Totally Unauthorized

Neighborhood association representative Karl (Richard Thieriot, right) explains the differences between the races to Francine (A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program graduate Omozé Idehenre) and Albert (A.C.T. core acting company member Gregory Wallace). Photo by Erik Tomasson.

Six of us went to ACT last Tuesday  night to see their new production, Clybourne Park.  I think we had six different takes on the play, although we are agreed that we liked it.

Remember A Raisin in the Sun?  Late ’50’s, a family scrapes some money together and buys a house, but they will be the first and only black people in a lily-white development, and the new neighbors are hysterical?  This play looks at that situation from the standpoint of the neighbors.

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(Now it’s Thursday night)

Okay, I’ve been trying to write this for 2 days and nothing has sounded right.

I think that’s because I’ve been trying to go the old plot synopsis route, and the plot really isn’t the point here–this isn’t a mystery or history, it’s an examination of how we talk about race, or perhaps just a window into the difficulties of communicating with each other.

There are two acts, one in 1959, one in the present.  Each act has a group of people trying to communicate with each other, and nobody is really capable of either listening to anyone else or making anyone else listen to them.

Some of the white people don’t like black people.  Some of the black people don’t like like white people. Some do. Some don’t give a damn.

People try all sorts of mean of communicating–PC speech, non-PC speech, stories, allegories, lectures, arguments, shouting, crying, whispering, tasteless jokes, hilarious comments, threats, cajoling, pleading, heartfelt expressions and utter bombast.  None of it really works.

What does it all mean?  I don’t know.

Clybourne Park will make you think, will make you examine your own attitudes towards race, towards communications, towards life in general. It will engage and engross you.  The acting is first rate, with a 7 member ensemble cast.

Go see it, I think you’ll like it.  And if you figure out what it all means, come back and tell us.