The strong voice of integrity that Barbara Jordan brought to the Congress during her too short tenure in the House of Representatives is sorely missed. Kristin Thatcher's bioplay, "Voice of Good Hope" is a welcome reminder of her career and strong ethical stand for Constitutional protections. Veteran local actress Michelle Dowd brings the first black woman from the Deep South to be elected to Congress surely to life. The play offers glimpses of Jordan's Texas childhood in an extended scene with her grandfather, played by Wesley Lawrence Taylor. Barbara as a child, knicknamed "Heart," is played by Cheyenne Jones. Taylor, an experienced local actor brings a sagacity to the role which offers Jones, a Wheelock Family Theatre member, a chance to shine.
As Jordan's housemate and protector, Nancy Earl, Susan Lombarti-Verticelli plays a caring friend while Janelle Mills is convincing as her neurologist, Dr. Woodruff. Jordan's Washington career was cut short in 1979 due to the increasing debilitation of multiple sclerosis, but she continued to at Univ.Texas/Austin until 1996, just before her death. Akiba Adaba plays one of her former students running for office in the Texas legislature as Jordan did. The younger woman cannot however come up to her mentor's standards, preferring rhetoric and politics as usual.
Perhaps the most telling scene of the piece ends the first half, when Jordan has a meeting with Richard Strauss, played by John McClain. She agrees to be a defense character witness for fellow Texan, John Connolley, despite her low opinion of the man. Justice demands it, and her grasp of the political calculus involved is deep and clear. Each segment of her life is clearly delineated by director Kortney Adams, here behind the scenes for a change. Throughout the production, Dowd plays Jordan at various ages and states of health, adopting just enough mannerisms to be convincing, and delivering excerpts from her speeches with conviction. This is a show which should be seen by civics classes--if that's still taught--and might remind the adult voters that integrity is possible for a politician, despite current evidence to the contrary.
Technical support by Doc Madison and his hardworking crew remains ingenious within the budgetary constraints of the Coop, which like most small theatres in town is fundraising to stay afloat. The last show of their season will be a world premiere of Vladimir Zelevinsky's "Mainfest Destiny," his unique look at immigrants melting into the American landscape.