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Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III

Skylight Theatre

Through March 29

A black eighteen year old man-child falls asleep and has a vision of an African ancestor, long lost to the slave trade and the icy embrace of the Atlantic Ocean, and embarks on a quest to find him. This is the oddly intriguing premise of Nathan Allan Davis’s attractive, but flawed drama, directed by Gregory Wallace.

The vision is evocatively described and splendidly choreographed during the opening minutes of the play, soaring on poetry, dance and African drums and rhythms. Wallace’s ensemble nimbly evokes multiple scenic backdrops using surprisingly few props; the performances are good (Benai Boyd and Marlon Sanders as Dontrell’s mother and father are especially noteworthy), and the singing and drum work are fetching.

Unfortunately, the rest of the play tends towards the shallow, and is not as appealing. The script morphs into a melodrama, romance and coming-of age tale, with a bit of comic, dysfunctional black family melodrama tossed in. All the while Dontrell’s quest becomes a less-than-credible obsession — bordering on the absurd — which the writer fails to place on any solid ground. Adding to this problem is a finale that is frustratingly ambiguous.

Skylight Theatre, 1816 ½ N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz; Fri., 8:30 p.m.; Sat., 8 p.m., (added 4 p.m. mat., March 7 & 14); Sun., 3 p.m.; through March 29. (213)-761-7061, skylighttheatrecompany.com.