“The Light” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

***** Deep and intensely meaningful, “The Light” is outstanding and contains lots of powerful messages that require time and thought to digest. This beautifully crafted drama by playwright Loy A. Webb tells a rich story about Genesis Washington (Jazzma Pryor) and her beau Rashad Tate (Rich Oliver) on the second anniversary of their first date. Future marriage plans for this romantic black couple slowly begin to unravel as revelations about their past come to the fore. Directed to perfection by artistic director Tim Rhoze, the body language and movement of the actors is well choreographed, just as the dialogue and timing between the characters is sharp and right on target. This type of play is called a “two-hander”, because “the two characters in question often display differences in social standing or experiences, differences that are explored and possibly overcome as the story unfolds.” Sure enough, deeply-held secrets are shrouded, then revealed over the course of the presentation, and we witness how the characters’ opinions towards each of these matters differ widely. One could consider this play a consciousness-raising type of performance. It may seem a bit preachy at times, but that’s a good thing: The playwright most likely wanted the audience to “get it” and understand her perspective on life.

The underlying theme has to do with the subtle (and not-so-subtle) messages of misogyny, patriarchy, and male dominance within mainstream American culture and how these things can potentially infiltrate a loving relationship. In this show, we see how gendered differences in the perception and understanding of our world affect how intimate partners relate to each other. We witness how larger social forces can create a wedge between lovers who see things differently, in large part having to do with existing or perceived power differentials between the sexes. While wholesome masculinity and femininity are passionately celebrated throughout this story, the question is how ideas promoting “toxic masculinity” (however defined) can invade a person’s consciousness, whether you are a man or a woman. It doesn’t seem to make a difference whether you are a black couple (which is what this story is about) or a white couple or, for that matter, any (heterosexual) couple today. Even men who are good, kind, and understanding—as well as some refined and educated women—may not recognize the extent to which women in the United States have traditionally been treated as second-class individuals as a result of their sex. Then too, there is an additional nuance in this performance regarding likely sexism within African American culture.

Set design by Rhoze and Shane Rogers is great! The furniture and props are exactly where they need to be to move the action along. I especially loved the eye-catching original mural by Jessica Patterson: made up of a number of panels, painted in well-organized globs of color such as vibrant red, swing blue, peevish purple, easy brown, and alluring aqua, overlaid with large faces drawn in black with aqua details. Hannah Wien’s lighting design could not have been better in illuminating this background and providing the perfect lighting for a living room setting. Kara Roseborough’s sound design is excellent too.

This is a very good story; but if there is any one criticism I had, it is that a bit more monologue is needed to flesh out Rashad’s secrets towards the end so that the audience can better connect the dots of his personal history. This detail would be quite useful so as to have a clearer grasp of how his consciousness evolved into the present. However, such a minor flaw does not take away from the fact that this 70-minute performance is full of energy and realism and contains lots of brilliantly written and executed dialogue, which exposes not only the characters’ feelings but so many relevant issues of our day. The dynamics between Pryor and Oliver are exceptional as they play the loving couple—and this is only one of many fine aspects of this production! The actors received a standing ovation, and I saw several audience members tearful as they exited the theatre. All in all, this intimate and forceful presentation is a must see!

“The Light” is playing through August 20, 2023, at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes Street, in Evanston.

Tickets are $30.*

Performance schedule:

Saturdays – 7:00 p.m.
Sundays – 3:00 p.m.

For more information about this show and to learn about other offerings, visit:
https://apps.cityofevanston.org/webtrac/wbwsc/webtrac.wsc/search.html?module=PST&display=detail&keyword=FJT

To purchase tickets, please phone 847-866-5914 or go to:
https://www.cityofevanston.org/about-evanston/arts-and-culture/theatre/fleetwood-jourdain-theatre#ad-image-0

*For a limited time, use the code FJT2023 when purchasing tickets online for a $10 discount per ticket.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “The Light”.