First Stage's "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" is a Long Trip

Krystal Drake (front, left) and Sherrick Robinson (front, far right); Zephaniah Singh Ponder, Paisley Luna, and Michael Loomans (back, left to right) in THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM -1963. First Stage, 2022. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

First Stage begins 2022 with The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, an in-person production in the Todd Wehr Theater that runs through February 13. Cheryl L. West’s 75-minute adaptation of the award-winning book by Christopher Paul Curtis is, as the title implies, the story of what happens when a Black family travels from the North to the South at the beginning of summer in the early 1960s, and how the three children learn about segregation, the Ku Klux Klan, the Civil Rights Movement, and the violence that accompanied the country’s first steps towards racial equality. Under the dual direction of First Stage Artistic Director Jeff Frank and Brandite Reed, it is a slow, sweet story that just barely scratches the surface of its essential history lesson.

In the most interesting scene in the show – the opening moment – the audience gets stuck in a cacophonous loop of dialogue filled with overlapping voices from people that 10 year-old Kenny Watson cannot get out of his head. Clearly something terrible has happened. Kenny (a strong, likable Zephaniah Singh Ponder*) has been wearing his plaid bathrobe, holding on to one of his little sister’s black patent leather shoes, and hiding behind the couch for a week since the mysterious, horrific event occurred. He has also purposely lost his glasses, because the things that he has seen haunt him – images from the family’s trip to Birmingham in the midst of violent Civil Rights protests. 

Mama (a spiritual and steady Krystal Drake), Daddy (a resigned Sherrick Robinson) and the three kids all pile in the car in Flint, Michigan, for a three-day drive to visit Grandma Sands (a thoroughly entertaining Cynthia Cobb). Sure, Mama would like to visit her childhood home and catch up with her mother, but the real reason for the cross-country journey is so troublemaker teen Byron (a mischievous Michael Looman) can stay with the family matriarch for a few months, to learn some manners and stay away from his juvenile delinquent friends, who are clearly a bad influence. 

Cynthia Cobb and Zephaniah Singh Ponder (front), and Paisley Luna and Krystal Drake (back) in THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM -1963. First Stage, 2022. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

Apart from the jarring opening scene, the story proceeds in a plodding, linear fashion. As the Watsons travel further into the South, Kenny can clearly see that his relatively comfortable life in Michigan is very different from the reality that people of color face south of the Mason Dixon Line. His mother consults the Green Book for lists of motels that they are allowed to stay in. Outhouses replace indoor plumbing at stops along the way. Harassment from white men is the rule instead of the exception. Kids address their elders as “ma’am” or “sir.” The weather is scorching hot and the tension is high, as Civil Rights protests have escalated all through the spring.

But for such a compelling piece of history at such an emotionally charged time, the play is surprisingly understated and dull. Adults in the audience will brace themselves for the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing scene (which, when it finally comes, is strangely underplayed). Children watching will have little story to follow through 75 minutes, aside from recognizing the family bickering in the backseat and arguments about what songs to listen to, that are endemic to road trips.

There are some stark, quiet moments of confusion when Kenny remarks on the “funny American flags” flying in front of people’s homes in Alabama, and when he asks about the meaning of a yard sign that says “segregation forever.” But the metaphor of a lurking monster that seems to suck Kenny under the water when he goes swimming too close to a whirlpool, and fights him as the young boy searches for his little sister after the church bombing doesn’t really work. One through-line that does work is Mama’s entreaty to sing whenever the children are scared. The family’s acapella rendition of “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” is hauntingly effective, led by Drake’s strong, reassuring soprano.

In a production that relies a great deal on clothing and hairstyles to indicate the time period, costume designer Ron S. McCan does an extraordinary job of locating the play through pitch perfect colors, patterns, and silhouettes. Grandma Sands’s everyday dress and apron, and her flowing church clothes and hat speak volumes about time, place, and character. Likewise, Daddy looks like he walked right out of a photograph in his brown suit, thin tie, and hat. And the prim, white and pink dress that Joey (Paisley Luna) wears on her way to Sunday school is hauntingly evocative. The set made of road signs also does a nice job of standing in for dozens of locations, and dangers ahead. Conceived by scenic designer Sydney Lynne Thomas, it gives the Watsons and the audience a map to follow through the story. 

Many exceptional, award-winning books do not translate well to the stage, and I’m afraid The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 is one of them. Hopefully audiences will check out the  source material after they see this production.

*I saw the “Birmingham” cast on Saturday, January 22nd.