In The Continuum is Drama as it is Meant to Be

Here's proof that you cannot judge a book by its cover. Primary Stages', In The Continuum, bills itself as dramatizing the problem of AIDS among African and African-American women. While this description is completely accurate, it does not fully prepare you for the exquisite acting and dialogue that holds back nary a taboo or stereotype as it turns audience members into a front row observer of a somewhat difficult yet beautifully moving story. While In The Continuum may not be the "feel good play of the year," it nonetheless deserves to be seen.

In The Continuum is written and performed by Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter as they play two women living worlds apart yet following similar paths. Gurira plays Abigail, a professional woman who balances a news career and family in Zimbabwe. Her determination to have a successful career is respected by her peers and community although questioning often comes from her family on why she doesn't focus on having more children. Despite the doubts her family throws at her, Abigail is well put together and seen that way as well. Even when she discovers that she is pregnant for the second time, she continues to bulldoze ahead with her career until the baby is welcomed into the world. In South Central, L.A., Nia – a teenager living in a halfway house – begins her story which will inadvertently collide with Abigail's. Nia, played Nikkole Salter, represents a naïve point of view where her youthful innocence only makes the truth slam down harder on her. While never really having a home or relationship with her mother throughout her life, Nia has makes a life for herself from friends, extended family and organizations that help her back on her feet each time she falls through the cracks. When she discovers that she is pregnant with her boyfriend's child she immediately hitches her wagon to his star. Her boyfriend, currently being courted by several top colleges for his basketball skills, is Nia's ticket out of the world she knows and into one that offers security and happiness. She believes that the baby will bind them together forever, determined that no matter what may happen in college, she will always be the mother of his child.

Although neither Abigail's nor Nia's worlds are perfect, they are living in them nonetheless and making the best of what they have. While both pregnancies are a surprise and at first seen as a potential challenge for these two women, they are accepted and offer hope. That is, until the heartbreaking news is shared with the audience that each of the women have contracted AIDS, throwing new questions and new feelings into the mix that make the situation overwhelming to both Abigail and Nia and the audience.

After this news is announced for each character, as an audience member, you begin to feel the lump forming in your throat. Although you realize this is just a play and the characters in front of you are not real, you do understand that this is real for someone. AIDS is an epidemic and it has become a situation where everyone "knows someone" or "knows someone who knows someone" who has AIDS. In The Continuum, whether you realize it or not, will hit home. The script is provocative and Gurira and Salter execute it in such a way that you take note, whether you want to or not. And while this may cause for some "uncomfortable" theater, the performance offers what any theater-goer wants most: a reason to think, to question; to deliver such a strong and impactful performance where you truly empathize with the characters to the point that you want run up on the stage and console them. I was blown away by the performances of Gurira and Salter; they are undoubtedly the strongest and most moving performances I have seen throughout the year. I am amazed with how they muster up the courage and energy to perform their roles day after day. There are lines in the play that you cherish because they are delivered so honestly yet so bluntly at the same time. Nia's mother, who resists in offering support to her daughter, recognizes the situation by saying, "real love lasts forever but so do real mistakes." A nurse in Zimbabwe who informs Abigail that she has AIDS also offers a hard-nosed attitude that makes your head shake as your heart continues to ache. The nurse curtly remarks to Abigail, "…you aren't the only one with this…" and "…imagine what people will think of you when they find out…" The script dishes up the harsh reality of life with AIDS and sheds light on how it must feel to have such a dramatic situation enter your life.

And if the acting isn't enough to make In The Continuum the stellar play it is, it also offers a unique quick paced acting tempo which features a minimal set and costume design. Gurira and Salter virtually perform their own individual one-man shows as they play all the characters involved in either Abigail or Nia's life. Characters are distinguished with simplistic costume additions, such as a scarf worn as a part of a mini skirt to represent Nia and the same scarf worn as around the neck, presenting a more professional manner when Salter plays Nia's halfway house counselor.

In The Continuum offers up one of the most evoking performances of the year and is a case study for actors still looking to perfect their art. Both Gurira and Salter throw themselves into their roles and embrace the material for what it is; hiding nothing and exposing everything. This is what acting and theater is truly about. Bravo.

In The Continuum is playing at the Perry Street Theater through January 28th. Peformances are Monday through Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 3pm and 8pm. Please call 212-868-4444 for tickets.

Photo: Left to Right - Nikkole Salter and Danai Gurira in In The Continuum. Courtsey of The aterMania.com