Review: LOOK BOTH WAYS: A TALE TOLD IN TEN BLOCKS at The Kennedy Center

Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks comes in with a bang! Following a brief introduction, the actors hit the stage, dancing around to booming hip hop music and ever-changing colors.

The play is based on the book of the same name by Jason Reynolds, who has won a slew of awards for this work, including being a National Book Award finalist. The audience is brought into the lives of a group of middle schoolers on their walk home from school through 10 blocks, telling one story per block. And since it’s 10 different stories, be sure not let your mind wander because things move fast!

Look Both Ways is recommended for ages 10 and up, likely because of the mature subject matters that are touched upon: social media, bullying, disease, homosexuality, incarceration and grandparents getting older and starting to forget things. However, I don’t want to give the impression it’s all doom and gloom because it’s not. These matters are told through the eyes of middle school innocence and with humor when appropriate.

I was very impressed with the cast: Savina Barini, Charles Franklin IV, Ixchel Hernandez, Tre’mon Mills, Kalen Robinson and John Sygar. They are all extremely talented and their performances were on point. I was especially taken with Hernandez who is a natural comedian and a master of voices.

When it comes to a play like this, there isn’t a bad seat in the house because during the performances, the actors are projected up on a back drop as well, so audiences can really see them two different ways. So, credit to Media & Projection Designers Kelly Colburn and Dylan Uremovich and also Director Raymond O. Caldwell.

Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks is definitely worth checking out. I could see it leading to some meaningful conversations with your middle schooler on the ride home. My only recommendation would be to make the play a tiny bit tighter. For kids, I usually like plays to be an hour or a little more, and this was 80 or so minutes long. My son got a little antsy towards the end, but he did love the school lockers (of all things!) And couldn’t stop talking about them.

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