THE DANGEROUS HOUSE OF PRETTY MBANE

Aimé Donna Kelly

InterAct Theatre Company’s world premiere of The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane can be seen on the main stage of The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, through February 8. Aimé Donna Kelly is nothing short of mesmerizing in her spellbinding performance of Noxolo, a young South African woman who escaped horrors in South Africa with a  football (soccer) scholarship to  London, only to return to her native land when her activist ex-lover is reputed missing.  Young lesbian women have been raped throughout South Africa in an effort to “set them straight.” Noxolo’s brother Sicelo, convincingly portrayed by Akeem Davis, is blinded by bigotry and the age-old customs and beliefs of his country.  Pretty Mbane, portrayed by Lynnette R. Freeman, is the activist who Noxolo hopes to find when she returns to South Africa.  Freeman's rhythmic speech and fluid movements are hypnotic. No eyes leave the stage during this performance! The themes of Jen Silverman’s award winning play are unsettling and may be disturbing to some but no one can sit through  a performance and be unmoved   by them. The play is dark; the performances are raw; the end result is outstanding!  For more information or tickets to see this production, call 215-566-8077 or visit online at www.interActTheatre.org. 

Ritu Comes Home

Ritu and her new family

InterAct Theatre, located at 2030 Sansom Street, is doing what it does best...tackling interesting and always thought provoking topics. This time it is in the form of a World Premiere, Ritu Comes Home by playwright Peter Gil-Sheridan. The production runs through June 22. There are multiple scenes in this two-act drama which are artfully separated by extreme blackouts on stage, allowing actors David Bardeen, portraying Brendan, Jered McLenigan, portraying Jason and Annie Henk, portraying their friend Yesenia to reposition themselves on the stage in various stages of drunken stupor.  Brendan and Jason live an affluent life-style in the suburbs of Bryn Mawr, thanks to Jason’s high-powered job. Their weekends are spent in drinking and shopping and corresponding with the Bangladeshi child they have supported for years by sending 80 cents a day to Bangladesh. Ritu’s sudden appearance in their home causes an unforeseen ruckus. It is unclear, and purposely so, which character is more surprised to see the other.  The play wrestles with several important themes, among them racism, adoption by a gay parent, the needs of one member in a gay partnership versus the desires of the other, and the possible outcomes of harboring an illegal runaway.  Be prepared for a surprise ending! Young actress Rebecca Khalil is excellent as Ritu.  Watch for more performances from her as she completes her studies. Annie Henk has been “work-shopping” this piece on and off for two years and is exquisitedly believable as Yesenia.  For more information or tickets, call 215-568-9079 or visit online at www.interacttheatre.org. 

Down Past Passyunk

Vince Turati ,Nicky Grillo. Iggy Guerro

  InterAct Theatre Company, located at 2030 Sansom Streets, is producing the world premiere of A. Zell. Willams’ Down Past Passyunk   through January 27.  Williams has loosely based the central theme of his work on the controversial sign “This is America. When Ordering, Speak English.” which appeared in the window of Geno’s Steak’s and caused a national maelstrom. William Zielinski convincingly portrays an angry Nicky Grillo, third generation South Philly owner of Grillo’s Steaks. He is both unable to cope with the newly diversified neighborhood that has sprung up around him and unwilling to accept modern changes that his spit-fire daughter Sophia, passionately played by Alex Keiper, tries to bring into the business. Mild-mannered Iggy Guerro, portrayed by  Bobby Plasencia, is a new owner of a nearby steak shop and thinks there is plenty of room for both businesses .   Mired down by his stubbornness which even his best friend Vince, aptly played by William Rahill can’t dissuade, Nicky is trapped by his resistance to change.  Brian Cowden effectively plays a rookie cop on the beat.  Kittson O’Neill successfully portrays Tambrey Walker, an in-your-face Eye Witness News Reporter.  Alice York, as Emma, is a delight.  Kudos to the entire design team: Costume Designer Allison Roberts for her authenticity, Sound Designer Christopher Colucci for his special touches,  Lighting Designer Drew Billiau  for special effects, and Set Designer Ian Guzzone who, in effect, had to design multiple sets.  This is a must-see show for all those who remember the precipitating event.  It is also an important production for those who don’t remember but just enjoy good theatre,  for this piece is sure to earn a place in history. For more information or tickets, call 215-568-8079 or visit online at www.interacttheatre.org. .

Gideon's Knot

Karen Peakes & Alice M. Gatling

InterAct Theatre Company, located at 2030 Sansom Streets, is presenting Gideon’s Knot through February 9.  A keenly stimulating two-woman performance, this piece is set in a 5^th grade classroom during a parent-teacher conference.  Scenic Designer Colin McIlvaine has done an excellent job with the depiction of an elementary school classroom.  As the presentation unfolds, stereotypes are nurtured only to be blasted apart.  Niceties dissolve into acrimony and are replaced once again with solicitude.  Playwright Johnna Adams has intimately crafted a tale that gives us a peek into a ten-year old’s psyche as carefully as one can peel an onion, layer by layer.  In the search for answers following the sudden death of a 10 year old student, his mother, Corryn, played by Alice M. Gatling and his teacher Heather, portrayed by Karen Peakes, each reveal many strata to the core of their existence as well.  The acting in this production is superb.  Karen Peakes aptly plays the inexperienced teacher who tries to protect the majority of her pupils from a student she neither understands nor is certain can’t be a threat.  Alice M. Gatling portrays a much stronger personality who is determined to discover the underlying cause of her son’s death.  Drama doesn’t get any better than this. For more information or tickets, call 215-568-8079 or visit online at www.interacttheatre.org

We Are Proud to Present a Presentation about the Herero of Namibia, formerly known as Southwest Africa, from the German Sudwestafrika, between the years 1884-1915

 Cast depicting Germans and Hereros

Jackie Sibblies Drury’s We Are Proud to Present….is being performed by an ensemble cast  on InterAct’s main stage, 2030 Sansom Street through November 10.  Dynamic Philadelphia actors Aime Kelly, JaBen Early, Jamison Foreman, James Ijames, Kevin Meehan and Miriam White give us a spelling-binding, behind-the-scenes peek of a troupe's workings in a rehearsal hall. This captivating piece thrusts a rainbow of emotions upon the audience. The seemingly trivial beginning that causes bursts of laughter throughout the audience morphs into a raw slap-in-your-face ending which leaves everyone gasping in disbelief. Six actors, charged with devising a bit about a 20^th Century genocide in Africa uncover latent prejudices and violent tendencies amongst themselves.  At once breath-taking and heart-wrenching, the machinations on the stage as the actors work and rework their scenes will have you glued to your seats. Drury’s work is both poignant and compelling, a rare look at racial unrest that lies just below the surface of official niceties. It is being produced in several cities throughout the United States, but InterAct Theatre Company is presenting the Philadelphia premiere. Don’t miss the chance to witness this marvel here. For more information or tickets, call 215-658-8079 or visit online at www.interacttheatre.org

Assassin

InterAct Theatre, located at 2030 Sansom Streets, is presenting the world premiere of David Robson’s Assassin through February 10. The production is a powerful and forceful drama that imagines a meeting that might have taken place 30 years after an Oakland Raiders defensive back actually paralyzed a New England Patriots’ wide receiver.   Brian Anthony Wilson, as Frank, suffering from alcoholism and diabetes is desperate to meet the player he injured face to face on national TV but is unflinching in his determination to stop short of an apology... He blusters…”The hit was legal and all part of the game. I was doin’ my job.”    In a tumultuous series of interchanges between the retired footfall star and Dwayne A.Thomas, portraying Lewis, the quadriplegic’s brash attorney, it soon becomes apparent that there is more than one victim as a result of this tragic accident. The dialogue is quick and hard-hitting with first one, then the other character prevailing. The performance is only 80 minutes long but it packs quite a punch. Don’t miss this opportunity to weigh-in on the difficulties of dealing with the consequences of an action and the helplessness to right a wrong. For further information or tickets, call 215-568=8079 or visit online at www.interacttheatre.org.