Review by Shawn Maus
Miami University Theatre’s production of By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage lights up Studio 88 with sharp comedy, standout performances, and a pointed look at Hollywood’s complicated past. Running March 11–15, 2026 at the Center for Performing Arts at Miami University, this lively production proves both entertaining and thought-provoking.
The Story
Set across three eras—1933, 1973, and 2003—By the Way, Meet Vera Stark follows an ambitious Black actress navigating the Hollywood studio system during the Golden Age of film. Vera begins as a maid to glamorous movie star Gloria Mitchell before seizing a risky opportunity: a role in a Southern melodrama that may change her career forever. Nottage frames the story through the lens of a 1970s talk show and a 2000s academic symposium, cleverly examining how history remembers—or erases—the contributions of Black women in American entertainment.
The Set
Scenic designer Gion DeFrancesco works near magic within the confines of Studio 88. The space presents formidable challenges—no wings, no fly space, and limited backstage storage—yet DeFrancesco conjures five locations across multiple decades with elegant efficiency. Three theatrical curtains act as both literal and metaphorical barriers, opening and closing to reveal the play’s shifting worlds while evoking a Hollywood soundstage filled with relics from imaginary productions.
One particularly delightful detail is the recreation of the “Brad Donovan Show” set, a 1970’s talk show environment that serves as a clever Easter egg for attentive audiences. It’s a small but inspired touch that adds another layer of wit to the production.
Glamorous Costumes
Costume designer Lisa Martin-Stuart delivers a striking visual journey through the play’s seventy-year timeline. Each era is unmistakably distinct: the structured glamour of 1930s Hollywood, the bold colors and silhouettes of the 1970s (Vera’s dress should win an award!), and the eclectic style of the early 2000s. The costumes visually underscore the play’s themes of status, identity, and representation. It is storytelling through fabric and silhouette, and it works beautifully.
Talented Student Performers
At the center of it all is Zamani Munashe as Vera Stark, commanding the stage with charisma, wit, and unmistakable star power. Munashe commands the stage, navigating Vera’s ambition, humor, and vulnerability with effortless confidence. It’s a performance that holds the audience in the palm of her hand.
Angelena Wilson (Lottie McBride/Carmen Levy-Green) and Valyncia Logan (Anna Mae Simpkins/Afua Assata Ejobo) provide terrific comedic energy in their dual roles. Wilson sparkles with bubbly exuberance and razor-sharp timing, while Logan grounds her characters with emotional clarity beneath the comedy. Together, they offer both comic relief and rich character support that helps the entire production sing.
Benjamin Jones brings swagger, magnetism, and a beautifully calibrated physical presence to his dual portrayals of Leroy Barksdale and Herb Forrester. Jones disappears so fully into each role that it feels like watching two different actors. His performances are nuanced, layered, and deeply compelling.
Parker Hamrick delivers an entertaining showcase of range, first channeling the grandiose authority of a 1930s film director reminiscent of Aleksandr Dovzhenko before returning as Peter Rhys-Davies, a flamboyant 1970s rocker with a hairstyle worthy of its own curtain call.
Teddy Rayhill rounds out the ensemble with a pitch-perfect portrayal of Brad Donovan. His talk show host feels like a playful blend of Mike Douglas and Barth Gimble—slick, charming, and delightfully satirical. Rayhill captures the tone beautifully, giving the show some of its biggest laughs.
Ali Lewis as Gloria Mitchell delivers a deliciously layered performance, channeling the glamor while embracing physical comedy. Lewis has impeccable timing and a willingness to look gloriously ridiculous when the moment demands it, making Gloria both hilarious and oddly sympathetic.
The Creative Team
Director Darnell Pierre Benjamin deserves enormous credit for guiding this complex production with clarity and confidence. Nottage’s play weaves screwball comedy with sharp social commentary, exploring the tangled intersections of ambition, race, identity, and Hollywood mythology. Benjamin handles these tonal shifts with remarkable assurance, allowing the humor to land while never losing sight of the deeper questions beneath the satire.
Themes
Nottage’s play examines the stereotypes that shaped Black women’s roles in Hollywood—the Mammy, the Sapphire (an aggressive, emasculating matriarch) and the Jezebel. She challenges audiences to reconsider how those portrayals continue to shape cultural memory. By moving fluidly between eras, the play invites viewers to ask not just what happened in Hollywood history, but who gets remembered and who disappears from the narrative.
Shawn Says…
By the Way, Meet Vera Stark is funny, fierce, and stylishly staged, anchored by a magnetic central performance. Miami University Theatre delivers a triumph.
See it before the curtain falls.
Get Tickets to By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
By the Way, Meet Vera Stark runs March 11–15, 2026 in Studio 88 Theatre at Miami University’s Center for Performing Arts. Reserve tickets at: https://events.miamioh.edu/event/ByTheWayMeetVeraStark
