FURLOUGH’S PARADISE – Written by A.K. Payne; Directed by Jada Suzanne Dixon. Produced by Curious Theatre Company (1080 Acoma, Denver) through May 31. Tickets available at 303-623-0524 or boxoffice@curioustheatre.org.
The word “furlough” in modern times refers to a leave of absence from employment or some other life situation. In earlier times, it had the added meaning of “to leave” or “to leave behind.” The two women in this scenario have come together to mourn the death of the last close relative they share. Twins share a bond in life unbreakable to circumstance or time; the parents of these women were twins – a father of one, the mother of the other. The women, while cousins, share the bond of twins as passed to them by their parents. In this time of grief, they have both also taken a furlough from the lives they are living to come home.
At first glance, it would seem that both Mina (Tresha Farris) and Sade (Alex Campbell) have only their childhood in common. Mina has an up-and-coming job at Google in California, a girlfriend, an apartment in LA, and a second house she’s purchased in their mutual hometown. Sade is on a three-day leave from prison, where she is serving time for an unspecified crime, a girlfriend she met in prison, a daughter who was orphaned by her mother’s sentence (who gave her the name of Paradise), and seven years to go. What binds them, however, besides the shared memories, is the loneliness that they both feel. As their time together renews their sense of family and belonging, they find the connection they long for and the strength to carry on to their own personal “utopia’s.”
OK, now that’s the basics of what you need to understand about this production. What makes it special is how the women get to where they need to go to make the furlough worthwhile for both of them. It is, at times, humorous in their best-of- childhood retrospect. They share their favorite sugared breakfast cereal and watch vintage TV shows like “Prince of Bellaire” and “Proud Family.” But they also share panic dreams that torment and regrets for mistakes made. They both have ideas of what their personal utopia would look like – kids who choose their own genders, backyard BBQs, homes where love flowed, and rules were forgotten. But, throughout the production, their lives and dreams are expressed in the poetic language of Ms. Payne that goes beyond words to the heart of their humanity. Not just theirs. Ours too. We share a heartbeat with the longing of these women, whether we can acknowledge it or not.
Both actresses – Ms. Farris and Ms. Campbell – hold back nothing. They sob, they laugh, they scream, they dance. They move us, they teach us, they share with us, they trust us. While the characters in the script have their own opinions about white folk, the actresses seem to say, “OK, you’re here now. Pay attention. We’ve got something to show you.” And they did. The gentle, inevitable separation at the end of the three days left us in pain, yet hopeful.
As always, the technical aspects of production were flawless. A sort of second-hand home in a worn-down neighborhood was brilliantly illustrated in Matthew S. Crane’s set. The costumes by Savana Leveille announced the economic differences in the characters, which gradually morphed into more of a casual one-ness between them. The place and the mood came to life with the Lighting Design by Haley Hartmann and Sound Design by Jason Ducat.
Curious has had an emotionally hard year as they have had to make adjustments to their surroundings and to their future. But, in all that, the fabric of their work has been meticulously kept in place and, I hope, proven financially rewarding for them. ALL TRUE CURIOUS LOVERS will follow them to their new lodgings for the next 18 months while their home space is renovated to give them a more comfortable home. I challenge you to continue supporting their art as they move into their future.
A WOW factor of 8.75!!