ARYE is a story like no other. Very rarely do we see one woman shows or productions of this type and style; particularly centering around the Africa American experience and/or heritage.
This play was a welcomed surprise by Gertrude Jeannette and the H.A.D.L.E.Y Players.
Kimberlee Monroe (who potrays Sohna,Annie,Lenora) gave a marvel of a performance as the actress
took us on a cyclical journey, which, like a beloved paternal or maternal figure would guide a child through a dark room,so too, did Sohna, Annie, and Lenora walked us through a dark room, which immediately transported me (and the audience) through a time warp in which the past suddenly fused with the present, giving form to the future.
Although the narrative, staging ,and sequences of scenes completely gave us a holistic picture of this matriarch, the real winner in this play goes to two emerging artists; L.A. Lucas and Derrick Minter (both artists should be strongly considered for Audelco award nominations)
Mr.Luca's sound effects, music and visual effects revealed more to us
than can be captured with words. Part of the Charm is the play's "suggestibility".
A subliminal implication which "suggests" that although the story we are hearing belongs exclusively to the narrator's experience, there is a ring of universal truth which resonates with each and every person in the audience as a collective experience
The slave trade was, indeed, a human tragedy, but so is human trafficking, genocide, and estrangement from one's own family, race, or religion.
Everyone in the audience, whether you were Black, White, or a man or a woman can identify with not only ""individual loss", but also a "collective loss": that which can affect an entire race or generation.
Fortunately, this story had both an Individual "gain"(Arye coming home in the end) anda collective "gain", because we all left with a feeling of empowerment and resolution which I have not "seen"or "felt" in any other production presented by the H.A.D.L.E.Y Players in the past.
Derrick Minter. whose sound and lighting teleported the audience to rural and urban Africa with the excellent medley of amber and lite orange combinations made you feel connected to the Great Continent. You can almost feel the African heat-very visually "sensual"
This was definitely a "Gem" and receives four stars!!!
This play was a welcomed surprise by Gertrude Jeannette and the H.A.D.L.E.Y Players.
Kimberlee Monroe (who potrays Sohna,Annie,Lenora) gave a marvel of a performance as the actress
took us on a cyclical journey, which, like a beloved paternal or maternal figure would guide a child through a dark room,so too, did Sohna, Annie, and Lenora walked us through a dark room, which immediately transported me (and the audience) through a time warp in which the past suddenly fused with the present, giving form to the future.
Although the narrative, staging ,and sequences of scenes completely gave us a holistic picture of this matriarch, the real winner in this play goes to two emerging artists; L.A. Lucas and Derrick Minter (both artists should be strongly considered for Audelco award nominations)
Mr.Luca's sound effects, music and visual effects revealed more to us
than can be captured with words. Part of the Charm is the play's "suggestibility".
A subliminal implication which "suggests" that although the story we are hearing belongs exclusively to the narrator's experience, there is a ring of universal truth which resonates with each and every person in the audience as a collective experience
The slave trade was, indeed, a human tragedy, but so is human trafficking, genocide, and estrangement from one's own family, race, or religion.
Everyone in the audience, whether you were Black, White, or a man or a woman can identify with not only ""individual loss", but also a "collective loss": that which can affect an entire race or generation.
Fortunately, this story had both an Individual "gain"(Arye coming home in the end) anda collective "gain", because we all left with a feeling of empowerment and resolution which I have not "seen"or "felt" in any other production presented by the H.A.D.L.E.Y Players in the past.
Derrick Minter. whose sound and lighting teleported the audience to rural and urban Africa with the excellent medley of amber and lite orange combinations made you feel connected to the Great Continent. You can almost feel the African heat-very visually "sensual"
This was definitely a "Gem" and receives four stars!!!
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