Review: Chisa Hutchinson's REDEEMED is a Highlight of the Contemporary American Theater Festival

Chisa Hutchinson’s work is remarkable in its variety; by turns whimsical and witty, her dialogue can also cut to the bone, and speak loudly and clearly to what ails us.  Last year’s “Whitelisted” addressed the issues surrounding gentrification and reminded us of the tragedies that directly preceded the white influx to our inner cities.

It is her ability to weave humor and compassion with biting social commentary that makes any Hutchinson premiere a major theatrical event at the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF).  Her latest offering, “Redeemed,” is as vitally important a piece as the Festival has to offer this year.  Rooted in the often-distorted dialogue this country continues to have about race, Hutchinson uses the play to address the under-explored question of what it really might take for true reconciliation and redemption.

Set in the visiting room of a high-security prison (entrances are punctuated by sound designer David Remedios’ harsh electronic doors), the two characters could not be more clearly defined—Trevor, a young man convicted of brutally murdering a Chinese immigrant, squaring off with Claire, his victim’s sister.

Trevor’s goal, from the start, is to convince Claire that he is worthy of parole – the redemption referred to in Hutchinson’s title.  The results of Trevor’s appeal are as complicated as the strategies he devises, and I can’t divulge much of it here except to say that it’s a roller-coaster of emotional blackmail, met by hardened, but sometimes vulnerable, resistance.

Doug Harris’s Trevor is a case study in sociopathy, presenting as a confused, remorseful kid who has changed utterly and who is ready for a new lease on life.  Elizabeth Sun, as Claire, could not possibly draw a starker contrast; from the moment she sits across Harris, the body language and the eyes are—OK, put it this way; if she ever looks at you like that, run as fast as your legs can possibly carry you.  The potential for menace and horrific revenge, latent in her cold stare, is matched by the brilliant way she wields Hutchinson’s language, surgically precise.

Sun is helped by costume designer Ashley Soliman’s attention to her attire; casual in Act 1, soft tones, robin’s egg jeans jacket, changing to an absolute killer dark brown pin-stripe suit and heels for Act 2.  It’s wonderful to see such a perfect match of designer and performer, and it’s precisely what you need for the transition of this play from podcast audio to live and onstage.

Written at the height of the COVID pandemic, the play was originally conceived as a radio drama, commissioned by both CATF and Vermont’s Dorset Theatre Festival.  Having admired the taut dramaturgy in an audio format, I was curious to see how it might transition to the stage; the good news is that director marcus d. harvey hasn’t messed with Hutchinson’s spartan vision for the piece.  The intensity here is purely psychological, and harvey has developed the more subtle signs of humor, vulnerability, rage and cynical fakery that define the bulk of the piece. The Marinoff Theater, which features plays in the round, is a perfect setting.

David M. Barber has created a deceptively bland checkerboard linoleum floor—with just a subtle hint of chess—and has included a stage-turntable under the table where the two characters sit across from each other.  As they test each other’s wills, Trevor and Claire don’t find the table turning so much as it shifts, a fitting visual metaphor.

Given the tremendous push-back we see in some circles against efforts for greater equity and social justice, it is my personal desire to see “Redeemed” performed nation-wide, but not in the spirit of “gotcha” or guilt; it could be more in the spirit of reminding everyone that simply saying “sorry, won’t happen again” doesn’t work in a society where it continues to happen again, and again, and again.

I teach history, and as a historian working in Virginia I grow weary of having to preface half of my most important lessons with “OK, so Governor Youngkin and Governor DeSantis probably don’t want me to tell you this…”  Simply acknowledging the truths of our past, messy and complicated as they may be, and examining where and how we went wrong, are vitally important steps, for the good of all involved.

The show is “Redeemed,” and the venue is the Marinoff Theater at Shepherd University; see it.  More I don’t need to say.

Production Photo:  Elizabeth Sun and Doug Harris in the world premiere of Redeemed by Chisa Hutchinson at CATF in 2023.  Photo by Seth Freeman.

Running Time:  90 minutes without Intermission.

Redeemed runs as a part of the Contemporary American Theatre Festival, through July 30 in the Marinoff Theatre at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

For tickets visit https://catf.org/buy-tickets/ .  You can also email the box office at boxoffice@catf.org or call them at 681-240-2283.

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