Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
A challenging play, unpredictable, absolutely something new, very brave and different. The Pulitzer-Prize winning play, Fairview, is a production that I would very much appreciate a Q&A afterwards. This three-act drama/comedy takes us into the ordinary household where the preparations for grandma’s birthday party are underway. Beverly, fabulously portrayed by Marie-Francoise Theodore is out of her mind to create an atmosphere that is flawless in every possible way. The chaos and comedy are there from the very beginning. The mood and tension remind us of the television series ‘The Cosby Show’. Mark Mendelson’s wonderful scenic design fully compliments the vision of family affairs.
Playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, who is also the Tony award-nominee for the musical Illinoise, wrote Fairview in three acts, performed without intermission, which turns out to be around 100 minutes. It delves into the racial blindness that America is so obsessed with. We witness the strength of personalities, where black-white issue is the main point. I wish that one day we can understand that we all came from the same source, the color of the skin is only there for the different experiences. Passing that point, the play is intriguing, truly frustrating and confusing, over the top funny and dramatic, super loud, and leaves the stage entirely messy, after the enormous food fight.
The Artistic Director of this historic theatre company, Guillermo Cienfuegos, perfectly expresses his view of the play, “To me, the most powerful experiences I’ve had at Rogue Machine – and indeed in the theatre overall – have been when undertaking a project whose outcome and impact on the audience is uncertain, where I genuinely don’t know what is going to happen when we open this thing. With the third show of season 18, we travel that road again.”
And Neely Swanson, Chair and a member of the Board of Directors says, “Playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury gives her take on race relations, putting all of us on a hot seat of stereotypical interpretation. I guarantee you’ll laugh at some of the absurdities and probably squirm when confronted with some of the prejudices of which we are all guilty. At the very least, Fairview is the definition of thought-provoking.” Indeed, one cannot go home without wondering: How do I explain the beauty and the confusion of the show?
Directed by Oz Scott, a visionary director whose career began at the pinnacle of New York theatre, and who also received the DGA Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, put all his experiences and expertise into this play. The first act is an ordinary day in the family with most of the actors being introduced. In the second act, we watch the first scene again, but this time the characters are miming everything while the three voices are commenting on racial issues – via voiceover. I had to close my eyes at one point to focus on the voices to keep present, because by putting attention on the mime I was amused by their miming and at one point did not hear what was said. And in the third act, we get back to continuing to watch the story. At the very end of the play Keisha, played by iesha m. daniels, breaks the fourth wall, and with her strong acting abilities, gives us a compelling speech, inviting all the white people in the audience to the stage, blending with primarily black actors. The theatre was full that evening and the stage was overwhelmed with people, food, and an insane mess. My heart went out to the stage crew who had to clean that space.
Kudos to the whole cast for creating strong characters and joyfully expressing their abilities with the craft of acting; Jasmine Ashanti (Jasmine), Tyler Gaylord (Jimbo), Michael Guarasci (Mack), Gala Nikolić (Bets), Marco Martinez (Dayton) and Daisy Tichenor (Suze). That goes for all the creatives and crew as well.
The Los Angeles Premiere of FAIRVIEW premiered at Rogue Machine at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046. The play runs through April 19, 2026, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays at 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. (There is no performance on April 13.) Run time is approximately 100 minutes (no intermission). Street parking is available on Melrose and surrounding streets. I recommend coming early to find a parking space.
The play contains loud noises (a little too loud for me), adult language and flickering lights.
General admission tickets are $45.00, Seniors: $35.00 Students with ID: $25.00 and on Fridays March 20 & March 27 you can get them through Shows4Less for $15+.
For more information call 855-585-5185, or go to https://www.roguemachinetheatre.org/
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