There is a common saying that “Home is where the heart is” – but that’s not always the case. When we return to a situation or run into a strained relationship after a long absence, we might not be so comfortable. Like a Russian play by Checkhov, we are likely to review what got us to where we are and try to reconcile ourselves to present.
This is the American story of “Sade” (Laren F. Walker) who is on a 3-day furlough from prison in order to attend her mother’s funeral. Here she is reunited with her cousin “Mina” (Tiffany McLarty), an educated, business lady. While struggling against the background of a long-displaced African culture, the pair grew up on the same block, played in each other’s houses, encountered different circumstances and as teenagers went separate ways.
The three days the cousins spend together in a small apartment run from hot to cold, sweat turns to tears, fights turn to hugs and realism dissolves into fantasy. Although this 90-minute play stands on its own and the fantasy sequences are distracting, the dialogue is well-written and the emotionally charged actors are mesmerizing.
“Furlough’s Paradise is written from the Black perspective by a.k.payne, winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (yes, her name is written in small letters). The dialog is unflinchingly honest and racially charged yet, anyone can identify with this moving play.
