Pauline Adamek – Stage Raw
If you’re anything like me, you’ll go into Mike Kindle’s one-act drama knowing nothing about the mother of Barack Obama, but come out with a healthy respect for the progressive woman who, virtually single-handedly, raised the man who became the President of the United States. Read more…
Deborah Klugman – LA Weekly
Mike Kindle’s ambitious stage biopic spans 35 years in the life of Stanley Ann Durham, the mother of President Barack Obama, who by the president’s own account was the predominant influence in his childhood and the fount of his values. Kindle’s one-person play is constructed as a series of conversations between Dunham — played with skill and finesse by veteran performer Ann Noble — and various people in her life, including her two spouses, her mother, her children and friends and work associates. It’s a challenging format that relies on the audience’s ability to conceptualize these people’s reactions and responses, but Noble’s performance compensates for whatever attenuation of the drama that setup generates. Read more…
Now running through July 26.