The Convert, a play by Danai Gurira at McCarter Theatre, Princeton NJ. Normally, this blog is devoted to plays requiring a commute to New York City from the hinterlands, but in this case, the commute is reversed: this is a play that is worth the commute from New York City (and anywhere else for that matter) into Princeton. And that's because "The Convert" is the finest play we've seen this season, even surpassing the fabulously entertaining "Venus in Fur" and "Sons of the Prophet". Unlike those two plays (the cream of the Broadway season for sure), "The Convert" is written in a deliberately old fashioned style, a full three-hour-running three-act play set in a single sitting room, reminiscent of the kind of absorbing work once offered by Somerset Maugham or Clifford Odets.
But make no mistake, "The Convert," which is about religious, cultural and racial strife in 19th Century Rhodesia (now Zimbawe), is entirely modern and always absorbing. Written as the first part of a trilogy by a very young Danai Gurira, we can't wait to see the next two installments.
The staging is near perfection. McCarter Theatre's own Emily Mann has directed with smooth assurance, and the cast is sensational. The "Convert" herself, played by Pascale Armand in a very brave performance, is a young tribeswoman "saved" from a polygamous marriage and paganism by the earnest African missionary, Chilford, played by the riveting LeRoy McClain. Set in the early days of the British colony, their community of converts includes Zainab Jah as Prudence, a bravura performance that nearly runs off with the play, and Kevin Mambo as the hard-to-like Chancellor. Cautions come from the wise Cheryl Lynn Bruce as Mai Tamba. Each character struggles to navigate the transitions brought by white colonization, both brutal and seductive.
The language of Shona is spoken intermittently throughout, skillfully used to be both symbolic and illuminating. The English dialogue cleverly illustrates the degrees of assimilation of each character.
It seems to us that "The Convert", next headed to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and then on to Center Theatre Group in LA (McCarter's partners in this new production), is likely to win a Pulitzer Prize. We predict it will eventually end up on Broadway and the West End - but don't wait and risk missing this experience at its freshest.
Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade A
But make no mistake, "The Convert," which is about religious, cultural and racial strife in 19th Century Rhodesia (now Zimbawe), is entirely modern and always absorbing. Written as the first part of a trilogy by a very young Danai Gurira, we can't wait to see the next two installments.
The staging is near perfection. McCarter Theatre's own Emily Mann has directed with smooth assurance, and the cast is sensational. The "Convert" herself, played by Pascale Armand in a very brave performance, is a young tribeswoman "saved" from a polygamous marriage and paganism by the earnest African missionary, Chilford, played by the riveting LeRoy McClain. Set in the early days of the British colony, their community of converts includes Zainab Jah as Prudence, a bravura performance that nearly runs off with the play, and Kevin Mambo as the hard-to-like Chancellor. Cautions come from the wise Cheryl Lynn Bruce as Mai Tamba. Each character struggles to navigate the transitions brought by white colonization, both brutal and seductive.
The language of Shona is spoken intermittently throughout, skillfully used to be both symbolic and illuminating. The English dialogue cleverly illustrates the degrees of assimilation of each character.
It seems to us that "The Convert", next headed to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and then on to Center Theatre Group in LA (McCarter's partners in this new production), is likely to win a Pulitzer Prize. We predict it will eventually end up on Broadway and the West End - but don't wait and risk missing this experience at its freshest.
Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade A
posted by James Camner | 6:34 AM
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