“Where We Stand” is a one woman show about an event that occurred in a small town, but has ultimately more to say about the world we currently live in.
The play is written and performed by Donnetta Lavinia Grays. The performance begins with her sitting amongst the audience, humming a song then once everyone is quiet, she begins to actually sing.
She has no name, but tells the story of a magical being she encounters one day.
The stranger is dressed in gold and additionally gifts her three golden things. The golden seed, golden scythe and golden spade are then used to transform her town into a utopia.
Of course, when dealing with magical strangers, these gifts always come at a cost.
The show is currently running at the WP Theatre and is directed by Tamilla Woodard. The stage is almost bare and Grays does not shy away from interacting with the audience, giving a very intimate feel.
She has a commanding presence on stage, though at times it was difficult to tell when she was playing the magical stranger and when she wasn’t. This muddled to story just a tiny bit.
The play itself is written as if it were a spoken piece. There’s a certain rhythm and rhymes found throughout that keep it interesting.
Despite this, it does begin to feel a little long as the play continues.
The overall message and its ties to society were not all together clear (at least to me), though I did see this at an invited dress rehearsal so it’s possible this has been cleared up. There is a bit of fun at the end involving the audience in which I got to participate in.
This was definitely something to witness. It’s especially fun, when you get to voice your opinion, just remember to pay close attention.
No comments:
Post a Comment