By Arlene McKanic
The play takes place around the first anniversary of the death of Samson Willis, an 11-year-old (11-year-old!) boy who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting; a street has been named after him in the neighborhood where he lived. The crime is unsolved and Samson's family, understandably, remains devastated, especially his father Maurice (David Harper) and his sister Olivia, wonderfully portrayed by Amanda Kenny. His mother Sasha (Marcha Tracey) and levelheaded sister Trish, played that afternoon by Mesha Millington, although not completely healed, have at least managed to see past their despair. Revolving around the family are members of the traumatized community, which includes civic leaders, as well as members of the very gang responsible for Samson's death. These are Trish's compassionate friend Tiara (Taniesha Mitchiner), Trish's straight arrow but foolish boyfriend Sharif (Deron Campbell), Mister (Leon Rogers) a community leader, Leslie (Simone Black) and her little brother and a thug-wanna-be Que (Christopher Broughton), and the real thugs, Patch (Rommell Sermons) and Switch (Eugene Daniels) and their ridiculous gun molls, Pebbles and Coco (Chiquita Camille and Diamond Williams). A nosy and addle-brained local reporter, Johnson (Tom Martin), rounds out the cast. Jay Johnson does the excellent lighting design, while Harlan D. Penn's set design, the living room of the Willis' middle class home, edged by what looks like two bus stops, dominates the stage. The music was arranged and composed by Derek Galloway.Hodges, who also directs, coaxes riveting performances out of his cast. Sermons and Daniels are appropriately scary and repellent as the two gangsters, and Broughton is shocking as the fatherless, switchblade wielding Que, who wants to run with them. Que is only a child and he's already as mean as a crocodile. Left parentless through his mother's death and his father's abandonment, he's been left to be raised by the robust and goodhearted but hapless Leslie. But Que's already so out of control, such a pint-sized sociopath, that he's broken up her marriage. On the other end of the spectrum is Kenny, who makes a heartbreaking Olivia. Only 15, her grief is almost too much to bear; she walks around as brokenly as an old woman. Her soliloquy recounting the day her brother died in her arms is simply crushing. Black and Rogers make wonderful foils for each other; Mister believes the way to fix all these disrespectful kids is with “a foot on their neck,” while Leslie thinks they should be reasoned with; neither approach is quite right. Martin chews the scenery as the reporter who wants to get to the bottom of Samson's murder. The revelation of what actually happened to this little boy leads up to the climax that left the sometimes boisterous teenagers in the audience stunned.”Samson's Way” is an outstanding play about responsibility and the dreadful toll gangs and lawlessness take on children and the communities in which they live. The Black Spectrum Theatre is in Roy Wilkins Park at 177th Street and Baisley Boulevard. Call 718-723-1800 for information.
