FRINGE - Africa & Plumbridge

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 8/21/04 at 2:38pm

Nowadays, many theatre fans find themselves torn between "artistic value" and "production value". What is compromised by a big cast? Can you still be entertained by a show with values?

"Africa and Plumbridge", currently playing at the NY Fringe Festival, manages to accomplish the seemingly impossible.

The show is about a young girl, Africa, with a terrifying past (played with grace by Janeece Aisha Freeman), who comes to terms with herself through the love of a stranger (Liz McConahay) who is just as lost as she. The story catapults through two hours with incredible musical numbers, penned by Sue Carey, whose true story inspired the show. Added with the quick wit and depth of Jim Brochu's (The Last Session/The Big Voice) book, the experience is unforgettable. The amount of talent on stage is undeniable; many of Africa's peers are played by newcomers, including stand-outs Eric Anthony, Rachel Cerrone and Leopolian Henderson, Jr. The exude a love of the show and the theatre that is hard to come by these days.

The show isn't without fault; many of the issues that the show deals could be explored with greater depth, and the relationships between the characters should be more developed. Not to worry, this will come with time. This is a cast that has been together for so little time; three of the leads, including the incomparable McConahay, joined the show last week, on its arrival in New York, from a sold out Chicago run.

I left the theatre energized last night. The rhythms of the show are heartbreakingly beautiful, had me clapping and stomping along, and reflecting, in the show's quieter, and powerfully dramatic moments.

Highly recommended. The show is running tomorrow, Monday, and on August 29th, as part of the Fringe Festival.