"Platanos and Collard Greens" was performed at E.O. Smith High School

'Platanos' Encourages Cultural Discourse

By: Kelly Hushin

Posted: 4/7/06

"Platanos and collard greens go together like macaroni and chicken wings," says a new play that challenges conventional thinking about relationships between African Americans and Latinos.

Having educated and entertained audiences at over 75 colleges and universities around the country, the traveling show "Platanos and Collard Greens," written by David Lamb, made its stop at UConn Thursday night. Sponsored by the Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center (PR/LACC) with co-sponsors including Lambda Theta Alpha and the African American Cultural Center, the play was performed in the auditorium of E.O. Smith High School. PR/LACC Director Mayté C. Pérez-Franco had never seen the show, but was excited to bring it to campus as part of Latin Month.

"I did a review and saw some clips online," Pérez said. "It was highly recommended. I thought it would be a good fit." As VIBE magazine said, the show asks the question, "Can love between a Black man and a Latina woman survive?" The story shows how growing up with very different backgrounds and stereotypes often makes it difficult for the two cultures to understand and relate to each other.

Platanos, a recipe of meat-stuffed plantains, are a symbol for Angelita, a Latino woman wanting to date a black man against her mother's wishes. Freeman, the African American she wishes to date, represents the collard greens, a vegetable historically enjoyed by African Americans in the south. A host named Set introduced the play by saying that the audience would see a "Deep Poetry Jam." He encouraged audience involvement saying, "If you're not here to have fun, you can leave. No, really, I'll wait."

The show that followed was a mix of dramatic and comical conversations between actors, and episodes of poetry poignantly recited. When actors broke from scenes with each other to present their poetry, lights and mood shifted. The poetry served as a tool to drive forward messages about stereotypes, love, oppression and cultural differences.

In one of the first poems of the play, Freeman, portrayed in last night's production by Phillip J. Smith, cites many examples of the struggles endured by both African American and Latino cultures through the centuries. The poem states, "It's not so much about black and white, but it's about wrong and right." Freeman's African American friend Malady, played by Setor Attipoe, consistently challenges his interest in Angelita because she is a light-skinned Latino woman. Many assume that he is attracted to her either because of the stereotype of the Latin "hot mommy," or because she is as close to a white girl as he can get. Angelita, played by Carissa Toro, speaks in one of her poems about how presumed images of Latino women perpetuate society's disrespect for them. She cites poverty in the Dominican Republic and how it has forced women to sell their sexuality.

"Some people might not be so exposed, so they might find it blunt and offensive," said WuMing Zhang, a 2nd-semester student. Zhang, originally from Beijing, moved to Harlem and then Queens, N.Y. before coming to Storrs. He said shows like "Platanos and Collard Greens" are enriching and said, "It's good, culturally, especially for UConn students."

While presenting some controversial issues through dialogue and episodic poems, the play gets its messages across mostly through knee-slapping humor created by the actors. O.K., played by Christian Bernard Pierce, danced around the stage to his own raps and delivered memorable one-liners. Freeman, too, had the audience rolling with some clever pick-up lines. "Wassup slimmy-slim number two pencil 'bout to be my number one," was undoubtedly one of the best received.