I attended last night’s preview performance. For those concerned about logistics: The show started at 8:10 pm (no late celebrities, only average theater-goers) and ended at 10:15. As we were seated, the ushers informed the audience that the show ran 2 hr 20 min (obviously incorrect) with no intermission, so use the restrooms. We were also told that cell phone use was prohibited during the show and there was to be no recording of the show, particularly the nude scene at the end. Just before the show started we were instructed by the ushers to turn off our cell phones. The show played to a full house of multi-racial audience members who practiced traditional theater etiquette, were fully engaged with the play, and enjoyed it. There were no distractions. If people are concerned about unwanted distractions or bad audience behavior, those can’t be generalized to any specific demographic – they depend on any given audience members at any given performance. I don’t see this show attracting much of the tourist crowd who often break traditional theater rules of etiquette.
Some people told me that being an older white man, Harris was going to ‘preach to me.’ I didn’t feel that at all. Overall, I enjoyed the show. Knowing the premise of the play going in, I think I enjoyed the vignettes of the first act more, especially the funny or awkward moments because I felt like I was in on a joke. I’m not trying to give away spoilers here, so you may want to stop reading here.
The second act was interesting. It touches on important themes. I didn’t feel guilt, but more aware of the complexities race relations. There are many dynamics and variables that cause relationships to be dysfunctional, more so with interracial relationships, and not all of them are rooted in racism. The playwright did try to touch on some of these dynamics, but it came back to elements of racism. More empirical evidence and examination is needed to say that all unsuccessful interracial relationships are rooted in racism, and to blame it as the sole cause is a bit simplistic. Let’s face it, racism exists in many relationships, not just Black/white ones. Racism exists among African-American relationships if one partner is darker than his or her yellow-skinned partner. That fact that racism isn’t the only factor gets called out by one of the women who is in therapy when she comments on the credibility of the therapists and the therapy program itself. The psycho-babble spewed by the therapists calls attention to racist issues in a way that causes one to want to think more seriously about racism and not dismiss them because the session itself is more comedic.
The third act takes the play from a comedy to a drama and is the most raw and intense of the three acts. It certainly drew in the audience as one could hear a pin drop (if one had dropped). It’s an act that requires attention. Somehow I couldn’t help but feel that the woman in the act didn’t just loath her partner, but was also engaged in self-loathing (again, I don’t want to go into details to avoid spoiling the show for others who aren’t familiar with it). I could be very wrong, but that was my impression. There is a lot of complexity in the act that requires much reflection.
There’s a lot of discussion about how the play is controversial, but I didn’t think it was controversial at all. I wasn’t shocked or stunned, and it didn’t seem that anyone attending the show needed psychological intervention after the curtain call. The play is entertaining, sheds light on important social themes in a way that many of us haven’t thought about them, and with any luck, gets people talking about them in an intelligent and respectful manner. Harris sets the stage, if you will, and the audiences have a responsibility to further the conversation in objective and rational discourse. If you’re concerned about seeing the show because of all the comments made in this thread and others, don’t deprive yourself; GO! The play has its flaws, but it’s still worthy of your time.
Updated On: 9/19/19 at 01:57 PM
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
