Stage Left Theatre Company presents INSURRECTION Review

Stage Left presents INSURRECTION: HOLDING HISTORY

Written by Robert O’Hara and directed by Wardell Julius Clark, Insurrection: Holding History follows Ron (Breon Arzell), a young, gay African American graduate student. He is pursuing his PhD in slave history at Columbia University, and in the process of completing his thesis on Nat Turner’s rebellion. When Ron’s 189-year-old grandfather, TJ (Ian Martin), takes Ron back in time to meet Turner (Christopher W. Jones) and peek a glimpse at life back in the 1800s, Ron gains far more than a personal account for his dissertation.

What would you do to experience important history? If given the opportunity, would you change it, and at what cost? O’Hara asks these questions and more in this thrilling story. His thought-provoking and powerful script forces the audience to take a step back and truly examine the current state of American society. The story constantly switches between the 1800s and modern-day, and the repeated time jumps and the double casting of actors invites the audience to draw connections and question how much has really improved in the last 200 years.

The Design

Helmed by Clark, the creative team makes excellent use of the Athenaeum’s intimate space, inviting the audience on the wild, time traveling ride that is O’Hara’s play.

Scenic Designer and Stage Left Ensemble Member Kathy Arfken utilizes the stage in an abstract but effective manner. Arfken fills the stage with wooden beams, creating various entrances and exits. Aside from those, the stage is fairly bare, with simple add-ons of chairs and tables as needed. The design allows for the easy transition between time periods, which is further enhanced by the work of Sound Designer Matthew Bonham Lockdall, whose musical interludes would often sharply contrast with the scene at hand, such as the choice to play modern-day rap music following a scene taking place back in the 1800s.

Clever Staging

Clark expertly utilizes the design elements to bring this idea of intrusions and clashes of time periods to life. One particularly striking scene occurs at the top of Act One, when the stage is bare except for Ron and his grandfather. Ron puts on a pair of headphones, and takes out a book to read. Shariba Rivers enters in older, rattier clothing that might be found on a woman of her status in the 1800s south, and she begins to sing a stunning lullaby. Two men – who the audience later learns to be Nat Turner (Christopher W. Jones) and Hammet (Nathaniel Andrew), run across the stage through various exits and entrances, and from off stage, the voices of three women can be heard partying and singing. Ron is left on stage, the only individual who notices the discrepancies of all of the various stimuli running through the room. The scene offers the perfect way to prepare the audience for the piece they are about to see – a wild journey that is constantly forcing the audience to ask questions and wonder what will come next.

Sydney Charles as Mistress Mo’tel showcases a spot-on comedic timing that keeps the audience laughing with her every scene. Her Mo’tel provides a lovely contrast to Charles’ portrayal of Gertha, who carries a more dark, snarky humor. Charles and Anna Dauzvardis as Gertha’s daughter, Octavia, carry a hilarious stage chemistry with their constant and fast-paced bickering. In contrast, Dauzvardis’ Katie Lynn, a house slave to Mistress Mo’tel, is more solemn, and elicits a powerful sense of sympathy from the audience.

Christopher W. Jones brings inspiration to his performance as the slave rebellion leader Nat Turner, which creates an even sharper and more impressive contrast to his portrayal of Ova Sea Jones, the individual brought in to keep the slaves in line through punishment.

Finally, Breon Arzell and Ian Martin as Ron and TJ showcase a beautiful relationship between grandfather and grandson that is a joy to watch unfold. Alone, they each carry a commanding presence. Martin holds the task of remaining still in a wheel chair until he time travels into his younger self, and his contrast, yet consistency in a bold, strong presence is remarkable. Arzell on the other hand showcases excellent comedic timing, but also brings a high level of honesty to the deeper and more tragic moments.

Dark humor and brutal honesty make Insurrection: Holding History a must-see event.