THE 1041C Theater Reviews

I’d been to Lincoln Center before, the place brought back many memories. The 1 train to 66st lincoln center was my journey every day of high school. I had seen a martial arts performance, two operas, the nutcracker, and had graduated at Alice Tully Hall. And yet it did feel significantly different from the times before. I had never been to that specific venue, and I had yet to see a non-musical play there.
I was unsettled by the rudeness of the usher, getting very uptight that we were not sitting in the proper seats, even if we were obviously a group. The prerecorded music took away from the authenticity of the production, and was somewhat disappointed. As the show began, however, I was quickly drawn into it.
Although I did find myself fading from time to time, and just assuming the general actions rather than listening to constant mini-monologues of the main characters, it was a relatively entertaining and interesting story. Cornet’s voice was vaguely irritating. His accent was quite strange.
Mos Def was a surprisingly great actor. He provided an elegance as well as humble strength to both the characters of Murmur, the slave, and Toussaint Louverture. I was impressed.
I thought the parts with Napoleon, Jefferson, and Livingston were a bit contrived. It was slightly humourous but more so corny.

By far the best part of the play were the costumes. The prostitutes and Cornet’s playboy mentality was almost reminiscent of Les Liasons Dangereuses. Also, one great part that made my heart quicken was the “great white space” that Lewis ventures into. Whoever created that set design I am incredibly admirable of. It not only created a sense of infinity but also added a sort of deafening quiet.

As the play ended and people began to applaud, I would have to say I was disheartened. I did not feel the sort of bursting applause that I sometimes get after amazing performances. I’m not sure if it was because the conclusion of the story lacked real impact (for I already knew what was going to happen), or if it was the overall play itself. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the outing as a whole, was entertained and would consider a positive outcome.