[rating=3]There are times when posting a rating with a review is a difficult task. It is my job o advise my readers as well as listeners as to a productions value as well as the overall experience. This can be quite a challenge as younger people will not always feel the same as older audiences. There are also plays that are written for fun and escape compared to plays that are serious in nature. Haven’s production of “Get Out Alive” written by and starring Nikki Lynette is one of those difficult plays to rate. It is her story, autobiographical in nature as she sees it, a musical. Not just a musical but an interdisciplinary musical that is considered “afrogoth” ( a term that I am unfamiliar with. according to Google- afro goth is a subculture of African and dark-skinned men and women who are passionate about goth fashion, music and lifestyles)

In this 100 plus minutes ( no intermission) Ms Lynette along with her DJ (PI) and two ensemble members, Keeley B. Morris and Jacinda Ratcliffe take us through visitation to Reception with great energy and verve. The Directors, Roger Ellis and Lucky Stiff work with an unusual set ((Eleanor Kahn). The Den Theatre’s Janet Bookspan Theatre is a narrow space with a platform stage at the far North wall. They have created a runway stage from that point down to the other end ( well, almost) and the stage also crosses itself midway, giving us two rows of seats in four sections of the cross and one more on the South wall where the lighting/sound tech and DJ are set up. There are times that we need to truly crane our necks to see the action which for some can make it hard to follow.

There are screens on each wall and the curtain on the stage so we can see videos which help us through the story-line. The projections (Chris Owens and Ms Lynette) do help a great deal.

The story is about mental health regarding Ms. Lynette’s life. The subject matter talks about abuse, grief, sexual assault and even suicide, but does so using dance, song, hip-hop to illustrate the parts of her life, and that of her mother but with the help of music and the talents of her troupe we learn that even when life appears hopeless and people are trapped where they do not wish to be, there is hope in front of them and they can make it out, alive! R rated ( language)

 

“Get Out Alive” will continue at The Den Theatre 1331 N. Milwaukee Avenue ( first floor- Janet Bookspan Theatre) Thru – Aug 7, 2022

Performances are as follows: