Woman searching for her inner voice in 'Goddess Speaks'
MICHAEL SMITH World Entertainment Writer, 05/18/2002
Just in case someone was trying to figure out what Cyndi Caldwell wants to say in "The Goddess Speaks," her one-woman show about life, love and a woman pursuing her dreams, we got a good clue at Thursday night's opening when she shouted at someone in the dark responsible for playing Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman" as part of the soundtrack.
"Turn that off," we hear Caldwell roar. "I don't feel invincible."
What she does "feel" is a lot of different emotions, most of them regarding relationships with men where things went wrong. As a single mother of four with two failed marriages in the past, her experiences will sound familiar to many, and her resolve should be embraced in this OKRep! production.
In the course of just under 90 minutes, this experienced actress bares her soul in two different ways: She's Cyndi, a woman of the present day who's in her 30s and talks about her childhood, her mother, her life; and she's nine different other women, portraying characters over 3,000 years from 750 B.C. to the present day, all of them exposing a bit more of Caldwell in this semi-autobiographical work created by the actress and novelist Suzanne Thomson.
There's Aes Dana, a Celtic warrior betrayed by her male counterpart following a battle defeat. Then Cyndi returns, telling of betrayals in her own life.
Next to tell a tale is Jess, the ghost of a woman set ablaze for supposedly being a witch. Then Cyndi's back, and she can relate to being burned by a man.
These transitions serve well to naturally connect these monologues, which often play out like audition pieces for Caldwell, but she and Thomson have developed them into something more. It's a tapestry of empowerment, about the spirit of a woman searching for her inner voice, coming to terms with desires and resisting some of society's expectations. It's about putting away some of the faded dreams of youth and developing new ones.
And as much as anything, the show directed by Ken Spence serves as a fine showcase for Caldwell's impressive acting talents.
She is beyond solemn -- and difficult to hear -- in woodenly portraying a couple of early characters, but she hits her stride as we reach the 19th century and she plays the role of a young southern belle in the early part of the Civil War. She's even better in the 20th century, as Caldwell offers the audience a wonderful character in Maggie, a northern Ireland woman in 1936 who's forced to keep her diary writings a secret from her husband; the flamboyant Linda, a Bronx beautician and man-magnet; and Jasmine, a flower child of the late 1960s who's having her own little stone soul picnic.
Caldwell is so confident in her acting -- body language and speech especially -- with these portrayals that she is often playful and never less than believable, despite multiple on- stage changes of costumes and accents, ranging from Irish to East Coast to deep South.
A near sell-out crowd of about 50 was appreciative of her efforts, which are made possible in part by Williams, the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa and the 2001 Jingle Feldman Artist/Scholar Award, which was presented last year to show producer Catherine Adkins.
The OKRep! production of "The Goddess Speaks" continues with 8 p.m. performances Thursday-Saturday. All performances are at the Nightingale Theater, 1416 E. Fourth St., and the $10-$12 tickets may be reserved by calling 584-2000 or purchased at the door.
Michael Smith, World entertainment writer, can be reached at 581-8344 or via e-mail at michael.smith@tulsaworld.com