Neighbors

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Neighbors

at the Matrix Theatre

Reviewed by Les Spindle

September 01, 2010

Photo by I.C. Rapoport

In Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' shockingly subversive play, smartly directed by Nataki Garrett in its West Coast premiere, a family of modern-day black minstrel performers moves in next door to an upwardly mobile African-American college professor candidate, Richard (Derek Webster), his white wife, Jean (Julia Campbell), and their teenage daughter, Melody (Rachae Thomas). The startling conflicts that ensue are driven by a touch of edgy surrealism, leading to savage marital battles that make the meltdown in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" seem like a Sunday afternoon picnic. Yet Jacobs-Jenkins' artistic vision here is thrillingly original. He's clearly an exciting new voice in American theater.

Despite its sardonic brilliance, this corrosively provocative work might be dismissed by outraged viewers: African Americans who could resent the playwright's in-your-face depiction of the crude family of entertainers, grotesquely decked out in blackface and prone to degrading stereotypical behavior; audiences of any ethnicity, potentially put off by the blatant vulgarity in the periodic minstrel-show skits; and those inclined to reject the playwright's unnerving ruminations on internalized bigotry.

A highly committed and courageous cast skillfully navigates the play's ingenious juxtaposition of explosive scenes and dicey vaudevillian interludes. Webster's performance as the ambitious and ultimately self-destructive yuppie husband starts subtly and steadily intensifies; his transition from marginally uptight to downright frightening is electrifying. He's matched by Campbell's heart-rending and multifaceted characterization. Thomas excels as the feisty daughter, rebelling against her controlling father. Giving marvelous portrayals as the outrageous characters next door are Baadja-Lyne as the blowsy widow; Leith Burke playing her smooth-talking brother; James Edward Shippy as the reluctant heir to the role of his diseased father; and Keith Arthur Bolden and Daniele Watts portraying loopy siblings.

Brilliantly rendered are John Iacovelli's stylized set, conveying white-picket-fence utopia gone amuck; J. Kent Inasy's lighting, Naila Alladin Sanders' costumes; John Zalewski's sound effects; Chuck Olsen's props, and Sandy Huse's special effects.

During its near three-hour duration, Jacobs-Jenkins' script occasionally veers toward the overwrought; Garrett could perhaps do more to bring the dense text into consistent focus. Yet this vital piece raises thought-provoking and seldom-pondered questions about the unexpected complexities of relations among and within ethnic groups. The play's daring themes are almost too disturbing to consider, yet far too urgent to ignore.

Presented by and at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave., L.A. Aug. 28–Oct. 24. Thu.–Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m. (323) 960-7774. www.plays411.com/neighbors.