Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Presents THE LIGHT Review – A Nuanced Story of Intersectionality

“What if he’d done it to your daughter?”, Genesis yells out, stopping her fiancé in his tracks.

She repeats the question, and demands an answer as Rashad grows angrier, packs up his backpack and prepares to leave. A wave of silence washes over us in the audience, previously filled with laughter, as the weight of the question lingers. The faces of the women painted in the colorful murals at the back of the stage suddenly seem to come into focus as Genesis explains to Rashad the harsh reality of what it means to live in the intersection between womanhood and blackness.

Our first introduction to Rashad and Genesis is very different in tone. The two of them lay on the couch, Rashad enveloping his girlfriend in his arms. They playfully argue over their anniversary presents that Genesis is convinced Rashad forgot. He begins taking them down memory lane, asking her to remember the first time they met, the first date they went on, the first trip, the first kiss. They dance in their living room to the soft jazz music of their favorite artist. By the end of the song, Rashad is on one knee and Genesis is jumping and running around the room with her orange, long dress, saying yes, yes, and yes!

Rashad reveals he has a second gift, which consists of tickets to see their favorite singer. However, she is part of a concert hosted by Kashif, a singer-songwriter that Genesis dislikes due to his degrading lyrics about women. It turns out that the hatred towards the artist is due to reasons much deeper than that.

Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Delivers an Emotional Two-Person Show

Typical of a long-term couple, these two communicate with absolute honesty and at times, without filter. Once Genesis reveals the true reason she hates Kashif, as she angrily flips through the pages of a magazine, a heated argument ensues. Genesis states the importance of believing women’s accusations regarding assault, which are often dismissed, especially for Black women, while Rashad supports the idea that accusing Black men of crimes without evidence can result in incredibly dangerous situations for those men. Their personal lives become intertwined into the argument, as Rashad remembers back to a time he was unjustly accused of battery, and Genesis reveals her own experiences with the topic of assault. They support each other, they push each other’s buttons, they listen, they yell, and at times, boundaries are crossed.

In the course of one single night, we watch this couple grapple with complicated topics. We watch them teach, and we watch them learn. Genesis takes us on an emotional and personal journey into understanding the power and importance of believing and supporting women when it comes to assault and harassment cases. At the beginning of the play, Genesis mentions how she does not know whether to fire a teacher who stated her support for Brett Kavanaugh. By the end of the play, the answer seems clear and the importance of the case is brought to light.

This play is perfect for those interested in intimate stories with small casts that touch on socio-political topics in nuanced and complex ways.

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CAST:

Jazzma Pryor: Genesis
Rich Oliver: Rashad

CREATIVE TEAM:

Director: Tim Rhoze
Technical Director: Evan Sposato
Co- Set Designers: Tim Rhoze and Shane Rogers
Costumer, Casting Director: Lynn Baber
Lighting Designer: Hannah Wein:
Sound Designer/ Stage Manager: Kara Roseborough
Muralist: Jess Patterson
Assistant Stage Manager/ Box Office Manager: Alexis Harris-Dyer

WHEN:

August 5 - August 20, 2023

Sundays - 3pm
Saturdays - 7pm

WHERE:

Noyes Cultural Arts Center
927 Noyes St., Evanston

TICKETS:

$  30  +

For more information and tickets visit the CITY OF EVANSTON website.

PHOTOS: Kara Roseborough

Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago.