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GENE Shofner opts to concentrate on educating his audience rather than entertaining or challenging with "Pharaoh's Daughters," a painstakingly researched tale of the struggle to abolish slavery in the decades prior to the Civil War, based on journals and speeches of real characters. ‘Daughters’ inspiring
By John Berger
Special to the Star-BulletinShofner wrote it in partial fulfillment of an MFA degree in playwriting. He is directing it in its premiere as a 2000-2001 Prime Time production at Kennedy Theatre through Sunday.
The script could be cut by at least a scene or two but anyone looking for strong female role models will find "Pharaoh's Daughters" well worth seeing as is. The titular daughters are one of two pairs of fascinating and atypical 19th century women, Sarah and Angelina Grimké, who are relevant as role models today.
The sisters were born into a family of wealthy South Carolina slave owners. Sarah found slavery so abhorrent that she became a Quaker and moved to Philadelphia. Angelina, 13 years younger, followed her there and became the more outspoken of the two.
"Pharaoh's Daughters": Repeats 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the University of Hawai'i Kennedy Theatre. Tickets are $9; discounts available. Call 956-7655.
The Quakers of the 1830s opposed slavery but thought sending freed American slaves "back" to Africa preferable to immediate abolition. Shofner shows the Grimkés shocking their fellow Quakers by insisting that black worshippers not be relegated to the "colored" bench in the meeting hall, and by their approval of "radical" abolitionist Theodore Dwight Weld.
The sisters eventually left the Quakers to work with Weld. They became eloquent and effective public speakers at a time when it was considered an affront to public morality for a decent woman to "display herself" in public, let alone speak on political issues.
Shofner's second pair of sisters are Millie/Chrissie McKoy, African-American "Siamese twins" joined at the hip, who gained wealth and fame as the "Two-Headed Nightingale." Shofner uses them solely as narrator/commentators of the Grimkés' story and Millie/Chrissie say nothing of their experiences.
(A book review on the wall outside the theater reveals that they were born in 1851, kidnapped and put on display in England before their owner got them back, and that the relationship evolved from one of owner and slave to manager and artist, and that Millie/Chrissie became wealthy.)
Megan Evans (Sarah) is the dramatic focal point for most of Act I and negotiates the archaic dialogue beautifully. Leah Gigante (Angelina) takes over in Act II as Sarah is eclipsed by her more radical sister.
James M. Davenport portrays both the charismatic Weld and the Grimké sisters wealthy slave-owning father. Davenport is a commanding presence in both roles.
Amanda Ward and Patricia C. Greene provide spice and spunk as Millie/Chrissie. Patrick Adams (original music) adds a fine sense of time and place playing banjo and other instruments. Davenport's set provides an assortment of performance spaces and also more details on slavery and the Abolition Movement than the audience is likely able to assimilate.
The entertainment value of hearing people speak what is presumably authentic early 19th century American English dissipates well before the end of the long first act. We can only hope that no one will be shocked or challenged by the protagonists' once-controversial assertions that slavery is wrong, African-Americans should be allowed to learn to read, and that women are entitled to the same opportunities as men!
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