One of the great pleasures of my life in the arts is the ability to see a show more than once; I saw the very first preview performance of “Sanctuary City” at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Today I returned for the closing engagement. It was even more moving the second time around.
Some thoughts:
I love overlapping dialogue when it’s done well. I’ve never seen it done better. Kudos to director Kareem Fahmy for this and all the other little tight touches that make this production pop.
This story is so layered. Each character is nuanced and human. And while it addresses the multi-dimensional issues of immigration, it does so through story and character so that the audience never feels hammered. What a great script from Martyna Majok.
The chemistry between all three actors, but especially Amira Danan and Jordan Arredondo, is palpable the minute they step on stage.
The precision of the technical elements and the pacing of the dialogue is marvelous, and the stage manager and their team for such a well-executed production.
The closing matinee audience was verbally responsive to the drama in the last quarter of the play. They were engaged, picking sides, and seemed to dig it.
I hope Blake Robison and the folks at the Playhouse in the Park continue to produce tremendous plays like this one - and I hope that generous donors continue to fund said work.
Up next in the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre is Late Night Catechism. I bet there’ll be less tears, or at least different types of them, spilled during this comedy. Get tickets and read more here.