"Having Our Say," International City Theatre, Long Beach, CA

“Having Our Say: The Delany Sister’s First 100 Years,” written by Emily Mann and directed by Shashin Desai for the International City Theatre at the Centre Theatre, is an inspired celebration of the lives of two exceptional centenarians.

This memoir in which two sisters, Sadie Delany (Amentha Dymally) and Bessie Delany (Robin Braxton), recount their long lives together will warm your heart and chill your bones.

On one hand the show trumpets the triumph of faith and perseverance over ignorance and brutality: the two overcame the ignominy and horror heaped upon postbellum America by Jim Crow laws; they became self-sufficient pioneers in their chosen fields when few people of color, much less women, thrived; and they lived to see the rise of the Civil Rights Movement.

On the other hand, the show reminds us of the systemic biases against which they fought: they told stories of families being lynched; of entrances to education and careers being barred; and of human dignity being denied.

Desai took full advantage of a wonderful script, two sterling performances, and a set that was as stolid and homey as the title characters.

Mann could have made the script a screed detailing the horrors of racial segregation; but she didn’t: her message was positive and upbeat.

At turns the story is funny, profound, and humane. It brims with observations on human foibles and serves as an eyepiece on the dominant issues of the twentieth century that ensued from post-war reconfigurations of old world orders. The dialogue is crisp, fresh, and ornery, especially in the person of sassy Bessie who would take no guff from anyone.

The two women are as different as molasses and vinegar. Each has her motivations, desires, triumphs, and tragedies. But the two are also joined at the hip: they conclude sentences in unison; they help each other with housework; and they both go to great lengths to make the audience, whom they have invited into their lives, feel at home.

The production glistens with verisimilitude and feeling. Don Llewellyn’s set places the audience in the center of the living room. The decor is modest, if not a little humble, but neat, tidy, and proud; it serves as an apt metaphor for the sister’s lives.

Bill George’s projections on the back wall of the framed family photographs that the two women pointed out to us made the sitters seem larger than life; and for the two women, they were. This technical effect affirmed the tight-knit family's honor and stability.

And the two performances were strong and moving. The two women were well cast: their timing was perfect, their physical resemblance was effective; and the dignity they brought to their performances was not just apparent, it infused the entire evening.

Performances are Thu. – Sat., 8 PM, Sun., 2 PM. The play runs until May 20. Tickets are $29-42. The Theatre is located at the Performing Arts Center. For information call 436-4610 or visit www.ictlongbeach.org.