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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Lights Rise on Grace Also see Susan's coverage of the 2015 Helen Hayes Awards and reviews of Simply Sondheim and The Island
In New York City's East Harlem, Grace (Jeena Yi), the shy daughter of Chinese immigrants, meets African-American Lawrence, known as Large (DeLance Minefee), at the high school they both attend. "I want to know you," Large tells Grace, and they find wholeness with each other despite the prejudice of their families and friends. Then Large vanishes, leaving Grace adrift until he returns after six years in prison with a friend from inside, Riece (Ryan Barry). The drama comes from the interaction among three fallible people coping with difficulties and missteps in their past yet determined to do better in the future. Director Michael John Garcés treads lightly around the more uncomfortable implications of the plot, primarily the connection that develops between the two men in prison and its effect on Grace as it continues on the outside. Interestingly, the three characters not only form a triangular relationship but echo each other: Beckim uses the same words and speeches in differing contexts, spoken by different people for different reasons. The three cast members are solidly affecting and powerful, both individually and together. In addition to their primary roles, they also take on smaller characterizations in vignettes that fill in some of the blanks in the lives of Grace, Large, and Riece. The major component of Luciana Stecconi's scenic design is a series of a slatted metal doors that clang shut as they move: prison in both literal and emotional senses. Dan Covey's lighting design and James Garver's sound design add to the sense of disorientation in an unwelcoming world.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
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