Harlem ) were not nearly as strong or flushed out . As we moved through the second act , the story continued to unfold and level out to earn the sense of visual and audio symmetry that should have been present in the first half . Gil co-signed this fact after the show was over .
Sometimes , hopefully , more often than not , you ’ ll find yourself on an emotionally authentic journey with a craftsperson like Pearl Cleage . Sometimes , you are so invested you don ’ t even care about flaws of any kind because you have bought into the characters and story so fully that you are commenting like your best girlfriend is talking instead of a fullon ensemble of talented actors and actresses .
I have watched plays where the time passed so slowly I wanted to jump up and say , “ Man and Wife . Say , Man and Wife .” ( Blatant Princess Bride reference ). That ’ s not the kind of dribble that Pearl Cleage writes . She spins a tale so true that you accept that good and the bad because you have to acknowledge that what ’ s perceived to some as “ bad ” was actually just right . She created it that way on purpose . She gave us rich characters so impressively experienced that I might actually follow the actors on social media .
Yes . It was that good . Thank you , Pearl Cleage and Director Ron OJ Parson for this gift of theater .
Sierra Kay has an M . A . in Writing from DePaul University , won a Nuyorican Poets Cafe Short Story Slam , participated in comedy fests as a member of the writing teams for Spankx and N20 Comedy . She also writes poetry and suspense novels . Obviously , she ’ ll try anything at least once . Her two novels From Behind the Curtain and In the Midst of Fire are available online .