“Crowns” — a musical ode to African American women.

STORRS — For the first time in seven years the Connecticut Repertory Theater the University of Connecticut is presenting a Nutmeg Summer Series play, “Crowns,” a co-production with Indiana University and Syracuse University.
This musical feast is the story of a teenaged girl, Yolanda, from Brooklyn, New York, who is sent to her grandmother’s home in the south after her brother is shot and killed. The connection between the African practice of wearing bright colors and crowns and the African American practice of women wearing fabulous hats in all shapes and sizes, as well as always dressing your best to go to church, is examined.
It feels like a Baptist or Evangelistic Church service, with many exuberant hymns such as “When the Saints Come Marching In,” soulful blues numbers, and lots of “Praise the Lords,” from an excellent ensemble cast. Throughout the show they were all singing, dancing, and each telling their different stories about their lives and their many hats.
Each of the women dress in different bright colors throughout the 2-hour show — yellow, white, blue, red, and purple. This color-coded identification is a useful technique.
At the beginning of the show, Yolanda, played with appropriate teen-age angst by Shannon Antalan, enters from the back of the audience and bursts into an energetic rap number.
The rest of the cast then enters dressed in African regalia, with matching cloth crowns. Their African apparel disappears and is replaced by color-coordinated slips and then dresses — the colorful costumes designed by Reggie Ray. The women continue to change into different hats, some reversible, throughout the play.
Written by Regina Taylor, the story-telling format, often without much interaction between the performers, starts out interestingly enough, but then becomes tedious near the end of this one-act production — by the third time one of the women says, “I have about 200 hats,” it’s two times too much.
That’s too bad, because they have some wise information shared. It appears these stories are taken from interviews of women who wear these hats, similar to the technique used for the musical “Chorus Line.”
Other than Mother Shaw, Yolanda’s grandmother, played by the commanding Chandra Currelley, Yolanda, and the Man, well played by Ronald McCall, the names of the characters and actors are difficult to identify.
One of the characters observes, “Hats are like people — Sometimes they reveal and sometimes they conceal.”
Statements such as “a woman can flirt with a hat,” “hats make you happy,” and “hats can be competitive,” are all made.
Another says wearing hats is one way to cope with a bad hair day while being able to express creativity and unique style.
Still another of the women gives a litany of “Hat queen rules” warning, “Never touch my hat” along proper hat greetings, saying it is important to show “excellence in all things, including your appearance.”
The audience Friday got a rousing and heartwarming look at an exuberant style of worship and fun that had everyone on their feet, clapping along, at the end of “Crowns” — a musical ode to African American women.

CROWNS

3 Stars
Location: Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, Jorgensen Road, Storrs.
Production: Written by Regina Taylor. Adapted from a book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry. Directed and choreographed by Patdro Harris. Music direction by William Hubbard. Sound designed by Jonathan Herter. Scenic design by Felix E. Cochren. Costumes designed by Reggie Ray. Lighting designed by Jennifer Setlow.
Running time: About 2 hours with no intermission.
Show Times: Wednesday, and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through Sunday.
Tickets: Range in price from $14 to $36. Call the box office at 860-486-4266 of visit their website at www.crt.uconn.edu.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Ronald McCall … Man
Shannon Antalan … Yolanda
Chandra Currelley … Mother Shaw
Crystal Fox … Jeanette
Roz White … Velma
Valerie Payton … Mabel
Terry Burrell … Wanda