Doin' It For Themselves...ECLIPSED and the Black Female Revolution

Reviewed by Rod Gailes OBC

Danai Gurira's touching new classic, ECLIPSED, has made history as perhaps the only Broadway play ever featuring both a Black female playwright and director and starring an entirely Black female cast.

People of all backgrounds sat shoulder to shoulder watching Black African female sex slaves, peace workers, and soldiers and saw a bit of themselves reflected in the process.  That creation of community is a sacred mission rarely tackled on the commercial stage.

Director Liesl Tommy allows the classic simplicity of the drama to unfold, adding just the right number of spectacle elements to justify a Broadway ticket price.

Ms. Gurira channels the mission of reclaiming our higher self into "Rita," a successful businesswoman eschewing the comforts of money in favor of evangelizing the importance of remembering one's "name." As played by Akosia Busia ("The Color Purple"), she becomes mother of all, compelling us to remember the vision of ourselves before the traumatic events of life's journey.

Saycon Sengbloh ("Wicked," "Fela") showcases a masterful dry wit, dramatic gravitas, and a rythmic vocal patois in her portrayal of Helena/Wife #1, the fulcrum upon which everything pivots.

Zainab Jah as "Maima" violently opts out of the "bush wife" sisterhood to take up a"kill" position in the "dog eat dog" civil war as a soldier. Preferring to hunt rather than be prey, she is a perfect mirror of the choice men, women and children in this world must make.

Pascale Armand's "Bessie/Wife #3" brings childlike petulance, comic relief, and a light spirit belying her status as the rebel commander's pregnant sex slave. This brilliant balancing of TONE throughout makes Gurira's weighty story of 5 women in war torn Liberia an entertaining, thought provoking, heartstring pulling CLASSIC worth repeat viewing. The standing ovation at curtain call was well deserved. #BRAVA!

Eclipsed by Danai Gurira.  Directed by Liesl Tommy.  Scenic & Costume Design: Clint Ramos.  Lighting Design: Jennifer Schriever. Original Music & Sound Design: Broken Chord.  At the John Golden Theater. 252 W. 45th St.  Closes June 19, 2016. 

Culture commentator Rod Gailes OBC is a writer/director for the stage & screen building artistic fraternity with artists across disciplines.  Follow him on Snapchat and Twitter @TheeOBC, Facebook, and Instragam. Read more from Rod Gailes OBC here.