Pull up your chair and have a seat and delight in the warm “Stew” emanating from the historic Tony Award winning Pasadena Playhouse.
“Stew” is by playwright Zora Howard who tells the story of three generations of Black women gathering in the kitchen as they prepare Mama’s favorite meal for a big event at her church.
While preparing the meal Mama (LisaGay Hamilton) engages in conversation with her two daughters, Lillian (Roslyn Ruff) and Nelly (Jasmine Ashanti) while her granddaughter “Lil’ Mama (Samantha Miller) observes the “grown folks” conversation surrounding her. Lil Mama is preoccupied waiting for her father to arrive so they can rehearse her lines for her audition as Queen Elizabeth in Richard III, the school play.
Over the next 90 minutes the audience learns that Mama and Lillian share a bond over their failed marriages, all of the women (except Lil Mama) becoming pregnant by the age of 17, and the fallout from the consequences of their choices. Everyone should be able to go “home” when all else fails.
The entire play is centered around the family’s kitchen where they reminisce on their passion for theater, love and are at times disrupted from the noise from the neighbors dog and the occasional “backfiring” of a car. Is that Mama’s stew burning?
Lillian’s son Junior doesn’t make an appearance, but the ending act offers a glimpse into the harsh reality of what the backfiring noises really are.
“Stew” is well-written and is giving “Soul Food” vibes as cooking traditions in Black households are where deep conversations are had while preparing food you intend to share with family and friends, with the key ingredient being LOVE!
Stew is playing now through August 6 at Pasadena Playhouse located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 9110. Ticket Prices start at $35. Visit PasadenaPlayhouse.org or call (626) 356-7529 or visit the box office in person at the Playhouse.
