'Two Can Play' at The Providence Black Rep

The perils of living in Kingston, Jamaica in the mid-late 1970s with the drugs, violence, curfews and lack of healthcare set the tone of Two Can Play, directed by Michael Rogers and presented by The Providence Black Repertory Company.

The premise of Two Can Play is not complicated.  Jim and Gloria are a middle-aged, married couple who live in Jamaica.  They have sent their children to a better life in America and now they too, want a chance at the American dream.  As the story unfolds, the plot takes an entirely unexpected, while wholly believable, turn as Gloria experiences independence and something nearer to equality than she has ever known.

The expectation of Jim (Raidge) that his wife Gloria (Marcia Fearon) should submit to his will, as she has for the past two decades, sets the comic conflict.

The comedy does not come quickly to the production.  The first scene or two breeze by with only a couple of rueful chuckles.  It is not until Gloria embraces her independence, and Jim is left clueless as how to deal with his wife, that the writing gets real laughs.  From that point on, though, Two Can Play is a comedy.

The crafty, independent woman and the doddering, helpless, man is standard comedy fare.  This comic situation, which has been a American standard since the beginning of television, was never more relevant that it was during the explosion of the feminist movement, which is the time setting for this piece.

The Black Rep excels in the 2 - 4 cast-member theater niche. In this production, Marcia Fearon and Raidge give fine performances. The actors seem to be enveloped by their respective character. The audience can accept, without question, that these actors are Gloria and Jim, which is a tremendous achievement.

Sets by Jason Tranchida, Lighting by David Roy, Sound by Ben Scheff and costumes by Caitlin Rose Beck help create a much bigger feel to this two-actor production.  Crickets, gunshots and helicopters with searchlights shining into the bedroom are among the sights and sounds not imagined. They have been re-created with surprising clarity by the design team.

Two Can Play by Trevor Rhone is being presented by The Providence Black Repertory Company in Providence, RI, through November 11, 2007.

General Admission tickets are $20.00 each.  Student and Senior tickets are $10.00 each. Every Sunday is Pay-What-You-Can.  Tickets can be purchased through Arttix RI at 401-351-0353 or www.artixri.org.  

Performances are Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m.

Visit www.blackrep.org for more information

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