In 2001 an unarmed black man was killed by a Cincinnati
police officer. A peaceful protest turned dangerous in the following days as
the city erupted into riots. If that sounds a bit too familiar to you, you aren’t
alone. The subject matter is achingly relevant.
In the midst of the chaos, a small family hunkers down in their home above their dry-cleaning business. When the son, Felix, returns home with a drunk white man in tow the tension boils over. The dialogue between the mother and her twin children feels real and quickly pulls you into their comfortable family dynamic. There were quite a few stumbles over lines in this production, which can take you out of the flow of the play, but it wasn’t too distracting. It’s only worth noting because, unlike live theatre performances, a recorded production will not change from night to night.
Truths are revealed as the riots rage on and important
issues are addressed. Hearing about the black experience, the unavoidable hurdles
they face in our current social climate, wasn’t eye-opening, but it opened the
conversation for other things. The desire for hope, for a better world, for
change, all of those things are completely contingent on people being willing
to make those changes. That’s where the real conversation begins.
There is adult language and subjects throughout the play. It is available for streaming until April 4th.
A note on the streaming experience. The show is $30 and you have a week to watch it. The IRT does a great job providing instructions to easily access the video. If you've already watched one of the IRT's virtual productions, you'll need to logout and log back into your account. The filming was a coordinated effort between the IRT and WFYI. It’s filmed on an actual set at the theater, so you’re able to get the full experience of seeing the show. You can purchase tickets at IRTLive.com
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