Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale – Wilma Theatre – Theatre Review

Photo credit: Joanna Austin
By Amanda VanNostrand.

In 2010, the Actress/Playwright Jaylene Clark Owens posted, “Harlem is looking more and more like the belly of a killer whale” on Facebook. Now, ten years later, this quote has transformed into the title of a striking play – “a love letter to Harlem” (Owens) – showing at the Wilma Theatre between now and March 7th.  (It has been extended due to popular demand!) This show blends spoken-word poetry, theatre, song, dance, and comedy seamlessly, and makes Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale into something special that entertains and enlightens all.

Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale tells the story of gentrification in Harlem through Bridget (Jaylene Clark Owens), Toni (Hollis Heath), and Shayla’s (Janelle Heatley) stories and conversations. These women are lifelong friends in their twenties, recalling shared pasts and presents in Harlem with unknown futures looming ahead. As they talk about lifelong dreams amidst realities of unwanted change, they describe injustices that are present and relatable to most who grew up in an American city. With single claps dispersed to change their times, places, and beings, the women go from being themselves to representing various entities in their lives: from buildings that discuss their differences, to groups of white women and groups of black women having (two very different) conversations on the subway, to portraying a newscaster announcing the death of Harlem, these women tell stories that incur realities in the hearts and minds of audience members.

Jaylene Clark Owens plays the part of Bridget, a young woman whose current dream is to help her parents keep their increasingly expensive Brownstone by using it as an artistic poetry venue. Owens is the creator of the title of this show, as well as a co-writer and director of Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale, and she is one of three incredible women in the performance. (She has also written a debut book of poetry entitled AfroPoetic, which is available on Amazon.) Hollis Heath plays the role of Toni and the rendition of her grandmother’s deep and meaningful monologue is stunning; Heath has received multiple invitations to the White House under the Obama Administration, and this great honor is no mystery. Her acting is fabulous, and one monologue in particular – her portrayal of her grandmother – is something anyone planning on attending this show should look forward to. Heath is also a co-writer of this play. Janelle Heatley plays Shayla, and she does some singing, which is just a piece of her talent as an additional actress and co-writer. 

Photo credit: Joanna Austin

As these women work together to portray the beautiful friendship that has endured since childhood between Bridget, Toni, and Shayla, their hand games, church recollections, subway memories, and meaningful conversation are perceived as more familiar to some than with others, and those who feel they don’t relate will wish they had memories more akin to those viewed in Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale. As much as this show strives to teach about injustices, the themes present in the strength of connection and childhood friendships are very real, depicting the fact that as complicated as societies are, there are reasons that justice is worth pushing for. 

This show is a special one; one that presents realities that are present in different ways according to whom is watching. For example, if you are a white woman who lives in a home in a predominantly black neighborhood such as this reviewer, you are likely to have various feelings that are not all pleasant: feelings that pertain to the choices you have made that either knowingly, or unknowingly, affect other people in ways you can not understand. And if you are a white person watching this, be assured that you should feel stirred and unsure; these feelings are good for you to feel, and it is likely that it is about time. Questioning one’s decisions and making changes based on new information, especially after learning from another group of people, is a benefit of this show. 

Recognizing that historically, white people have picked and chosen which cultural pieces to absorb from the black community, and have been present to take these pieces and run away with them – robbing them from their creators – is incredibly important, especially for people who live within cities. Recognizing that “money talks, and everything else walks” when it comes to structural changes within cities, and that the importance of community and ownership within cities is often blatantly disregarded as those with money and power – often white people – who come in and take what they want, when they decide that it is desirable, with little-to-no care about what happens to those who built these cities in the first place, is the first step to creating positive change. And understanding that the people who were there first should be the ones to have the first, middle, and final say in whether or not change is made, can make all the difference to making a difference. 

The greatest strength of this show is its ability to present so many perspectives. While the three women acknowledge that most changes stem from injustices and oppression, they also discuss the fact that there are differences among themselves, and that there are privileges and disadvantages to be compared and contrasted between the three friends who are not consistently seeing eye-to-eye when it comes to what to do to move forward from the problems in Harlem. 

Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale is beautiful. This show tells an endearing story while simultaneously speaking harsh truths in entertaining, sometimes comedic ways that bring the message(s) straight home. The Wilma Theater will host four high school student matinees so that hundreds of Philadelphian teenagers can learn from this masterpiece, and it has already been extended for a standard audience due to popular demand. One can imagine the great depths that Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale will therefore reach as change is pushed for by these amazing women who know how to create, act, and express in meaningful ways that are sure to effectively inspire change. This is truly one to see.

Running Time: 75 minutes with no intermission
Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale will be playing at the Wilma Theater until March 7th. The theater is located at 265 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA. For tickets contact the box office at (215) 546 – 7824 or click here.