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| Courtesy of Ally Theater Company's website |
When I was in high school, I was cast in a play my freshman year. Mr. Johnson was directing it. I really enjoyed working with him on this production. Throughout the following years, I worked with him as a student director on another production, was in several of his theater classes (including "Directing the Actor," which was one of my favorites), and even got to student teach one of his theater arts classes. I always had the utmost respect for him. Years later, we reconnected on Facebook and I learned of a play he had written called
Rasheeda Speaking. It was being performed off Broadway and directed by Cynthia Nixon. I was interested in seeing it at the time, but the opportunity never came about.
Fast forward to 2019, when I found out that a theater in the area was going to be performing this very same play. I kept an eye news about ticket sales and made sure I'd be available to see it at some point during its short run here. I was hoping that Mr. Johnson would be in town to see some of the performances and that I could see him in person again. But alas, that wasn't to be. Sadly, Mr. Johnson passed away in January. He is greatly missed by everyone who has ever known him. A while back, I sent him a message to thank him for being so nice to me in high school and for the opportunities to work with him at that time. He even responded to my message.
I finally got to see
Rasheeda Speaking this past weekend. It was being performed at a small theater in what felt like a hard-to-find neighborhood. (Thankfully Google Maps got us there on time.) The theater was really nice looking and I loved the
set and scenery. They made it look like a real doctor's office waiting room, complete with working desktop computers and comfortable looking chairs. (Someone in the audience even sat in one of the chairs for the first act, but the actors were not distracted by this and didn't break the fourth wall.)
The actors did a great job, considering two of them were on stage a majority of the time and had tons of lines and blocking to memorize. They just felt so authentic the entire time. Like we weren't just witnessing actors on a stage, but instead women working in a doctor's office on an average weekday. I enjoyed watching both Ileen and Jaclyn (character names) interact with each other and the two supporting characters (the doctor and a patient).
The use of music and sound effects helped build up the intensity of the drama that was unfolding. I love the sound that was made every time Jaclyn just suddenly appeared. It had a humorous quality to it, but the sound was also so intense that it easily startled the other actors and the audience.
The costumes and makeup were great too. I like how the outfits fit the women's personalities and the mood of the story. Check out the pictures on
Instagram to see what I'm talking about.
Now onto the story itself. Here is a short synopsis:
"This tense workplace thriller examines the realities of so-called "post-racial" {America} when two co-workers - one black, the other white - are driven apart by the machinations of their boss. A chilling power struggle ensues that spins wildly out of control.
Rasheeda Speaking is an incisive and shocking dark comedy that keeps you in its claustrophobic grip until the final moment." (Synopsis courtesy of Ally Theater Company's website.)
The synopsis doesn't give much away, as I had no idea what to expect throughout the play. I was extremely impressed by Mr. Johnson's writing, as I had only known him as a teacher and a director up until now. He was really good at getting into the minds of both women and pitting them against each other. I didn't know what the title had to do with the story until close to the end, but then it was just haunting to think about, especially in this day and age. The play starts out with the doctor putting ideas into Ileen's head to get the ball rolling. He even promotes her to office manager to give her a sense of power over Jaclyn, who was previously her equal. I don't want to say anything more as to not spoil the story, however. Especially since it may come to your neck of the woods someday. Or maybe someone will make it into a movie. There are some humorous parts, but overall, the audience feels the anxiety that is permeating from the characters. (I know I did, at least!)
The only thing I had an issue with was that the doctor was behaving inappropriately toward Ileen, such as touching her in a way that one's boss would not normally touch them. I was surprised that type of choice was made in the story without it being addressed as an issue. Ileen was so focused on the situation with Jaclyn that she didn't say anything to the doctor about his physical behavior toward her. I don't know if he was told to do this type of action for this performance (as I never saw it on Broadway and don't know how it was done then), but it made me uncomfortable to watch him in action. Also, I wish the program had given actor bios. I would have liked to have learned more about them. (The program itself was clever, as it looked like a complaint to Human Resources.)
Overall,
Rasheeda Speaking carries an important message in this day and age and I still can't stop thinking about it. I encourage you to see it when it comes to a theater near you. (For those of you in the DC area, it's still playing through March 22nd.)
See more about
Rasheeda Speaking on Ally Theater Company's
website. There's even a bio for Mr. Johnson!
