'Wine in the Wilderness' review — rarely revived drama is an artistic masterpiece
Read our review of Wine in the Wilderness off Broadway, written by Alice Childress and staged by Tony Award winner LaChanze in her New York directorial debut.
When well-preserved, paintings can retain their original vibrance for decades to come. Classic Stage Company proves that the same applies to theatre with its exquisite production of Alice Childress's Wine in the Wilderness. Attending this play — written in 1969 and rarely staged since — at CSC's unassuming, rustic venue near Union Square feels like entering a post office or library or bank and spotting a genuine Picasso on the wall.
Bill, the Harlem artist at the center of the play, envisions his latest work hanging in one of those ordinary places someday. A triptych of Black womanhood also titled Wine in the Wilderness, it features a painting of a young girl, a painting yet to be created, and a central portrait of Bill's ideal Black woman: a sunlit African queen with natural hair and a striking red wrap. She, Bill says, will show the "messed-up women" in his Harlem neighborhood — where the race riots of 1964 are happening concurrently with the events of the play — what they should aspire to be.
But when Tomorrow "Tommy" Marie is brought to Bill's apartment-cum-studio by his friends to model for the third painting, she turns those ideas on their heads. Straight-shooting, sharp-edged, and fiercely independent, she rubs up against every ideal Bill has, her brash voice and mismatched outfit making her status as an outsider immediately apparent. Played with fire and fury by an excellent Olivia Washington and Grantham Coleman, these two characters are a powder keg waiting to explode as they alternately resist and relent to the mold each one wants the other to fit in.
Director LaChanze paces Wine in the Wilderness perfectly, gradually building up tension — and knowing when to release it and let audiences relax into the softer moments before shaking them up again. The 85-minute work is a searing, knife-sharp interrogation into classism within the Black community, and the top-notch cast and creative team maintain the integrity of Childress's brushstrokes.
Wine in the Wilderness summary
In 1964 Harlem, divorced artist Bill is seeking a model for the last painting in his triptych of Black women. With the help of his friends, he finds her in Tomorrow "Tommy" Marie, an impoverished, uneducated woman whose apartment burned down amid the riots that very day. Unbeknownst to her, she's the subject for his painting of an "unideal" Black woman. As they question each other's beliefs and ways of life, they begin to change, wrestling with their integrity and identity as they do.
Childress's work has had a resurgence in NYC theatre in recent years. The late playwright's work was produced on Broadway for the first time in 2021 with Trouble in Mind starring LaChanze, who now makes her New York directing debut with Wine in the Wilderness.
What to expect at Wine in the Wilderness
Arnulfo Maldonado's set is lived-in and homey, convincingly representing an artist's dwellings with colorful furniture, knickknacks, and of course, plenty of paintings strewn about. Paintings also line the walls of the theatre above the audience's heads, and our attention is directed to a few during one scene.
This cozy atmosphere contrasts the ever-tense mood among the characters, made darker by the fact that we know the reason for Tommy's presence long before she does. Watching her stay to be patronized is heartbreaking — but watching her stay to assert herself and unravel the true depths of her beauty, her smarts, and her strength is captivating thanks to Washington's standout performance.
Wine in the Wilderness contains discussions of racial violence and the use of racial slurs.
What audiences are saying about Wine in the Wilderness
As of writing, Wine in the Wilderness has a 78% audience approval rating on the review aggregator Show-Score, with overall positive responses from theatregoers praising the writing, performances, and direction.
- "Perceptions in the black community, in the mid- '60s, are at the center of this 5-hander: How black men see their women, how they feel about the N- word. The production is great, but I found the play a bit unfocused, a bit of its time, a bit outside my realm of resonance. But the actors, especially the lead female, are worth seeing." - Show-Score user aka
- "Old-fashioned, steady play that is earnest, filled with love, and steeped in relationships. This is a slow-burner but I found this piece transcending its initial 10 min of feeling 'dated' and becoming something not only relevant to now, but vital." - Show-Score user Opa Dale
- "Really great play that takes you inside some black folks lives to help us better understand how many different points of view can all be made by the same group. One voice does not speak for all." - Show-Score user JoeyFranko
- "Echoes of Lorraine Hansberry's SIGN in SIDNEY BRUSTEIN'S WINDOW with artist in garret discovering life doesn't play by art world rules." - Show-Score user Patrick Mc 6043
Read more audience reviews of Wine in the Wilderness on Show-Score.
Who should see Wine in the Wilderness
- Olivia Washington, daughter of Oscar winner Denzel Washington, proves herself a formidable talent in her own right with this show. Fans could plan a Washington family double header of Wine in the Wilderness and the Denzel-led Othello on Broadway.
- See this show if you like seeing theatre in nontraditional settings. CSC's Lynn F. Angelson Theater situates audiences on three sides of the stage, so the action plays to all sides of the room, and you can even observe the reactions of your fellow audience members.
- Quite simply, if you just want 85 solid minutes of great theatre — all elements done well, without parts that feel superfluous or slow — this production is unmissable.
Learn more about Wine in the Wilderness off Broadway
If Alice Childress or Wine in the Wilderness were never on your radar before, they should be now. Meant to premiere in spring 2024, LaChanze's production is spirited, brilliantly executed, and simply phenomenal on all counts. It was worth the wait.
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