SpeakEasy's "SCHOOL GIRLS": Pales by Comparison?

Sabrina Victor, Crystin Gilmore, Shanelle Chloe Villegas, Geraldine Bogard & Tenneh Sillah in
SCHOOL GIRLS: OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY
(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)

SpeakEasy Stage's current production actually doesn't pale by comparison to other comedies; in fact, it's incomparable, given its unique perspective from the points of view of a half dozen teenagers in Ghana, with the somewhat cumbersome title of SCHOOL GIRLS: OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY. And, though the actual term “colorism” (discrimination based on skin tone) is never explicitly named in the play, it's clearly the unspoken basis for how outer appearance dictates one's worth, and the subsequent hierarchy in the beehive which is female adolescence. This often hilarious eighty-minute play by Ghanaian-American author Jocelyn Bioh won the 2018 Lortel Award as Best Play off- Broadway (in a tie with Martyna Majok's Cost of Living), now in its New England premiere. Bioh's aim is to tell true stories about African and African-American characters that buck expectations and defy stereotypes, and her aim is on target, as she notes she's not reinventing the wheel, but “just adding new spokes”, portraying how vicious teenage girls can be when left to their own devices. So can teenage boys, it must be said, but they're not the object of this playwright's skewering here.

Ireon Roach, Crystin Gilmore & Victoria Byrd in
SCHOOL GIRLS: OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY
(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)

The story takes place in 1986 (reflecting the playwright's self-confessed obsession with the mores and manners of the eighties) in a Ghanaian boarding school cafeteria. Paulina Sarpong (Ireon Roach) is the currently reigning “queen bee” (thus someone we all went to high school with) of her entourage of sycophants; that is, she rules until the arrival of one Ericka Boafo (Victoria Byrd), the relatively pale-skinned daughter of a local cocoa tycoon, who transfers from Ohio back home to Ghana for her senior year. She's clearly the shiny new object of attention for Paulina's classmates, or underlings, including Gifty (Geraldine Bogard), Mercy (Tenneh Sillah), Ama (Sabrina Victor), and Nana (Shanelle Chloe Villegas).

 

Ireon Roach & Victoria Byrd in
SCHOOL GIRLS: OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY
(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)

Further complicating matters is the more subtle contrast and more universal contest between the traditional Headmistress Francis (Crystin Gilmore) and the more fashionable beauty pageant recruiter, and former Miss Ghana twenty years prior, Eloise Amponsah (Kris Sidberry). As the play progresses, it becomes apparent that there are more stingers present than at first glimpsed. This clever narrative deals with ambition and deceit when one's place in such a hierarchy is threatened, as well as the culture clash between political correctness and West African truth-telling, and the reality of being “othered”. They express such desires as to be popular rather than “fat”, for “once in my life, to finally be seen” on each girl's journey to owning her self.

 

Victoria Byrd & Ireon Roach in
SCHOOL GIRLS: OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY
(photo: Maggie Hall Photography)

These can be weighty subjects for a brief work such as this, but Bioh knows her territory well and is well-served by Director by Summer L. Williams, who has a knack for mixing the serious with the comic, as each member of the cast stands out as a distinct and memorable individual. One only has to hear the unenthusiastic first greeting of their communal listless “hi” to know that Bioh's writing is in good hands. From Roach's haughtiness to Bogard's movements to Villegas' shy reticence, to each actor's particular acting gifts, this is an ensemble to treasure. They're complimented by the spot-on Scenic Design by Baron E. Pugh, sly Costume Design by Miranda Kau Giurleo, and accomplished Lighting Design by Devorah Kengmana and Sound Design by Allyssa Jones.

Bioh herself has stated that “comedy is just a funny way of being serious”, and proves exactly that in this wise, witty and wicked trifecta: female author, director, cast (and most of the crew).

 

This comic tragedy of pageantry should win your heart and your funny bone, through May 25^th.