Nia Akilah Robinson’s offering is a ghost story, of sorts, about how grief and pain are passed down from generation to generation and are processed, suppressed, transformed, and sometimes put to rest. In this instance, our story begins with a merchant-class Black family in 1832 Philadelphia. The father dies of cholera and ultimately his grave is desecrated by a so-called resurrectionist, “in the name of science.”
An extended dialogue offers a point-counterpoint on what we might call “medical justice.” To what extent does medicine (or science in general) owe a debt to marginalized populations when only European people benefit from its advances? How can we justify “your body, my health”? Be it forced dissection of cadavers, experimentation without consent, or contemporary practices that our great-grandchildren will find to be unjust?
But this is not just a high-falutin’ play of ideas. Scenes set in today’s world, played by the same actors, bring some comedy and even a closing moment of joy. The graveyard of 1832 has become a vexed summer camp, with frenzied counselors. This is one of the first plays in my experience that measure the generation gap between Millennials and Gen Alphas, to comic effect.
This production (albeit a co-production with Company One Theatre of Boston) is an encouraging sign for Woolly, as it looks for a new artistic director to lead the way. This season includes four one-person shows, including the regrettable return of Julia Masli.
- The Great Privation (How to flip ten cents into a dollar), by Nia Alikah Robison, directed by Mina Morita, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Washington
