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'Black Super Hero Magic Mama'

In the play 'Black Super Hero Magic Mama,' Nikki Scroggins (seated) plays Sabrina Jackson, a grieving mother who finds power and solace when she embodies her alter ego, Maasai Angel, a comic book hero. Tyrel Brown (standing) plays her son, Tramarion Jackson. Playing now through April 10 at the Strand Theater. Photo: Sadia Alao
In the play 'Black Super Hero Magic Mama,' Nikki Scroggins (seated) plays Sabrina Jackson, a grieving mother who finds power and solace when she embodies her alter ego, Maasai Angel, a comic book hero. Tyrel Brown (standing) plays her son, Tramarion Jackson. Playing now through April 10 at the Strand Theater. Photo: Sadia Alao

Ever daydream about how life might be easier to deal with if you could just access a superpower ? The play ‘Black Superhero Magic Mama’ connects us to a Black mother who retreats into the fantasy world of comic books, and finds strength and solace as she copes with the violent loss of her son. We talk to actor Nikki Scroggins, who plays the mother and her alter ego, Maasai Angel and with director Aladrian Wetzel:

“Black women are seen as the archetype of being strong. And this play allows people to see that Black women have nuances, we can be sad, we can be angry, we can become super heroes and kick super-villains’ butts.”

Links: Strand Theater Co, Tickets

Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'