It starts with the main character Oya in the middle of the stage
surrounded by four other characters. We later find out this is a flash forward
to the end of the play. After this it goes into the main story line. It is all
about Oya running on what I would assume I her high school track team. Even
though her mother is sick, she goes to her track meet anyway and wins the race,
leaving the other runners in the dust. After this a man from state comes to
offer her a position on the team and a chance at a better life by going to
college. She unfortunately has to refuse the offer because her mother, is sick
and did not have long to live. Her mother does soon pass after she rejects the
offer. Her good friend, another main character, comes over to greave with her
but is selfish and self centered. He ignores that her sadness is likely greater
then hers and says he isn't even upset about the death of her mother. Then she
gets involved with a character, Shango, who her mother had explicitly said that
Oya should stay away from. Against her mothers wishes she begins a relationship
with him. Things almost immediately go bad as they start screaming and yelling.
Oya starts to change and Shango comes to tell her that he has joined the army
and is going away. When he leaves Oya eventually gets into a relationship with Ogun Size, who has always loved her. Things are complacent with him but she is not
satisfied. He does not provide the same rush that Shango does. She eventually
realizes she wants a child from either Ogun size, Shango, or anyone. She begins desperately looking for anyone
who can be the father of her child. She even goes to a fortune teller who hints
to her that she cant have a child. It ends with another girl coming to tell Oya
that she is pregnant with Shangos child. This is the final blow to Oya and she
snaps. She cuts off her own ear and hands it to Shango when he comes to see
her. Then it cuts to the same scene that the play began with.
The
most important goal of Oya was having a child, which she could not achieve
because she was physically un able to. This eventually destroyed her and she
couldn't handle never having a child. Oya was the most compelling thing in the
play, specifically her passion. First directed toward running and later on
having a child. When she wanted something she wanted it more then anything and
that is something I can respect. I thought the play was done very well. They
definitely did a much better job than I could have done, so I don't really have
any critiques. I'm sure no performance is ever perfect but nothing stuck out to
me. I thought each actor/actress did their job very well. All of the parts were
very believable, they read their lines well and projected themselves nicely,
and the vocals and dance were both done extremely well. I have seen shows on Broadway
and plays performed by local companies. I think it's fair to say it was
not as good as a Broadway performance but it was a clear difference from any
non-professional performance I've seen. There is a clear step up when you get
to the college level from what I saw last Saturday. Over all I thought the play
was done well and I'd recommend it to anyone in state college that wants a good
live experience.
