The Old Settler at the International City Theatre, Long Beach

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The Old Settler at the International City Theatre, Long Beach on buzzine.com

ARTS REVIEW: ‘THE OLD SETTLER’

Tales of Human Resilience and Passion Persist in Latest Production in Long Beach, CA

By: Parimal M. Rohit
June 10, 2011

Old Settler at the International City Theater in Long beach on buzzine.com(Through June 26, 2011 at International City Theatre, Long Beach, California) Travel back in time to the days of World War II and post-Prohibition America in the Harlem Renaissance, where Zoot Suits, swing jazz, and the Savoy Ballroom headlined the fashion trades, music charts, and the list of places to be. It was 1943, and Harlem, as was the United States, was a different place. All this and more is personified by a charming cast of four actors who take to the stage at Long Beach’s International City Theatre, where The Old Settler -- starring Veralyn Jones, Karen Malina White, Ryan Vincent Anderson, and Tarina Pouncy -- runs through June 26th.

 
Directed by caryn desai and originally created by John Henry Redwood, The Old Settler traverses through an intense one-month period during the spring of 1943 inside the Harlem apartment of Elizabeth Borny (Jones). Living with her younger sister Quilly (White), and welcoming a new but naïve roomer (or roommate) from a small South Carolina town in Husband (Anderson), The Old Settler intricately delves into topics of love, family, religion, class, racism, generation gaps, pop culture, and individual identity.
 
Yet The Old Settler is ultimately a tale of sisterly love and universally themed social commentary. While the story may seem era-specific, what with themes of racial inequities in New York City, the South, and in the American military abroad running rampant throughout the storyline, the greater themes of The Old Settler are just as relevant today, be it falling in love, the “place” of gender, or blood being thicker than water, as it was nearly 70 years ago when the narrative took place.
 
The plot begins before the first lights shine bright here at the International Center Theatre, with Husband leaving his South Carolina home for the bright lights of New York City, armed with some cash he inherited from his mother’s death and an undying quest to find the girl he believes his heart belongs to, Lou Bessie (Pouncy).
 
Within moments of Husband’s arrival into Elizabeth’s quaint apartment, we come to realize several things. Husband is a momma’s boy who still possesses his “country” ways and is head-over-heels in love with the racy gold-digger, Lou Bessie (who switched to the alias Charmaine).
 
Meanwhile, Quilly is annoyingly verbose and rather agitated with just about everything in the world, always concerned about a “rapist” coming into the apartment she shares with her sister, and she gives her two cents about any topic with just about anyone who will listen. Just the same, Elizabeth is an even-keeled presence who manages to keep her composure amidst the brouhaha that constantly surrounds her, be it the incessant reminders she has to give her sister, the impeccable ladylike manners she displays in front of Husband, or the watchful eye she casts upon Lou Bessie/Charmaine.
 
With every period piece issue that arises in each of the eight scenes that takes place throughout the play, not only do we find out what “Old Settler” means -- slang for a middle-aged African American woman who is never married and has no prospects on the horizon -- but the bigger picture eventually makes itself clear.
 
Ultimately, both the production’s title and Quilly’s steady comments about every little thing that happens throughout the play is metaphorically representative of what Redwood originally had on his mind as playwright. A soap opera-like production with loads of production value, be it the background music, the stage design, the dialogue, or the acting, The Old Settler has something for everyone.
 
Of course, The Old Settler does have some rather predictable elements in its story. Just the same, while the character development of the cast as a whole is first rate, the finer nuances and subtleties of each character are not as fully fleshed out as they could be.
 
Still, the performances delivered by the quartet of actors are so very convincing, you cannot help but believe you are indeed in 1943 Harlem, struggling the same struggle each character endured in the name of love and family.
 
As for the production’s two lead characters, Jones and White are beyond impressive in their respective renditions of Elizabeth and Quilly. White has quite a strong presence as Quilly, but not so dominant as to overshadow Jones’ performance as Elizabeth. In portraying Husband, Anderson is impressionable and charming as the affable teddy bear everyone wants to love, while Pouncy is convincingly conniving and manipulative in her performance as Lou Bessie.
 
With solid performances all around, a qualitative story laced with just the right dose of social commentary and enough comedy to tickle your funny bone aplenty, The Old Settler is a solid stage production and a must-see.
 
Playing at the International City Theatre at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center (located at 300 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, The Old Settler runs at 8:00 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2:00 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $37 and $44, and running time is two hours. The theatre may be reached at (562) 436-4610. 
 
The production ends June 26th -- just one day after the 70-year anniversary of Executive Order 8802, which forbade racial discrimination for anyone serving in America’s military or “defense industries.”