In The Red And Brown Water |
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REVIEW by Willard Manus Drawing
on Garcia Lorca, West African culture and The Hood in a single work is
the challenge Tarell Alvin McCraney has taken on in IN THE RED AND BROWN
WATER, now in its Los Angeles premiere at the Fountain Theatre. The heavily
symbolic play, part of a trilogy, has been seen in New York, London and
Chicago (where the Chicago Tribune called McCraney "the hottest young
playwright in America"). |
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When Mama
Mojo dies a year later, Oya is left to cope with life on her own, though
she does have a goofy best friend, Elegba (Theodore Perkins), who tries
valiantly to help her. Oya, though, has an unfortunate and fatal flaw:
a hankering for the local stud, Shango (Gilbert Glenn Brown). Although
she's warned off him by her feisty, street-smart Aunt Elegua (Iona Morris),
Oya is a prisoner of her emotional needs. |
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The outline of McCraney's story suggests realism, but the playwright--skilfully aided by director Shirley Jo Bonney and the superb cast--keeps working poetry, myth, dance, chanting and music into the mix. The result is a play that feels both new and old, familiar and ground-breaking. It's an astonishing accomplishment. (Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave. 323-663-1525 or fountaintheatre.com) |