Crowns

There aren't many plays and musicals out there that can take the black community back to a place and time where things were a tad bit more innocent than they are now. Nor are there many to empower black women and remind them of who they are, what they were, and how they need to dress. IKAM and director Andrea Frye have done a magnificent job in bringing these elements together. Being a preview, there were a few technical things that needed to shape up. But over-all, no production could beat the lively talents of Mrs. Marguerite Hannah-Middleton, the powerful and mesmerizing vocals of the songstress Miss Bernardine Mitchell or the youthful and ever-changing character of Yolanda played by Miss Naima J. Carter. The story, itself, is hard to see in Act I as the songs will take you away from the focus of Yolanda, the young girl from New York who has come to live with her grandmother. But everything wraps up in Act II for the audience as Yolanda finally "hears" what her grandmother and the congregation is trying to say in song...and in hats. With the delightful set and wonderful lights, this show is a "must see." With the roaring gospel music and foot-stomping spirituals, this is a "must hear."