The 2012 Horton Foote Prize for Promising New American Play, The Liquid Plain by Naomi Wallace, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah is running at The Signature Theatre.
The play takes place on a loading dock in Bristol, Rhode Island in 1791 and 1837. Two runaway slaves, Dembi, played by Ito Aghayere, and Adjua, played Kristolyn Lloyd, notice a white man who has drowned by the dock. But when they find out he’s still alive they embark on a painfully truthful journey. We go down a path of sexuality, identity, and mysticism, as Adjua’s daughter, Bristol, played by LisaGay Hamilton (2004’s Broadway production of Gem of The Ocean), tries to find her father and seek justice for her aunt’s death.
Wallace’s play takes an interesting exploration into sexuality, during slavery. Armah’s direction, particularly in the second act, provides wonderful spectacle that effectively forces you to invest in this journey.
Now that we have all the “What’s The Play About” caveats out the way, let’s talk about the experience of seeing this piece. What I found to be the most interesting wasn’t the play, but the experience and conversation after seeing it. It took me awhile to digest the piece, but after gathering my thoughts what resonated most was the poetic language and sharp dialogue; Wallace’s brave attempt to talk about sexuality during a time that it often goes overlooked and assumed nonexistent. I even found myself talking about how certain members of the audience laughed at some serious moments, in the play, that dealt with slavery. Maybe they laughed because their lineage falls on the privileged side of slavery or maybe because the playwright lightened moments that could have resonated much deeper. Who knows? What’s for sure is The Liquid Plain gives you a lot to talk about.
It runs until March 29th.
