Corina Vela and Morgan Danielle Day. (Photo by Brianna Rose Photography)
Reviewed by Amanda L. Andrei
The Roots and Wings Project
Through September 27
In ecology, a “river continuum” introduces the idea that a river is not merely as landmark, but a relational place where water, land, sun, and creatures continuously transform with each other. Jesse Bliss’s new play Realm of the River adds a spiritual and human dimension to this concept, although the accompanying story of three friends on a night out unfortunately muddies the waters.
Written and directed by Bliss, the fantasy drama features Esme (Corina Vela), Dessa (Krystle Tugadi), and Auggie (Morgan Danielle Day), three women of color who travel between their sacred space of an unnamed riverbank to a rambunctious dance club. Along the way, Esme encounters the charming Emir (Brandon Ramon Williams), Dessa clashes with a drunken man (Sawyer Shine) in an elevator, and Auggie keeps driving, smoking, and shouting as the near-fatal confrontation in the elevator forces the women to return to their spot along the water.
While there’s potential for the play to become some kind of riparian gothic or feminist mystery, the elements simply do not coalesce. The women’s desires are unclear or vacillate wildly. When Dessa is assaulted in the elevator and Auggie knocks him out, their concerns about cameras in the nightclub, police, and the man’s potential death are at odds with the decision to drive the man to their sacred river space. Their arguments about whether to leave or to punish him feel discordant when they start to philosophize about patriarchy and whether or not they like men. Despite this confusion, Shine offers some truly comedic moments and garners sympathy for his wayward character’s blood-spattered state.
Unfortunately, time and space feel ungrounded in a distracting way. For instance, the elevator scenes are so long that it makes one wonder how many floors the passengers are traveling (or if the elevator is broken). The actors slow-motion dance to silence in, presumably, an electrified party atmosphere. As they mime the world around them, they proceed to run through areas onstage that would have been walls or cars. The emergency — dealing with the wounded man — loses its urgency through long speeches and inert characters.
There are glimmers of gold in the murkier eddies. The appearance of the Yoruban deity Oshun (a stately Sarah Ann Sulewski) extends divine healing to the women, who eventually offer the negative parts of themselves as oblations — a touching moment of self-reconciliation. Abel Alvarado’s bejeweled headdress and saffron bedlah-inspired costumes honor the cultural significations behind the Western African orisha of water, femininity, and fertility. Additionally, Williams’ portrayal as the sensitive love interest is deeply attentive and captivating, a steady source of calm.
There are many admirable ideas in this Realm. However, the river’s transformative power is hard to discern amidst the churn.
The Rosenthal Theater at Inner-City Arts, 720 Kohler St., downtown LA. Opens Fri., Sept. 18; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 2 pm; thru Sept. 27. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/realm-of-the-river-a-world-premiere-play-by-jesse-bliss-tickets-1996257931210 Running time: two hours and 15 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission.
