I had to look it up. The official definition of Provenance, a new play by Braddon Mendelson currently at The Main in Newhall, is “chain of custody.” In this case, an 18th-century ornate game table for chess and backgammon … passed down through the years from family to family, each with their own unique story …the hero is the table, the game of chess, and what it meant in the lives of those people it touched. We are taken on a fascinating journey through time and place from the present back to the beginning in Africa at the very moment when the wood and ivory that make up the table are collected.

…the talented actors portray a variety of characters, from the ordinary to the famous, like Charles De Gaulle and Thomas Jefferson, changing into costumes appropriate to that era. Author Mendelson expertly weaves together drama, comedy, history, and philosophy about the times, conflicts, and even terrors we live through and how we each cope with them.

The entire cast is terrific, each playing a diverse number of characters, but special kudos to Devyan Dumon and Dave Ritterband for their riveting scene between a slave owner and his “chattel” on the news of emancipation. Jazmine Harvel is marvelous in three roles, ranging from a modern woman to a bitter French daughter of parents killed in the Holocaust to Thomas Jefferson’s feisty mistress. Special recognition goes to Eugene Green and Bobby Williams, who made us laugh in many of the “less dramatic” scenes. I especially like items from each of the decades anachronistically showing up in the table’s drawer, neatly tying everything together near the end. Paige Ryan Carter appears as the table’s latest owner, almost erotically caressing and polishing it in the opening. Veteran Meggan Taylor is touching as an older woman reluctantly letting go of the table and other people and things she loves as she faces her and her mother’s demise. Daryl Mendelson, the author’s brother, and Eddie Frierson are both convincing in their shared roles of Thomas Jefferson and Ambassador Simms.

…keep an eye out for future performances of this play and others written by Braddon Mendelson or those he will write. I know I will.

— Richard Allan Jones
September 28, 2024