Robert O’Hara’s unobtrusive direction is enhanced by a simple yet evocative design. Two beautifully painted walls – one with a cut-out doorway – angle towards upstage center at ninety degrees, kept apart by the gap around a similarly painted pillar. A trunk, two stools, an end table of stacked crates and some miscellaneous items are the show’s only props. The costumes are black slacks and tops. No shoes. Colin Young’s lights, Lindsay Jones’ sound cues, and two scarves – a bright red African print for Gurira and a blue bandana for Salter – are all the women need to divide themselves into a catalogue of distinct and unforgettable characters.
One character says, “I gave them a show and they gave me money.” The show Gurira and Salter have created has value far beyond the monetary. But readers in the East and Midwest would be well served to dig into their pockets in anticipation of the upcoming 2007 dates:
In the Continuum moves to Yale Repertory in New Haven, Connecticut, January 12-February 10; the Philadelphia Theatre Company, March 16–April 15; and Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, May 25–June 24.
CREDITS: written and performed by Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter, directed by Robert O’Hara, Peter R. Feuchtwanger, set; Sarah Hillard, costumes; Colin D. Young, lights; Lindsay Jones, sound; Tinashe Kajase, understudy; Samone B. Weissman, stage manager. A Primary Stages and Perry Street Theatre production.
Kirk Douglas Theatre • West Coast premiere • November 12-December 10, 2006
Article comments