Photos by Ma'atology
HERE ARE SOME RED CARPET PHOTOS:
There's gospel rapper P Dub.
This young lady had on a nice dress with the brown zig zaggy designs. This brotha was dressy casual with the white suit and sneaks.
The look of the nite: This beautiful tan flowing pants ensem with gold belt and purse to match.
FOLK prepping to enter the theater for the show:
Opening night was packed from the floor area to the balcony.
Opening up was a dancer .
The director Joel P.E. King addressing the crowd before the start of the show.
Playing the narrator was Vanetta Clark and the singer Willena Vaughn opened the play. They also were interpersed throughout the production.
The star of the show Kendra C Johnson who played Shaniqua and Tameka Williams who played Cidney in a conversation scene.
FROM LEFT: Actress Sieglinda Fox-Jackson played Mother Bulkins, Autry Jackson played Grandma Bulkins and Olivia Neal played Teresa, a lovelorn housewife who's married to a philandering husband in one of the themed "Ruin" Scenes on Act One
Duane Foster played Tameka's husband Henry
Fox-Jackson, Johnson, Lawrence Hayes who played Johnson's second husband Howard and and Nigel Banks who played Johnson's and Hayes's son Jonathan in a one of the "redemption" scenes in Act Two.
The cast of Issues of Love in the final scene
The cast with director King and producer Dwayne Bess (right)
POST SHOW
King greets his well wishers in the lobby
Johnson also greets her well wishers in the lobby
Johnson takes a pic with cast member Alicia Mays (left of Johnson) and well wishers.
Johnson (third from left) takes pics with fans after the show.
NOTE: Overall this was an entertaning production involving what the title expresses involving a philandering wife with a checkered past, a lovelorn housewife who's husband is cheating on her, a virgin who falls in love with the man who flowered her and has issues with marriage and a prostitute who befriends a man who tries to help her get off the streets.
The standout performances include Olivia Neal as Teresa and Duane Foster as Henry both playing husband and wife. The scene when Teresa discovers who her husband is cheating on was shockingly real and the most memorable. Also, Autry Jackson who played the senile Gramdma Bulkins was also a hoot with her out-of-head outbursts during her scenes.
The rest of the cast(which was about 15) were OK. Suprisingly Kendra C Johnson, the headliner, although her performance was solid, she was more a supporting character in the ensemble cast. It was would have been more dimensional of her character's background story (her being bisexual and abuse dby her first husband for instance) could have been emphasized more to develop her characater than just a well off woman who cheated on her do-good husband.
Also missing was an "in person" scene with her best friend Cidney. They also had phone converstaions together. They, ironically were the only two characters that were the most distant in the cast.
Beside some of the drawbacks, what makes Issues of Love refreshing was to see the men in the play either change their cheating ways or were seen as hard working men who didnt cheat on their significnat others. Also, the women had men around, as oppose dto women without men and talking about trying to find a man or saying men are no good.
And the singing from the cast was also excellent.
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