"Home": Transforming the life of Cephus

Patricia Carlberg

The Trio Program, a student support service, invited over 25 students to attend Samm-Art William’s classic of the African American play "Home," at the Pillsbury House Theatre, on Oct. 4. Trio has invited many students to participate in activities throughout the year, but this production in particular was one of a kind.

Students sat at the edge of their seats and listened as performers mysteriously walked in from two side entrances singing gospel slave songs. With a rather presumptuous start, the audience was thrown into the scene with a melodious rhythm that rang from actors who duplicated a North Carolinian cotton-picking farm, performing chants that interpreted the aches and pains of their work, "blistering, blistering, blistering, hurting, hurting, hurting, head hurts, head hurts, head hurts..."

Cephus Miles, the main character, kept student’s attention as he rejoiced in his younger years working on the farm and playing craps with friends on asphalt that was separated according to blacks and whites. The crowd roared as Cephus recalled his days of making and selling whiskey with the town’s bootlegger. During the play, Cephus transformed from a hardworking cotton picker to a boy who screamed "get your scotch; get your scotch, two for $2."

What was even more enchanting was his love for his girlfriend, Pattie Mae. Their display of innocent love was halted abruptly as Pattie announced to her parents that she would depart from Cephus in order to attend a college in the North.

"The seamless change in characters with just the small amount of costume change was done very well done," said Stephanie Lacey, Administrative Assistant/Office Manager for Trio, commenting that the characters were also "believable and endearing."

The character of Cephus was devastated at the sudden departure, but shocked even more when his name was picked for the draft. Emotional Cephus was outraged, and he stammered around stage during his five year prison stay as other actors hissed and pried on him, tempting him, saying, "Go to the North, go to the North!" like a devil whispering to him. He pushed these thoughts away and the audience looked on to see guards and representatives of the government scream into his ear "Are you American? Are you a sissy?"

The audience waited to see Cephus’ reaction, and he kept his stand and only acted out in the middle of the night with fits of rage. He was later confronted with a letter from his old girlfriend, Pattie, who was at left-front stage sitting prompt to, addressing an imaginative letter to Cephus. The audience was transferred to Pattie’s world for a second to see solemn faces at Pattie’s announcement that she wouldn’t be returning to him, that she had gotten married to a lawyer instead.

The once innocent Cephus transformed into a man who takes his chances on the North after being released. Cephus turns into a pompous character with red velvet shoes, indicating to the crowd that he changed into a Northern money-making man.

His voice rose to the crowd, carrying on about his love for the North and his new profound excitement, the audiences’ eyes darted back and forth as he danced with elegant women and shouted hysterically during his experiment with drugs. As he picked up in pace, strumming faster and faster with each dangerous decision, Cephus challenged himself with each step he made. He fell deeper into his madness, anger and bitterness at the North. Cephus decided that he couldn’t handle the life of the North and returned to the South to claim his old homestead, only to find his old girlfriend Pattie waiting for him.

Jenny Saika, admission staff, brought her twelve-year-old son to the play, which she believed was too much for someone that young. But she commented that it was beneficial for students to see, as it show-ed the history of the South and what farming was all about.