O.C. THEATER REVIEW : ‘Slave Girl’: A Hymn of Hope

IRVINE —  One-person plays usually boil down to storytelling, and the drama is dependent on the inventiveness of the performer. A perfect example is “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” at Irvine Valley College’s Forum Theatre.

Adapted by Deanna and Jon Sidoli (he also directed) from ex-slave Harriet Ann Jacobs’ 1861 autobiography, the piece pointedly and properly centers on Jacobs’ seven-year confinement in a 9-by-7-foot cubbyhole in her grandmother’s attic and her flight to safety in a northern free state.

Although Jacobs’ whole history is interwoven into the context, the simplicity at the core of the play gives it power, focus and theatricality. Through selected moments in Jacobs’ life, such as how she sees her children growing up while watching them through an inch-wide hole in the attic wall, the Sidolis spin Jacobs’ tale with telling effect.

Tamiko Washington appears as Harriet in a performance of great truth, honesty and affection. Particularly effective are her very authentic accents as the young Harriet, the fugitive and, especially, as the older Harriet who is telling the story. Washington makes a seamless transition between the Harriets at various ages, and has a innate sense of the tones and vibrations that belong to each.

Her deep, authoritative vocal switch to the powerful personality of Harriet’s grandmother is impressive; the echo of the character’s “Po’ chile, po’ chile,” while she comforts the terrified young Harriet is heart-wrenching.

If there are moments when Washington’s vocal ability falters, it is when she becomes the white doctor who owns Harriet and her two children, and who has had a lech for Harriet since her early teens. Director Sidoli should have Washington act out the quote in Harriet’s voice for a more truthful and dramatic ring of authenticity.

Jacobs’ story is not one of despair, but one of hope. Slavery did not destroy her; it gave her strength and unending optimism, qualities that help Washington translate Jacobs’ words into a hymn for today’s society.

The producer, Ron Ellison, also is presenting the play during the day for area students, an ideal gift to the young during Black History Month.

* “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” Irvine Valley College’s Forum Theatre, 5500 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. Friday-Sunday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. Ends Sunday. $8. (714) 559-3333. Running time: 1 hour, 5 minutes.

Tamiko Washington: Harriet Ann Jacobs

An Irvine Valley College Theatre and IVC Associated Student Government production of Deanna and Jon Sidoli’s drama, produced by Ron Ellison. Directed by Jon Sidoli. Scenic/lighting design: Jim Rynning.