By Zaire Saunders  | September 18

“Your crown has been bought and paid for. All you must do it is wear it.” – James Baldwin

Adapted from the book by Craig Marberry and Michael Cunningham, “Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats,” the play “Crowns” comes to the Bay Area Sept. 9, running through Oct. 6, 2023 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California. 

Directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, who has numerous production credits under her belt, “Crowns” illustrates the practice of wearing extravagant hats to church “My role as director is to understand the playwright’s intent, the actors’ intent and the designer’s intent and the audience’s,” said Sonnenberg, “so the most challenging part is making the story simple and enjoyable.”

The plot of the play revolves around Yolanda, a youth fleeing – by choice or by force – from her troubled past that has left her feeling alone, lost and like her sense of being is at odds with the world. She ends up in the South – a common tale in the Black community.

What is new and fresh about “Crowns” is the centering of Black womanhood through song and dance – most of it gospel music, but none of it lacking the power to make you clap your hands and tap your toe to the familiar hymns. If you aren’t all caught up on your gospel tunes, “Crowns” does a great job of infusing the dramatic moments portrayed by the actors with the uplifting spirit of God, legacy and humor told through tear-inducing testimonies from the extraordinary cast.

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