Theater Review: ‘The Secret Life of Bees’

The Island Now

By Elyse Trevers

Sue Monk Kidd’s coming-of-age novel, “The Secret Life of Bees,” set in the turbulent ‘60s in South Carolina was a New York Times bestseller. It was then made into a popular movie starring Dakota Fanning and Queen Latifah, and now has become an off-Broadway show.

The two-act musical at Atlantic Theater Company has no setting but uses props to set its scenes. The story tells of young Lily (Elizabeth Teeter), a white girl whose father is abusive. The first scene shows him punishing her by having her kneel for hours on abrasive uncooked grits. This is obviously not the first time she has endured this unusual punishment as evidenced by the bright red marks she already bears on her knees. Lily suffers tremendous guilt and loss because her father has told her that her mother didn’t love her and that, in fact, she killed her. Lily has only a few objects left by her mother, one of which bears the image of a Black Madonna with the words Tiburon, SC. Later when Rosaleen, the housekeeper, gets stopped on her way to register to vote and is beaten by white police, Lily rescues her and the two run off to Tiburon. Lily hopes to learn more about the mother she barely remembers.

When Lily and Rosaleen get there, they are taken in by three sisters; August, June and May, who keep bees and whose honey company bears the label with the Black Madonna. There is obviously a connection to Lily’s mother. The girl is astounded at the independence of the black women; the strength of the story is in the bonding and the power of the women along with others who pray at the statue. They all offer prayers and thanks to Mary, a figurehead from a ship that a slave found years before. The women recite the story of the statue; the slave found it and the other slaves began to pray to it, calling it Mary. The master, fearing the power of the statue, took it and chained it up several times. Inexplicably, each time, the statue broke free of its chains. While “Our Lady of Chains” is a spirited musical number, it goes on too long, making the musical feel like a bit like revival meeting.

The show juxtaposes the Civil Rights Movement with Lily’s journey. The story includes a few scenes depicting harsh treatment of the blacks by the whites and overt prejudice. To further illustrate the times, a radio announcer broadcasts the news of LBJ signing the Civil Rights Act. Later the announcer tells of children killed in a black church and three civil rights workers who go missing.

In relying too much on Sheik’s music, the story is shortchanged and abbreviated. The novel explains more and make sense where the musical doesn’t. For example, June turns down the man who repeatedly asks her to marry him. The book explains why, but the show doesn’t.

With the book by Lynn Nottage (“Sweat”) and music by Duncan Sheik (“Spring Awakening”) and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead (“Jelly’s Last Jam”) the musical boasts a fantastic cast of singers, led by LaChanze as August and Saycon Sengbloh as Rosaleen. The voices are wonderful, powerful and joyous. Nottage takes liberties with Kidd’s book, by deleting a suicide to create a happy ending. In many instances, the music fills in storylines but the connections between the bees and Lily are lost in the translation.

Their women’s “prayers” in song begin slowly and then get more impassioned. The music is rousing and inspirational, albeit protracted. August is undeniably the leader of the sisters. Eisa Davis is excellent as her somber sister June, and the emotional May is played by Anastacia McCleskey. June argues that Lily, a young white girl, will only bring them trouble, but August overrules her and allows her to stay.

The story of discrimination and prejudice, with the background of real history is often quite moving. The community of black women, their strength, their fervor and their bonds is more interesting than Lily’s story, which is quite important in the novel. When pivotal racial scenes occur, Lily stands off to the side and seems bewildered. A young white girl, she doesn’t understand or feel connected; at times, neither does the audience. Nottage fails to make enough parallels to the bees, and despite the song, “The Secret Life of Bees,” the motif isn’t strong enough.

Many readers of Kidd’s book will love the musical. Its female characters are strong and loving, the music is often beautiful and the performers talented. Those readers have an advantage because they already know the story and can fill in what’s missing from the story. As for the rest of us, we just notice the gaps.

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