Sat 5/18-Sat 6/8
When we learned that Pandora Robertson was directing her original play, Central Concern, that would tell the story of how the real estate industry impacted segregation in Cleveland, we called her up for a reading list, anticipating a safari deep into the weeds of redlining, demographics and banking regulations. A worthwhile journey but not one we looked forward to.
Then we saw an early rehearsal on 5/2 and learned first-hand about bouffon. First the cast members put on the voluminous foam-rubber padding (by costume designer Carolyn Dickey) that distorted their bodies into grotesque shapes. Then there was some group improvisation to music. Then the group cranked their level up to 11 and accosted your humble arts journalist with impertinent questions. When we answered as best we could, the bouffons considered our answers with depraved delight and asked follow-ups.
We managed not to flee the theater, but we still wondered, “How can bouffon relate to segregated housing?”
Then, in full bouffon mode, the cast took scripts in hand and acted out the super-awkward first visit between new interracial neighbors (“Negroes make good neighbors. Ha! Ha! Ha!”), the Good Neighborhood Show (“I love diversity, don’t you?”), Sales Secrets (“Turning failure into triumph!”), Closing the Deal (“Hey, this place is a dump.” “Sign here, and here, and here and here and here.”)
Robertson and her cast (Wesley Allen, Jonathan Apriesnig, Roxana Bell, Jeannine Gaskin, Maes Lunaria, Daniel McNamara and Chris Walker) promise to take it all on, from Moses Cleaveland and the Connecticut Land Company to the foreclosure crisis in Slavic Village to the present day, along the way sending up greed and pious bromides alike.
Previews of Central Concern are Sat 5/18 and Thu 5/23. Opening Night is Friday 5/24, with performances at 7pm on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday nights in CPT’s James Levin Theatre. Tickets are $15-35. Purchase tickets at cptonline.org or call 216.631.2727 ext. 501.
Every Friday is Free Beer Friday at CPT. Mingle with the artists after the show and discuss the performance in a lively, social atmosphere — your drinks are on CPT.
[Written by Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas]
Cleveland, OH 44102