A Review of the Play, A Wonder in My Soul, at the Baltimore Center Stage

I recently saw A Wonder in My Soul, the third play of Baltimore Center Stage’s new season (2018/2019) and loved it. It’s currently playing through December 23, 2018 and you can still get tickets to see this fun and roaringly hilarious play written by Marcus Gardley and directed by Daniel Bryant.

Anyway, this play represented true slices of Baltimore: neighborhood beauty shops, fried lake trout, half and half, gentrification, politics, and crime. But in the midst of it all it’s a story about family and friendships.

So welcome to Gwynn and Swann’s Beauty Palace of Cosmetology, a neighborhood beauty shop owned by two childhood friends (Swann Park Sinclair and Gwynn Oak Falls) where the hair is on fleek and the gossip is on tap. The characters were well-rounded, their dialogue was realistic, and the way they navigated family issues and friendships was spot on. I could feel the pain when things went wrong and the joy when things went right.

I really enjoyed how Marcus Gardley did a play on the characters names by tying them to places in Baltimore: Swann Park Sinclair, Gwynn Oak Falls, Cherry Hill, Andre Hill, Pen Lucy, and First Lady Cedonia Mosher. I also loved how he gave the audience snapshots into the Swann’s and Gwynn’s relationship to show how they have grown throughout the years as young girls, young women chasing their dreams, reeling from a marriage, making sacrifices: 1959, 1968, 1980, 2008, etc.

In addition, I loved how the set design paid homage to black women by displaying photos of singers (e.g. Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, etc.), movie stars (Della Reese, Halle Berry, etc.), political activists (e.g. Harriet Tubman, Angela Davis, etc.), writers (e.g. Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou, etc.).

Awesome! Two thumbs up! And YES, go get your tickets today!!

Here’s the synopsis:

A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP, FAMILY, AND THE HEART OF A Baltimore NEIGHBORHOOD

In a Baltimore beauty shop, two longtime co-owners and best friends grapple with a major decision: remain as the anchor of their beloved neighborhood, or relocate under the pressures of gentrification and crime? In dialogue that resonates with everyday poetry, and underscored with music both profound and stirring, A Wonder in My Soul looks at the evolution of one family, the history of Baltimore, and a whole community. https://www.centerstage.org/plays-and-events/mainstage/a-wonder-in-my-soul

Here are some photos:

Enjoy this trailer from YouTube:

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