Our Daughters, Like Pillars, Huntington Theatre at Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, through May 8. huntingtontheatre.org, 617-933-8600 or 617-266-0800
Kirsten Greenidge is clearly intrigued by family dynamics and their connection to home. The local African-American playwright focused on the challenges confronting a Black family about the deed to their house in an absorbing 2012 drama "The Luck of the Irish"—sharply staged by the Huntington Theatre. Now Greenidge has returned to the Huntington to explore inter-generational family dynamics in the world premiere of "Our Daughters, Like Pillars" at the Calderwood Pavilion. While a solid cast does its best—under the earnest direction of Kimberly Senior—to make that exploration dramatically powerful, this very overlong three-act play—three and a half hours including two intermissions—needs considerable trimming, much more insight about its characters and strong buttressing of its shaky plotting.
"Our Daughters, Like Pillars" begins promisingly enough with the title Black siblings—Zelda Shaw, Octavia Shaw-Curtis and Lavinia Shaw-Williams—and their widowed mother Yvonne beginning a present day summer rental in North Conway, New Hampshire. Designer Marion Williams' well-detailed woods-ensconced set features a handsome stage left grill which organizing Lavinia includes with antiquing plans in what she sees as a no-cellphone quiet vacation. If Lavinia has her way, there will be no talk about religion or politics at family meals. Joining the Shaw women are Lavinia's genial husband Morris and Zelda's quirky 'partner' Paul—who arrives with her and a tiny portable house that encamps stage right.
As in other sibling trio plays—Chekhov's iconic "Three Sisters" and Beth Henley's "Crimes of the Heart," among others, the title daughters are very different. Zelda is very outspoken, Octavia relatively understated and Lavinia unabashedly domineering if well-intentioned. In fact, Lavinia envisions "everyone together" in a shared home and getting the family "in shape." Zelda, who believes that everyone should have a say in one's own life but seems to order Paul both in and out of the mobile house, quickly comes into conflict with Lavinia. At the same time, she gripes that their late acclaimed writer father Lemuel "left us nothing." Octavia, apparently estranged from (unseen) husband Tim—in Brussels on business, has brought her laptop with her to work on her writing. Even so, she yearns to travel and mentions Tanzania.
Complicating matters still further is the unexpected arrival of Missy Shaw, Lemuel's flashy second wife. Very different from generally reserved Yvonne, Missy speaks with over-the-top cheerfulness and dresses flamboyantly (kudos to costume designer Sarita Fellows). Alerted to the New Hampshire family get-together by the sisters' (unseen) lawyer brother Birdie, she calls the siblings "my gals" and "my babies' and announces "I have come home."
Clearly there are possibilities here for real drama and character development, but surprisingly Greenidge does not deliver here on both counts the way she impressively did in "The Luck of the Irish." Lavinia may overwhelm Zelda and Octavia with her expectations about sisterly bonding and the family living together, but their conversations and reactions ultimately yield no satisfying dramatics. Just as problematic, the male characters seem more buffoonish than essential—especially during Morris' unproductive exchanges with Lavinia and Paul's strange conversation with Octavia about trips and freedom. Additionally, repeated references to Tim and Birdie contribute little to the play. Even the fiery face-off between Yvonne and Missy at the end of the second act does not end up in a satisfying third act rematch.
The play's shortcomings are all the more regrettable given the cast's fine performances. Nikkole Salter has the right overbearing authority as Lavinia, especially when she contends that "I am the pillar." Lyndsay Allyn Cox captures Zelda's feistiness and Arie Thompson catches Octavia's vulnerability. Lizan Mitchell does her best with underwritten Yvonne. Cheryl D. Singleton, a standout as Caribbean accent-sporting Missy, adds dimension to Greenidge's play with her vocally and visually vivid performance. Postell Pringle demonstrates singing talent in Morris' light-hearted moments. Julian Parker is properly enigmatic as Paul.
Greenidge is a writer of consequence, as "The Luck of the Irish" and her coming of age play "Milk Like Sugar"(2011) demonstrate. Unfortunately, "Our Daughters, Like Pillars" comes across as a work without the right blueprints.