Theater review: The Overwhelming
By Dan Nailen
09/22/08 - 09:06 AM
In The Overwhelming, playwright J.T. Rogers puts the audience in much the same mind frame where he put himself as he penned the Rwanda-set drama. With the genocide about to begin, Rogers asks of his main character Jack Exley (and through him, the audience): How far are you willing to go—what personal price are you willing to pay—to stop the kinds of atrocities that overtook the African country in the early ‘90s?
How Exley answers that question serves as the dramatic conclusion to an entrancing play that opens the Salt Lake Acting Company’s 39th season.
It’s impressive that Rogers is able to tackle such an obviously complex subject matter and make it not only intriguing, but entertaining as well. Kudos to him and to the Salt Lake Acting Company, who collaborated on The Overwhelming’s development through an NEA grant and playwright-in-residence program a few years ago.
After debuting in London and then playing in New York City, The Overwhelming now finally makes its Salt Lake debut, and the production was worth the wait.
Rogers tells his tale through the experiences of Exley (Kevin Doyle), a white American academic traveling to Rwanda to work on a book and meet up with his old college roommate, a Rwandan doctor named Joseph Gasana (Victor Mack). Exley’s family--his African-American wife Linda (Yolanda Wood) and his white son from a previous marriage, Geoffrey (Andy Rinlisbach)—accompany him to Rwanda, and both characters serve as means to showcase different aspects of the country.
The first act flies by with much more humor than one might expect as the family learns about the country through various encounters with characters both native to Rwanda and those in country in various political roles. There’s a shady-seeming U.S. embassy official (Peder Melhuse) who educates Exley on just how ignorant the new arrival is regarding the country’s shifting political sands. A proud Rwandan government official (Victor Morris) becames an unofficial tour guide for Linda, while America-obsessed house servant Gerard (Carleton Bluford) strikes up a friendship with Exley’s teenage son, introducing him to Rwandan nightlife.
Along the way, a mystery unfolds as Exley has trouble finding his friend Joseph, and the second act resolves that mystery at the same time it introduces the dark side of Rwanda, and specifically the hatred between the Hutus and Tutsis the audience met in the first act without knowing their political/tribal affiliations. If the first act seems unusually light, in the second act the knives come out, literally, as the audience is thrust into the realities of Rwanda's uncivil war.
Clever stage direction and Rogers’ plot’s pacing keep things moving quickly throughout The Overwhelming, and strong performances from the cast, particularly with the various languages and dialects being thrown around in the dialogue, make the two-plus-hours no problem to endure.
Some of the family drama Rogers includes seems unnecessary at times, but that’s a small quibble of a play full of complicated politics and big ideas. That personal drama, and the humor, help the medicine of the charged second act go down more easily.
The Overwhelming runs at Salt Lake Acting Company, 168 West 500 North, through Oct. 12. Call 801-363-7522 for tickets and show information.
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Reader Comments:
"Clever stage direction"? "Strong performances from the cast"? "No problem to endure"? I really don't think we were watching the same production. This production of "The Overwhelming" was a very disappointing night at the theatre.
Stage pictures were nice but the actors tended to fall into flat lines that mushed the excitement of the beautifully designed set. The scene changes took far too long and I longed for the director to find a more seamless transition so that the action didn't have to keep getting interrupted.
The lead actors played their roles very flat and I really felt no levels to their performance. The cursing sounded unfamiliar coming from their mouths.
I loved the set, the sound, and the performance of Victor Mack. I hope that my next experience at SLAC will prove a bit more pleasing to the eye and the soul.