BERTA, BERTA

There’s so much to say about this ninety-minute play, Berta, Berta, that just opened at the Atwater Village, and it’s all good! To be exact, the entire production is superior!

As you may know, I rarely review shows at smaller theaters these days; there’s just not enough time in life. But, if a description interests me enough, I’m there.  And this one is intriguing.

Berta, Berta is the love story of former couple Leroy and Berta. The setting is the latter’s farm house in 1920s Mississippi, which is perfectly rendered by set designer Amanda Knehans. The entire layout is used for the action, and my friend Marc and I enjoyed discovering the many interesting set decorations.

I rarely discuss the plot of an entertainment, especially the ending, to make sure you all can experience it for yourselves, but I believe that everyone who sees it will know in the first minute that it may not be an easy journey, and even with all the humor along the way, there’s little chance that we’re going to get the happy ending we desire. Mixed in with the many laughs, my heart ached the entire time. But I recommend that you go along for the ride because we discover that Leroy is, indeed, the honorable man we’re hoping he’d be.

The lovers are deftly played by Kacie Rogers and DeJuan Christopher, who absolutely give it their all. I never saw either of these excellent actors before, so, with no preconceived notions of them, they presented to me as fully their characters, which is a positive—I believed every word they said. (But I did meet DeJuan at the after-party, and he was just as darling as his character is. And in his hip party outfit, he looked kind-of like handsome TV music director Ray Chew.)

I was thrilled that even with the characters’ appropriate thick Southern accents, every word uttered by Kacie and DeJuan, usually even in rapid fire, is totally understood, which many of you know how much I appreciate that. And I love Kacie’s raspy voice.

The action moves seamlessly from comedy to drama to tragedy. There is so much going on in this play in just that hour and a half! Wow. What a testament to the acting, directing, and writing.

Speaking of the writing, My New Best Friend, Schantelle, (with whom we sat at the opening night afterparty,) pointed-out the playwright, Angelica Chéri, whom I assumed had recently written this play. But in researching it later, I found-out that it’s been produced elsewhere for at least seven years now! (This engagement is actually the West Coast premiere of Berta, Berta.)

The very first thing Schantelle said as she approached the table was, “It was kind of a ride!” And that it was. She later correctly deemed it to be “electric!”

My old bestie, Marc, also loved it, and told me that he had the feeling that he was watching a movie, which I totally get. He added that the show is “very intimate,” and that he felt like we were eavesdropping on the couple, which is a perfect summation of what the play and performances are like.

I enjoyed the entire presentation, with this simple line from Berta being my favorite line: “I forgot [with the slightest of pauses] on purpose.” I can’t wait to use it on Mr. X!

Before the play began, Marc had said something unwise to me about a life situation, so during the show, I was sitting there hoping that he would bite his tongue afterwards, and then I was feeling crazy for being so superstitious. And then as the scenario went on, it turned out to be the case for the characters, as well! So that made me feel a little bit better about myself. (And yes, he did bite his tongue when it was over, so no worries there.)

I do have to acknowledge that I’m a Caucasian woman reviewing a play about the African-American experience, so one might think I don’t have the tools to understand it all. But, in addition to having admiration for the artistry before me that night, and a ton of empathy for the duo’s intense circumstances, I honestly do have a fair amount of personal experience in that arena. Besides being very upset about all the unfair human situations in life, such as the holocaust and slavery and all the horrors that are going on in the world today, (especially this country with all the ICE raids,) my second family, which is the only one I still have, is black. My serious boyfriend before Mr. X is in that fam, and as a young biracial couple waaay before it was accepted, we were often abused, on both sides. I was actually scared when we took a road trip from New England to Atlanta, and then were planning to go cross-country from there. So much so that we had to drive all the way back to the north to drive across here to LA. Even in my native Brooklyn one time, a group of white men coming out of a bar hit our car, called the police, and Omar’s license was taken away! I put up a great fuss to get them to not arrest him, even though he was the innocent one! So I do know a little bit more about this play’s underlying topic than one might assume. And it turns my stomach, as it should everyone’s.

Berta, Berta brought to mind Ava DuVernay’s powerful 2016 documentary, 13th, which has haunted me ever since then. That film educates us to the fact that prisons are getting paid to keep people incarcerated, which is beyond disgusting. (The title comes from our Constitution’s 13th amendment, which states, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Did you catch that exception? It really needs to be changed, but so does sooooooo much of what’s happening in our country right now. Don’t even get me started.

By the way, Berta, Berta is “inspired by” the most famous “prison song.” Prior to this, I had never even heard of prison songs! (Unless perhaps there are a couple in one of my favorite films ever, Sullivan’s Travels. Now I have a good excuse to take time to watch it again.) This one, whence the title of the play, began way back when on Parchman Farm of the Mississippi State Penitentiary. I had been interested in only the love story before I saw the show. But I adore learning about parts of history of which I had not even an inkling of prior knowledge, so, of course, I had to research Parchman Farm the next day. And it’s almost as fascinating a topic as it is infuriating and heartbreaking.

I had never been to Atwater Village Theater, so I thank the Echo Theater Company for this wonderful introduction to the excellent little theater space. There are actually a few theaters in that one complex, and a big patio with tables and chairs in-between them all.  With everyone outdoors mingling before and after the show, it had a lovely summer stock feel to it. I’m going to go early next time to explore the entire interesting-looking town, and I suggest you all do the same.

And the good news about this place keeps coming—Atwater Village Theater has completely free parking! They have dedicated lots, of which I was unaware, so we parked right on the street, where there are no meters and only daytime time limits. And Marc checked-out the concessions and said they’re the most affordable he’s ever seen! So seeing Berta, Berta here is a win all the way around.

Berta, Berta running through August 25, 2025
Echo Theater Company
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Avenue, Los Angeles
www.echotheatercompany.com