Laying Bare the Hidden Pitfalls of History
By Rebecca Romani
September 30, 2020
No one said history was easy. Or fair. Or wholly right. Or even told by the real voices who lived it. Add in race, and the mix can become as combustible as a mound of rice hulls sitting too long on a loading dock.
History, we are told, is written by the victor. However, as we know, a lot more people than the victor were there- and what of their voices?
Eleanor Burgess’ play, “The Niceties” currently on stage/on-line at Moxie Theatre, looks at all this and more. A thought-provoking, hard-hitting play, “The Niceties” is just the right show in these contentious and contending times to open Moxie’s 16th season. It’s a play bristling with frustrations, unheard hurts, and untold truths, and, oddly enough, feels like a metaphor for these socially distanced and heavily mediated days.
Even in the best of times, plays like this are a challenge. Bring in social distancing and Zoom, and the layers deepen, requiring delicate handling. But Moxie proves itself more than up to the task, creating a production that seems grounded and very intimate at the same time.
Inspired by an incident surrounding appropriation of other cultures/identities as Halloween costumes at her alma mater, Yale, Burgess has written a probing relevant play that takes a pointed look at race, privilege, and generational differences. History, as Burgess makes clear, is neither for the faint of heart nor the tender of soul. (...Continued)
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