Review: IN THE CONTINUUM at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre

Nowadays, the AIDS crisis is usually associated with gay men who are infected with HIV. In The Continuum, written by Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter in 2005, puts the spotlight on the African and African-American women who have the highest rates of new HIV infection in the world. Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre’s production of this stirring, engrossing play combats the invisibility of the Black women who are touched by this deadly disease and gives them a powerful voice as they grapple with forces bigger than life. In The Continuum is an unapologetic show about the way Black women are forced to navigate the world — and how our experiences are all connected, even, or especially, when we feel isolated and alone.  

In The Continuum follows two Black women: Nia (Jewell Redman), a 19-year old in foster care in South Central Los Angeles, and Abigail (Tuesdai B. Perry), a married woman and working mother who is a reporter in Zimbabwe. Despite their very different life circumstances, they share a commonality: they discover they are not only pregnant, but also HIV positive. As they process the magnitude of this news and try to decide what to do, we go on a parallel journey with the women who are worlds apart but connected ever so delicately as they consult different people in their lives and grapple with what this means for their future. 

Tuesdai B. Perry and Jewell Redman put on an extremely compelling performance that truly commands and captivates from the moment they step onstage and never stops. While we meet them as Nia and Abigail in their respective cities, they spend the majority of the show playing the different women that Nia and Abigail interact with and go to for advice. The sharp and moving writing from Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter is a difficult text to execute, but Perry and Redman never miss a beat. As they tell parallel stories, we only hear one side of the exchanges that take place — but we can hear and feel the whole conversation. It’s a fascinating dynamic where Perry and Redman are never in dialogue with each other, but there are several scenes where they are acting around each other (such as in a clinic or in the car) that are pure brilliance, taking the parallel structure of the play to creative heights as they lightly cross into each other’s worlds. Perry and Redman’s ability to convey so many emotions and embody so many different personalities — all without a scene partner to actually converse with — is extraordinary. It’s a beautiful, unique, and nuanced form of storytelling that just works. 

Perry and Redman give everything into their performances. Throughout their painful and distressing journey, Nia and Abigail both lean into their agency and find ways to reclaim their power in a system designed to hold women down, whether through patriarchal norms, financial woes, or religious beliefs. They battle the perception and stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS and struggle internally and externally with the shame and guilt of being sexually active — even when the blame is not theirs to hold. 

Near the end, Nia and Abigail each have a powerful monologue and revelation as they pray and plead to God and anyone that will listen: Nia’s in the form of poetry and Abigail’s through her award-winning speech. It is a chilling and emotional moment as they muster up the strength to speak their truth and confront the men who gave them AIDS. The ending weighs heavy on your heart as you understand the decisions that these women ultimately make, as much as you wish it ends differently. 

This production of In The Continuum directed by Tim Rhoze, who is also Fleetwood-Jourdain’s Producing Artistic Director, is nothing short of a masterpiece. Every aspect of the show is phenomenal: the acting, the writing, the staging, the set design, the lighting. The mural backdrop from Sholo Beverly is a beautiful visual evoking the interconnectedness of our experiences. Perry and Redman make the most out of Rhoze’s simple yet effective set design that does not divide and allows for the seamless connectedness of the scenes and characters. The expressive lighting design from Brenden Marble includes a riveting silhouette opening scene. We hear snippets of the world around Nia and Abigail with sound design from Forrest Gregor that really grounds the performance. The costume design from Kate Parker-Barrows also captures the essence of each character and their culture. 

This story is a heartbreaking topic portrayed by Redman and Perry with so much raw passion and heart. As we grapple with difficult themes that look at the intersection of misogyny, racism, public health disparities, economic inequality, and the continued stigmatization around HIV/AIDS, we also clearly see the ways that women — especially the poor, marginalized, and disenfranchised — are strong even when the cards are stacked against them. Through it all, Black women persist and resist and survive. 

In The Continuum runs through August 9 at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center (927 Noyes St., Evanston). Regular tickets are $33.00, Seniors $22.00, Students $10.00 at the box office on the day of performance with ID. 
 

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