has retained the scars and humiliations of slavery and can still look forward with hope.

Thompson, who plays Sophie as the tough, self-appointed protector of black pride, doesn’t get enough lines to explain her character, but she acts so well between the lines she keeps the story vibrating through sheer force of will.

With more work by the playwright, this play could really fly. Even at this stage, it’s exciting to see it stretch its wings.

* “Flyin’ West,” San Diego Repertory Theatre, Lyceum Stage, 79 Horton Plaza, San Diego. Tuesday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends Oct. 8. $19-$25. (619) 235-8025. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.