Seeing the Forest through the trees – a review of “Meet Me at the Oak”

By Michael Buzzelli

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Emily Dickinson, and even Tony Orlando and Dawn wax poetic about oak trees. Layon Gray joins the illustrious club of tree huggers with his play, “Meet Me at the Oak.”

Jonius (Thaddeus Daniels) and Selma (Kenya Wilson) have a mighty oak on their property in Alexandria, Louisiana. They have dubbed the tree BEN because one of Jonius’s ancestors carved the initials in the tree back when the oak was on an Antebellum plantation. Their daughter, Ruthie (Tahiliah Rose Bergel), wants to climb the old oak. Even though Jonius and his friend, Earl (Dennis Brito), climbed the tree as children, Jonius doesn’t want his daughter scaling it.

Gossipy friend-of-the-family, Luther (David Roberts), tells Jonius that a white family is moving in next door.

Ruthie is the first to interact with the very pleasant nurse, Mary Coles (Lillian Monique Sherman), and her cantankerous (read racist) husband, Frank (Sal Rendino). When Selma directs Mary to the nearest grocery store, the Piggly Wiggly, she invites the neighbor to cut through the yard on the way back because it’s a shortcut. Mary, however, trips over a gnarled root from the old tree and falls on their property.

When Luther finds Mary unconscious in the yard next to old BEN, he is accused of pushing her. He is arrested. From there, a complicated web of fear and hate strangles both Frank and Jonius. The neighbors are far from neighborly.

Gray describes “Meet Me at the Oak” as “a love letter to my hometown – my neighborhood, the people who shaped me, and the family who raised me. It carries the weight of memory, the courage of survival, and the beauty of choosing love and compassion over fear.”

Gray’s play is about hope, even if it takes some frightening turns to get there. There is a lovely moment with the family dancing to a record filled with joyful exuberance, a moment of beauty before descending into a ghastly neighborhood nightmare.

The cast is amazing. Their performances ring with truth.

Daniels is triumphant as the patriarch of a nuclear family. He is a passionate man, a fully realized character with hopes, fears, and dreams. The character is at his best during his sweeter moments. Daniels exudes natural charm in the quiet, reflective moments.

Bergel shines as the young daughter, Ruthie. The actor, who isn’t yet twelve years old, is giving 100%. Yes, she’s adorable, but her ability is far beyond her years.

Wilson’s Selma is a thoughtful, caring matriarch. While Selma is a 50s Black housewife, Wilson plays to the character’s soul. You see the intelligence and gravitas of the woman who is really running the household, even though she’s making it look like her hubby is calling the shots.

Roberts plays Luther with unrestrained emotions. His character’s emotions are always over-the-top. Whether it’s happiness, sadness or anger its cranked up to 11.

Herb Newsome’s set is charming and simple, looking like a lower-middle-class home in the 50s. His BEN is the secret eighth member of the cast. The tree looks imposing, gnarled, and stately. The Oak in “Meet Me in the Oak” has a personality all of its own.

There is a beautiful memorial to the ancestors, created with clever projection design by Aidan Cole.

Gray also directs his work. It’s not often that a playwright can direct his own play. They don’t have emotional distance to make bold changes or quiet revisions. That said, Gray does a phenomenal job with his own material.

Sadly, Americans are still hung up on “Othering,” and we haven’t progressed far enough since the attitudes of the 1950s. Gray reminds us to be our better selves even in dire circumstances. The lesson is given dramatically – sometimes melodramatically – without feeling like a morality play. While there are a few prayers – including a beautiful version of “Amazing Grace” – it’s never preachy. Gray is more interested in telling the story as he sees fit.

“Meet Me at the Oak” needs to be seen.  It should be required viewing for anyone in the Senate, House of Representatives and/or ICE agents, because the people who NEED to see the play, probably aren’t going to see the play, but you should.

-MB

“Meet Me at the Oak” runs until March 1st at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre’s Helen Wayne Rahu Rehearsal Hall, 621 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For tickets and additional information, click here.