NEGATIVES
THEATER - MAY 29, 2002
It’s a small play, but ‘Negatives’ packs a lot of power
By TOM HELMA (City Pulse)
|
‘Negatives’ |
This is
probably the only opportunity I’ll ever have to write a positive review of a
play with the title “Negatives.”
This is a small play written by Steve A. Rowell. It’s a one-act deal, short and
quick. It’s 35 minutes long. Opening night last Wednesday was billed as a
pre-performance rehearsal of the play’s real opening June 4 in Chicago at the
Bailiwick Repertory Director’s Festival. The Creole Gallery audience of 11 was
appreciative and lingered for an extensive talk-back afterward.
The story line? Two men who are strangers meet on the sidewalk of an unnamed
urban street in a major industrial city. One is white in black face, the other
black in white face. There are simply two chairs on the stage, and dialogue is
king. There is no set. There are no props. It’s just the power of the written
word spoken aloud.
It is a touching play, as much about male bonding as it is about racial
differences. It shows how we discover in life that we are more alike than
different from one another. And it shows that ultimately the different shades
and colors of our skin are entirely inconsequential.
Both Daryl Thompson and Markitwia Jackson play their roles well, with exquisite
timing and a sense of connection throughout the play.
The play does not attempt to address all racial or cultural differences, nor
does it address the issues of gender. Nor, for that matter, are these two men
supposed to be archetypal images of all people. And yet the dialogue is crisp
enough and brittle, rubbing rough edges raw and illustrating the power of
assumptions made under stress.
“Negatives” is thought provoking and increases our sensitivities to the way we
interact. It is a modern-day morality tale both brief and to the point. In
short, it is worth a look.