In the mid-1920s, Vera Stark, a beautiful, talented vaudeville actress, left New York for Hollywood, land of dreams, where anything was possible, even decent parts for black women. In 1933, after several years working as a maid for the movie star Gloria Mitchell, aka “America’s Little Sweetie Pie,” she landed her first screen role . . . as Mitchell’s maid.
Nottage began thinking about Vera Stark after seeing the 1933 film Baby Face on TV. Theresa Harris played Barbara Stanwyck’s maid. “I was intrigued by this very strong, beautiful woman,” Nottage remembers. “I looked her up on IMDB and discovered she played very marginal roles, but she would shine above them and make herself known. Who were these women who came to Hollywood with the same expectations as white women?”
The second act shows and deconstructs the consequences of her decision to wear the mask, in the form of an academic colloquium about Vera’s life and work and “footage” of a 1973 talk show appearance during which Vera, older, disappointed, and alcoholic, can barely contain her rage for the years of being passed over because of the color of her skin.
Chuck Smith, the director of Vera Stark at the Goodman and a theater veteran since the 60s, disagrees. “I think ‘sassy’ is another word for ‘strong,’” he says. “It’s never going to change, by the way. Someone will always want a Hispanic with a strong accent, or any other ethnic group stereotype. Movies are a commercial venture, not a social venture. They’re out there to make money. The more people who watch, the more money they make. If all of a sudden there was a miracle and black movies started making money, everyone would want to watch African-Americans.”
“It’s easy to point fingers at performers without understanding the complexity of their choices,” Nottage says. “What should be discussed is the natures of those choices.”
Through 6/2
Wed-Thu 7:30 PM, Fri-Sat 8 PM, Sun 2 PM, check with theater for additional shows Goodman Theatre
170 N. Dearborn
312-443-3800
goodmantheatre.org
$25-$81
