With the recent release of Marvel’s monstrously successful Black Panther, you hear a lot about a particular kind of thirst being appeased. Black people are elated that they are being depicted as something other than a trite stereotype. In Black Panther, they are strong, smart and courageous. The kind of people who live up to a Maya Angelou ideal.
But there are a number of unspoken thirsts in the black psyche. And one of them revolves around love. Even with minorities slowly edging to majority status, it is still difficult to see a realistic loving relationship between two people of color on the stage or screen.
The Light, which recently wrapped up its extended run to sold out audiences at the Den in Wicker Park, is changing that continuum and takes you into a world you rarely get to experience. Out of nowhere, a young African-American couple navigating the perilous rapids that make up contemporary relationships find themselves at a devastating crossroads. A production of the New Colony and written by Loy Webb, there’s no tidy ending.
Each of them is trying to succeed in demanding careers while remaining present and committed to each other. It’s exciting to see a story where both characters are drawn so finely that they are instantly recognizable. You understand every nuance of their speech because you’ve heard similar conversations a million times. It’s the language of two people who may be very different between their ears but are exactly the same within their hearts. There is tension. But there is also a conscious will to understand. Webb knows a little something about the dynamics of love and a lot about its language.
Genesis (Tiffany Oglesby) and Rashad (Jeffery Freelon, Jr.) are about to celebrate an anniversary. They’ve been together as a couple for a few years now and both are ready to lock it down with a ring. As so often happens with the guy, he can’t or won’t display the depth of his feelings unreservedly. But it’s still clear they’re crazy about each other and that the match is as good as it gets.
She’s the uber achiever. A young school principal who cares intently about her students, she works to enable them to have aspirations beyond emulating Floyd Merriweather. And, as is true of lots of high achievers, she’s unfailingly pragmatic. Rashad clearly admires her and that admiration is augmented by his knowledge of where she came from to get to where she is. He’s just as compelling. A football jock whose career was ruined by a false allegation, he rebounded. Now in his early 30’s, he’s a fireman and a father. Even though he hasn’t completely recovered from the disappointment of having his pro dreams stymied; he’s ebullient about life and completely invested in raising his young daughter. His jokes are like heat seeking missiles that always hit their target.
Not only did he come through on the ring, he sweetened the pot by scoring concert tickets for an artist they both like. Ominously, a rapper she detests will be sharing the bill. She can’t support a misogynist who she knows personally from her college days. Rashad suspects her opposition is grounded in more than principal but is at a loss to understand why she seems so inflexible. Very soon each of their positions harden to the point of shattering their bond. When he discovers the personal reason behind her resistance, he instantly relinquished and stood down. But was it too late?
Despite the many things they have in common, it’s just a coincidence this premiere arrived in the midst of the #MeToo movement. The question of what it takes for a woman to be believed the first time she utters a damning truth is a keystone for each. As this play shows, more than women pay a price for that failure, inability or refusal to hear.
Tiffany Oglesby rode a whirlwind as Genesis and was wonderful to watch. One can only imagine the emotional toll it takes to reach so deep every night to play this intriguing and compelling character. Jeffery Freelon Jr. proved the perfect counterpoint and exuded nobility as the resilient stalwart who refuses to stop trying. Combined they were astonishing.
The Light
The New Colony
January 5, 2018 – February 25, 2018
The Den Theater
1331 N. Damen
Chicago, IL 60622
