Definition Theatre: Black Cypress Bayou

Rita Wicks, Michelle Renee Bester, and RjW Mays

Definition Theatre Presents BLACK CYPRESS BAYOU Review - A Gift from the Ancestral Spirits

TLDR: A dark comedy as two daughters and their mother determine what to do to not be implicated in a crime while also discovering a family secret. Part realism, part supernatural, Black Cypress Bayou combines laughter and family silliness in times of stress and heavy feelings.

RjW Mays and Rita Wicks

The Family That Hides Bodies Together Stays Together

It’s the height of the COVID pandemic where you’re supposed to wear a mask, don’t touch anybody else, and stay 6ft apart at all times. For the Manifold family, each member has been affected by the pandemic with layoffs, losing insurance, being able to pay bills and the like. The three women are on land owned by the no good, infamous Rutherfords (though owned is a loose term here as they most likely stole the land from indigenous people and Black land owners).

Ladybird, played by Michelle Renee Bester, is the daughter trying to be the voice of reason, actually bringing her fishing gear for this supposed “late night fishing” outing, and always following the rules wearing her mask and gloves. 

Meka, played by Rita Wicks, shows up to the bayou looking comfortable in a cardigan, slides, and her hair already wrapped up for the evening, though she herself is a little loose after her nightly joint. 

Their mother, Vernita, played by RjW Mays, wears thick work overalls with a small leather pouch hanging around her neck. She carries a large laundry basket, sets it down, and immediately toes the line and tries to hug her daughters. 

But they’ve got more pressing matters at hand and it’s not actually trying to catch fish. In that laundry basket is a human head. The head of Mr. Rutherford to be precise. It showed up on Vernita’s back porch and she’s called her two daughters out here to help with the situation.

The three actors playing mother and daughters act like we’d expect any family would. They call each other out, poke each other’s buttons, and argue in a familial way. None of them can come up with either an explanation for this white guy's murder or a plan to make sure they’re not implicated in all this. 

RjW Mays and Michelle Renee Bester

Supernatural Happenings

Haze falls throughout the theater in front of a wooden dock surrounded by fresh earth. A large tree juts through the corner of the dock, its trunk thick and covered in twisted branches. We hear the buzzing of insects and a few birds chirping during this late hour. Already the set of Black Cypress Bayou feels a little mystical, hidden away from civilization and like a good place to practice some witchcraft. 

Even though Meka has been joking about signs and connections from the ancestral spirits, Vernita sets to work laying down a protection charm on the dock. As we hear the storms moving closer as thunder gets louder and lighting flashes more brightly, a fourth woman shows up in the bayou. Here, all the individual parts come together and we piece together how this decapitated head showed up, things from the past come fully into the light, and the family finally comes to terms with the past and how they will move forward.

Michelle Renee Bester

The After Party Thoughts

Black Cypress Bayou captures not only the time period during the pandemic, but the lives of those living in rural Texas impacted not only by systemic racism but how it all plays together when those already living disenfranchised lives are more affected by things like a global pandemic. Toss in some history, supernatural happenings, and family drama and I’m on board. All four women of the cast had me engrossed in their performances and I fully believed all of them could be related in some way. 

For those that don’t like one act plays about family history and murder, this might not be the show for you. However, for those that are interested in shows that slowly unveil mysteries and ones that go deeper into family relationships, Black Cypress Bayou would be a good fit for you!

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Rita Wicks, RjW Mays, and Michelle Renee Bester

When

Now through March 15, 2026

Where

Definition Theatre

1160 E. 55th St. 

Chicago, IL 

Runtime: 90min, no intermission

Tickets

$25+ 

Tickets can be purchased through the Definition Theatre website

Photos

Joe Mazza, Brave Lux

Find Allie and The After Party featured on Theatre in Chicago

Rita Wicks

CAST

Jyreika Guest (Taysha Hunter)

Michelle Renee Bester (LadyBird Manifold)

Rita Wicks (RaeMeka Manifold-Baler)

RjW Mays (Vernita Manifold)

CREATIVE

Kristen Adele Calhoun (Playwright)

Ericka Ratcliff (Director)

Brianna Parry (Production Manager)

LJ Littlejohn (Stage Manager)

Alyssa Mohn (Scenic Designer)

Janelle Smith (Costume Designer)

Conchita Avitia (Lighting Designer)

Willow James (Sound Designer)

Jamie Auer (Props Designer)

Lydia Moss (Dramaturg)