“THE BONES OF LESSER MEN”

WILL HAUNT YOU; OPENS AT THE MET THEATRE ON AUGUST 22
 
WHAT: “The Bones of Lesser Men.” A World Premiere play.
WHO: Written by Yves Lola St. Vil. Directed by L. Flint Esquerra. Produced by Paul
           Koslo and Lloyd Reese. Presented by the MET Theatre.
WHERE: The MET Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Hollywood, CA 90029. Downstairs in the Great Scott Theatre. The venue is located one block east of Western Ave. and a few steps south of Santa Monica Blvd. Parking is available ½ block east of
 the theatre in the Earl Scheib lot ($5).
WHEN: Fridays August 22, September 5, 12, 19, 26 at 8 p.m.
           Saturdays August 23, September 6, 13, 20, 27 at 8 p.m.
           Sundays August 24, September 7, 14, 21, 28 at 3 p.m.
           Tuesday, August 26 at 8 p.m.
           Wednesday, August 27 at 8 p.m.
           Thursday, August 28 at 8 p.m.
ADMISSION: $15. Students and seniors $10.
RESERVATIONS: (323) 957-1152.
WEBSITE:www.theMETtheatre.com
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           I read over 100 scripts a year in the course of my work. Once in a hundred scripts, a writer makes me sit up straight in my chair. Yves Lola St. Vil is that writer.
           “The Bones of Lesser Men” takes place at Elly’s Diner, the place to go when you’re hungry for food or chat in an African-American neighborhood in a large American city. The people who live in this hood are somewhat economically challenged and just getting by. But a change is going to come: A Black man named Collins is the leading candidate for governor. It’ll be a new day when the state has an African-American governor. Things are going to get better. Just imagine: If there can be a Black governor, maybe there can even be a Black president one day. Who would have thought?
           One of Elly’s regulars, Summer, is Collins’ mistress. She knows how to keep a man happy. Why does she have those bruises?
           Elly is a good woman, faithful and true. Why has her husband gone away?
           Freeman, if you can believe him, has made friends with every important man in Black life, from Dr. King to Malcolm X. Why is Freeman still in the hood?
           Junior complains about his wife, Hoover, and not-so-secretly craves Summer. Why doesn’t he get a divorce?
           Brooklyn sees Collins as a ticket out of poverty. What can Brooklyn do to make sure Collins gets elected?
           It’s the gritty sort of neighborhood that encompasses both appalling acts of brutality and sweet compassion and a generosity of spirit beyond measure.
           L.Flint Esquerra, the acclaimed artistic director of the MET Theatre , helms the piece. His cast includes Staci Ashley, Barbara Barnes, Lynne Conner, Carl Crudup, John Nelson, Gary Poux, Preston Parker, William Stephens and Randa Walker.
           Playwright Yves Lola St. Vil is a native of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, who was raised in Brooklyn. She attended New York’s famed High School of the Performing Arts, where the great August Wilson came to speak and gave her tickets to “Seven Guitars,” inspiring her to become a playwright. She subsequently attended Columbia College in Chicago. Her play “The Talented Tenth” was commissioned by Princeton University. She has also written for ABC Television.
           The influence of August Wilson is present in “The Bones of Lesser Men,” but St. Vil still writes with a voice that is distinctively her own. If Wilson could see this play, he’d have a broad smile on his face. The play has a conclusion with a twist worthy of O. Henry that packs a powerful wallop.
           St. Vil’s official biography states “her goal is to bring multi-dimensional, dynamic, empathetic characters of color to stage and screen.”
           She’s arrived.