By Karen Nowosad
originally published: 12/15/2023
Dr. Bessie Delany (Rosalyn Coleman) and Sadie Delany (Inga Ballard) in a scene from Having Our Say at George Street Playhouse – Photo credit T. Charles Erickson
Having Our Say – Reflections of Two Incredible Lives
George Street Playhouse closes out 2023 with a beautiful show. Having Our Say is based on the true story of two African-American sisters, Sadie and Bessie Delany, both of whom lived past the golden age of 100.
This play is produced in a warm, home, and family oriented manner allowing the audience to feel like they are actually visiting with the two sisters. We see them on a well designed set which represents their home kitchen, dining room, and living room in Mount Vernon, New York. The sisters are preparing to celebrate their deceased father’s birthday with a nutritious dinner along with some delightful sweets. The audience is invited to come to the dinner and at times it is hard to stay seated and not go up to the stage. This play is so well crafted that it feels like these sisters are really alive on the stage and their invitation is authentic.
But of course, they are not because both Sadie and Bessie Delany are no longer living. However, Rosalyn Coleman playing Dr. Bessie Delany and Inga Ballard as Sadie Delany bring the magic of theater to their roles allowing the audience to feel like they are really there.
Background
The book of the sisters’ lives written by Bessie and Sadie inspired the 1995 Broadway play, Having Our Say. This show played 314 performance at the Booth Theatre. Emily Mann is the playwright.
Laoina Michelle serves as director for the George Street Playhouse production.
Directing Having Our Say is truly personal to me. Being a Black woman, I often struggled with my identity and my worthiness in this country. For that reason, I am deeply drawn to this play. The early American history books were not written by my ancestors therefore I often questioned their accuracy. In Emily Mann’s Having Our Say you get a first-hand account of a century of living told through two eyewitnesses, Sadie and Bessie Delany, who lived and experienced it. -- Laoina Michelle
When you attend this play, be sure to look in the program booklet at the two pages that provide Historic Milestones of Delaney Sisters’ 100 Years. You will see a timeline which starts at 1889 when Sadie was born through to 1995 when the show premiered on Broadway. Important events from their lifetime are show.
Captivating Moments
There are many moments in the play that capture the senses and feelings towards these two sisters. Their recollections of growing up with their family down south are enjoyable to hear. Their father, the Reverend Henry B. Delany, was a former slave. He served as Vice-Principal of St. Augustine’s School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Both Bessie and Sadie attended the school where their mother, Nanny Logan, was a teacher and administrator. Theirs was a life of privilege but one where hard work was expected and respected.
The moments in the show that deal with the effects from the Jim Crow laws are difficult to hear. The family moved to Harlem to escape some of those effects but they still encountered racism and sexism. In one case, the acts of racism were extreme. However, they were able to survive and their recollections provide quite a stirring testament to the evils racism brings.
There are moments of triumph where you can see the hard work pay off. Some of these include Bessie graduating from Columbia University’s School of Dental and Oral Surgery and opening her dental practice. Sadie earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Columbia University in education. Her career as a teacher in New York City helped her earn a pension which helped support her and Bessie in their older age.
There are also moments of humor. One of the finest is when they discuss that they never married. But they claim that is the reason they lived that long!
I Highly Recommend Seeing Having Our Say
Having Our Say only has a few days left to its run at George Street Playhouse. I highly recommend seeing this show. It is a unique piece of theater. True stories like this one are inspiring as well as an opportunity to learn a bit of history in a most enjoyable manner.
For more information about the play or to purchase tickets, go to the George Street Playhouse website.
Be sure to arrive a little early so you can enjoy the lobby of NBPAC. Click this link to see a video of the decorations in the lobby.
Let's Go to the Theater helps people learn more about about live theater and develop appreciation for this art form. Karen M. Nowosad is the founder of the site. The enjoyment Karen gets from going to the theater is something she wants to share with others.
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