The Colored Museum, written by George C. Wolfe and directed by Psalmayene 24, plays at Studio Theater through Aug. 11; Black Out Night starts at 8 p.m. on July 26. studiotheatre.org. $25-$114.
Review by Melissa Lin Sturges for the Washington City Paper
“Produced with electric vitality at Studio Theatre, George C. Wolfe’s damning satire told in 11 vignettes and directed by Psalmayene 24 refuses to become another artifact.
“’You are allowed to laugh audibly’ reads a note from playwright Dominique Morisseau’s ‘Rules of Engagement,’ excerpted in Studio Theatre’s program for The Colored Museum. Morisseau’s note is a reminder to audiences that, despite the toxicity they might encounter in the 11 vignettes that compose George C. Wolfe’s play, the story is fundamentally satirical. Arguably one of the most incisive and methodical satires of the 20th century, The Colored Museum invites audiences to sit with discomfort and embrace humor openly as they confront the absurd contradictions of what it means to be Black in America.”
Review by Trey Graham July 9, 2024 for the Washington Post
“What pins critics’ ears reliably back about ‘The Colored Museum’ is ‘The Last Mama-On-the-Couch Play,’ an affectionate but withering centerpiece skewering a half-century’s worth of Black theater landmarks: dramas such as ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and ‘For Colored Girls’ and all-Black musicals like ‘Cabin in the Sky’ and ‘Purlie.’ Whatever the merits of those shows, Wolfe notes acerbically that their authors still traffic in frustrating stereotypes, locking Black characters into old positions and inviting White audiences just far enough in to snack casually on Black trauma before catching a late supper at the oyster bar across the way. Nor do Black actors escape the nip of Wolfe’s teeth: Watch the cast of Psalmayene 24’s handsome new Studio Theatre production scramble for possession of the Oscar statuette that gets passed around, even as Wolfe’s barbs about overacting detonate like tart little truth bombs.”
Review by John Stoltenberg July 9, 2024 for DC Theatre Arts
“Studio Theatre makes no bones about the fact The Colored Museum has itself become a museum piece. George C. Wolfe wrote the satire of African American culture in 1986 when he was 31, and his incisive script is chockablock with back-then mentions. Now playing at Studio, nearly 40 years on, is director Psalmayene 24’s brilliant reconception of the show, ablaze with talent, without a word updated. No need. The deep truths still throb.”
