The World Premiere of Ona by Keith Burridge Vividly Dramatizes a Forgotten But Still Pertinent Chapter of 19th Century U.S. History

This article was published in the Triangle Review on 15 September 2023.

Keith Burridge's Ona is a historical play about a young BIPOC woman who was one of the few slaves to escape from Martha and George Washington. The play's world premiere, performed by Durham's OdysseyStage Theatre through Sunday, Sept. 17th, in Burning Coal Theatre Company's Murphey School Auditorium in Raleigh, is directed by Amelia Lumpkin, a multilingual creator who has directed for The Justice Theater Project and managed their summer camp program, making her the perfect match for the intended audience of this play.

Ona was written by Keith Burridge, a decades-long British molecular and cell biology researcher and Kenan distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The play was selected by Odyssey Stage Theatre for a theatrical reading at the The Arts Center of Carrboro last year, after which it was selected for full performance this weekend in Burning Coal Theatre Company's Murphey School Auditorium in Raleigh. Talk about a collaborative effort!

Ona centers around Martha Washington's personal house slave Ona Judge. I'd never heard of her; and I'm not alone, which is not coincidental. Thirty-five American states still censor discussion of slavery in secondary-school classrooms, which inevitably hinders public discussion altogether.

Despite the violence inherent in its subject matter and the play's determination to be real, Ona's plot moves forward without requiring an adult rating. This makes the play appropriate for teens and tweens, which renders it an educational and meaningful family outing that opens the way to discussion of this difficult topic. Even the Washingtons' spoiled and spiteful, pro-slavery granddaughter Elizabeth is portrayed without venom or judgement. Which brings me to the actors starring in this locally created and produced play.

Isabelle Rose Moore's portrayal of Martha Washington's spoiled granddaughter Elizabeth is sadistic without the appearance of being perverse -- which is a fine line to walk. Moore delivers "Betsey's" cutting lines with made-for-screen punctuality and haughty enjoyment. I delighted in her every scene.

Monica Hoh, a beautiful biracial woman herself, is absolutely believable in her role as Ona. Hoh lovingly demonstrates the sheltered and uneducated child as well as the determined and informed woman that Ona has become by the time that she runs away from the Washington’s.

Evit Emerson is endearing as the wise, confident, preemptive, and always well-meaning Hercules Poesy, the Washington's chef, whose gift for creating delectable dishes has earned him a quality of life that few slaves enjoy. His best scenes are those performed with Monica Hoh's Ona, such is Emerson's manifestation of Hercules' shining benevolence and more-than-romantic love for her.

Martha Washington is played by none other than Kristin Cooper, wife of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper; and the parallels in their privileged situations as the spouses of prominent and powerful American leaders are immediate and meaningful.

By her very nature, Quaker abolitionist Dolley Todd, who succumbs to the American South's economic justification for slavery after marrying slave-owner and future president James Madison, threatens to be a flat character. But Katie Milligan portrays Todd with angelic politeness, open-mindedness, and good will that makes the audience empathize even while they disagree with her. I especially appreciate Milligan's ability to project Todd's voice -- and the fine-line emotion within it -- without overacting, particularly given the comparably soft voice of Kristin Cooper's Martha Washington, with whom Todd shares every scene.

Jarred Pearce does justice to his limited roles as the Rev. Richard Allen and Jack Staines, both of whom help Ona escape. And Lauren Gaither envelopes her character Hannah Whipple -- the customs collector's wife -- in the practical, clerical, financial, and self-deceiving perception of slavery required of someone in her position.

Lighting designer Valentina Moya and sound designer Xander Lord clearly work well together. The lighting goes pleasantly dark between scenes, during which the theater fills with the sounds of the marketplace, classical music, and other acoustics relevant to the action of the play. A prop fireplace burns incessantly at the far end of the stage, emanating a feeling of warmth throughout the production. It's lovely.

Also lovely is the way costume designer Kishara McKnight and assistant costumer Lauren Gaither have made the most of the fashion of the time. Fitted bodices, full skirts, flowing lace cuffs and scarves.... I wanted to try on every piece of clothing I saw.

Undeniable revelations of persisting patriarchal white supremacist ideals in America's social infrastructure make clear the undeniable pertinence of Keith Burridge's Ona. It's about more than a protagonist. It's about a situation -- the complicated situation of American Slavery. Burridge's play -- and the array of diverse creators who have made that play a reality -- present this situation with the objectively calm interspection required to induce acknowledgement, understanding, and (hopefully) change.

You won't regret supporting this worthwhile public project.