Antebellum by Robert O'Hara, now showing at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre

[vanitashaze]

Oh. My. Fucking. God. Two hours, and I'm going to be unpacking this for weeks.

If you are in the vicinity of Washington D.C. anytime between now and April 26th, YOU MUST SEE THIS PLAY.

Comments

[ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com]

I'm going to look up reviews (not sure if I'll be there then), but tell me more?

[vanitashaze.livejournal.com]

Er. Well. It's rather hard to explain what happens, mostly because outside of context it sounds really, really silly - as most Woolly Mammoth plays tend to - but also because on the offchance that you actually might get to go see it, I don't want to spoil you. And believe me, there is a lot to be spoiled on. One of its charms is the fact that it constantly keeps you on your toes - just when you're getting comfortable with what's happening - start making assumptions about the characters and their relationships - something happens and you go, WHOAH, WHAT? And everything is suddenly shifted, and you have to reevaluate what you thought you knew about them. It's constant contraction and expansion of that metaphorical thought-box, so that by the time the climax thunders in, it's not even that you don't know what to expect, you don't know what to know.

And symbolism! It does such a lovely job of symbolism - the blocking, especially, is absolutely fabulous, because they did such a good job of mirroring gestures and juxtaposing situations - but also intertwined narrative, and the creep factor is just right. I mean, I suppose you could say it's about race and gender and identity - the poster outside the theatre certainly does - but it's also about perceptions, and power, and prejudice, except really not, because it's about what causes prejudice, which according to the play is just human fear, and lust, and need - using what power you have to get what you want. Which, of course, brings me to the other wonderful complex thing about it: the power-plays you find in relationships, how nobody in this play is pure victim or victimizer, but both, sometimes simultaneously. The whole thing is tragic and funny and ironic and pathetic and just so very human. Oh, and incidentally, so very R-rated. For mature audiences only, folks!

(All this is not to say that Antebellum doesn't have problems, because it probably does, and I'm sure some people will object to the "message", but for what it is, it's one of the better ones.)

The actors, too, are very good. There's no weak links in that chain. & the woman who plays Edna Blackstone, and the man who plays Gabriel, are both fantastic, though the latter has strangely huge feet.

!

[ticketsonmyself.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks—on top of what's at the Woolly Mammoth site, your words are enough to make a reader even more intrigued. Also, I laughed at your description of that actor's feet.