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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Exception to the Rule Also see Susan's reviews of Jaja's African Hair Braiding, Clue: Live on Stage, Sojourners, and Primary Trust
On Tony Cisek's austere set–cinderblock walls topped with windows placed above the sightlines of the people inside–the regular suspects arrive on a Friday afternoon: Mikayla (Khalia Muhammad), penalized for wearing a too-short skirt to school; sweet, bespectacled Tommy (Steven Taylor Jr.); swaggering Dayrin (Jacques Jean-Mary); Dasani (Shana Lee Hill), who has to endure teasing that her parents named her after a brand of bottled water; and Abdul (Khouri St. Surin), who knows which rules to follow and which he can manipulate. The surprise is Erika (Sabrina Lynne Sawyer), who takes her education seriously and sees college as the way out of the cul-de-sac of her life. Director Miranda Haymon nimbly orchestrates the ways in which "just another day in detention" might be different this time, with quietly unsettling support from Emma Deane's lighting design and Kathy Ruvuna's sound design. School rules state that students in detention are not allowed to leave until the attending teacher signs them out, but no teacher has arrived, which means they are trapped. The only external contact is through intercom messages (voiced by Craig Wallace) regarding the upcoming three-day weekend and warning students to leave the building before it's locked down. As one might expect, the presence of Erika throws off the usual banter, trash-talking, flirting, and matter-of-fact truths shared by the regulars. They don't understand what such a "successful" girl is doing among them, and they wonder if she feels superior to them. (As the situation becomes increasingly surreal, a few, not all, issues are resolved.) Harris raises more questions than he answers, allowing audiences to draw their own conclusions. Sawyer succeeds in her role as the wild card who arrives knowing what she thinks she wants and fearing the unknown and ultimately realizes her place in the group. The others form a strong, diverse ensemble as they share pop culture references from Martin Luther King Jr.'s oratory to reruns of "The Cosby Show." Exception to the Rule runs through October 27, 2024, at Studio Theatre, Mead Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW, Washington DC. For tickets and information, please call 202-332-3300 or visit www.studiotheatre.org. By Dave Harris Mikayla: Khalia Muhammad |
