This twist on Lorraine Hansberry's classic "Raisin in the Sun" provokes thoughtful discussion, but at times gets too entangled in the intellectual process. The play's writing relies so mightily on literary devices and sociological premises that the characters actions lose their reality.
Set in 1995 in a fictional suburb on Chicago's North Shore, "Living Green" explores the Freemans, an African-American family that has earned economic success, advanced degrees and corporate jobs but, in the process, lost a firm grasp on identity. Playwright Gloria Bond Clunie eloquently captures the rituals of upper-class life and the struggle to maintain a connection with African-American authenticity. When father Frank (Kenn E. Head) realizes that his smart but socially vacant daughter is headed toward a soulless life, he says "I see her in the white suburbs. headed toward a white life. What happens if she wakes up and discovers that's she's black? What happens if she doesn't?"
The drama begins to lag when Clunie's heavy symbolism and out-of-tune dialog ring false. There's a pivotal scene where the daughter pulls her mother to the floor and repeats the analogy her mom told her about being strong like the oak wood flooring, not weak like pine. This would work for a short story, but it's too unrealistic for a play. There's also a teen foster child from the West Side who uses phrases that would only be comfortable coming from a middle-aged Southern women and her rough-hewn brother, who appears to have been fed dialog from 80s rap videos. What works on the page doesn't always reflect a reality that the stage demands.
"Living Green" does tackle significant issues that aren't often addressed, bravely highlighting the discomforting issues of class and race. Though it inspires analysis, the play would be even more powerful if those issues were handled with more realism.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
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