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<\/a>In addition to Hedda, \u201cFurther Adventures\u201d playgoers will find Eilert Lovborg and George Tesman, Hedda\u2019s suicide lover and her surviving husband, respectively. They hover around her as she seeks to change her fate in Whitty\u2019s frantic comedy. So long as she is remembered by anyone alive, Hedda is destined to commit suicide unceasingly.<\/p>\n
Hedda\u2019s literary limbo, from which it appears there is no escape, is inhabited by others, including Jesus, two gay men that might be fugitives from \u201cThe Boys in the Band,\u201d and Jar Jar Binks. On the distaff, we meet Medea, Tosca and Mammy. That\u2019s right, Mammy of \u201cGone With the Wind.\u201d Mammy is not politically correct these days, and thereby hangs a tale.<\/p>\n
Rising star Yolanda Franklin, seen of late in \u201cTrip to Bountiful\u201d at New Village Arts, \u201cThe Little Flower of East Orange\u201d at ion theatre, and \u201cSugar Witch\u201d at OnStage Playhouse, said she was not in the least bothered with the prospect of playing the stereotypical Mammy. In fact she\u2019s delighted.<\/p>\n
Interviewed after the start of previews, Franklin told of a letter received by Diversionary stating the play is racist and should be taken down. The letter writer admitted leaving after Act I.<\/p>\n
Franklin believes he should have stayed. What she loves most about the role is Mammy\u2019s Act II transformation from Civil War \u201cGone With the Wind\u201d slave to strong, self-possessed woman. This part of the play requires Franklin to sing \u2013 really sing whole songs, she said \u2013 and she has not done that on stage before.<\/p>\n
Franklin is also elated over the company she keeps. She declares that cast mates Tony Houck (gay stereotype Steven), Jacque Wilke (Hedda) and Shana Wride (Medea) are master comedians. \u201cWe crack each other up all the time,\u201d Franklin said, \u201cand I am learning so much from them.\u201d She also praised the detailed direction of Matt McGrath.<\/p>\n
Franklin has been acting quite some time, but only recently came to be so firmly and positively entrenched in the theater community\u2019s consciousness. She said the turning point came when Sean Murray cast her as one of the mothers in his production of \u201cOur Town.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I did shows at ion, Moxie and New Village Arts, and suddenly the critics noticed me,\u201d Franklin said, who has always been passionate about acting and theatre. Prior to Murray\u2019s call she honed her craft at Point Loma Actors Theatre, Common Ground Theatre and the Ira Aldridge Players.<\/p>\n
Franklin might be called ecstatic. She admits to being aggressive in going after what she wants, saying she is grateful for the turned corner, the roles she\u2019s played, and for the inroads she\u2019s made in film, television and commercial work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure why I\u2019ve been blessed, but I have worked hard and will continue to work hard in this field I\u2019m so passionate about,\u201d she said. In the world outside theater, she has a government job that involves a lot of math and organization, both of which are great practical skills for an actor.<\/p>\n
As for that letter, she said, \u201cThe gentleman who left didn\u2019t get to see Mammy\u2019s transformation and the storyline about her bravery, her courage and her love for herself. He didn\u2019t get to see her journey to the very end. That is what this play is about for me, seeking out a positive change, and no matter where you end up, seeing the journey to the very end.\u201d<\/p>\n