Tim Hahn '06 directed and adapted "Lightning" for his senior project. Based on Anna Deavere Smith's "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992," the show tells of the King trial, the verdict and the violent riots that resulted from many different perspectives. The original production grew from a one-woman show to an ensemble performance comprising actual interviews, which Smith conducted, translated into monologues.
Broken walls formed the backdrop of the incredible set designed by Hahn and Brendan Horton '08. Taking advantage of the versatile black box theater, the set was nearly a square with rows of seating on two adjacent sides of this "square." Walls covered with graffiti and the façade of a church formed the other two sides. At the focal point where these set pieces met stood a tower of television sets. Also, chairs and electronic entertainment systems were spread across the stage.
Most of the monologues were arranged carefully by either connecting similar ideas or complementing one another; for instance, a young, African American man and an older Latino father found common ground in their experiences with police brutality-the former had been blinded with mace, while the latter had been deafened by abusive policemen. Other monologues, however, were too loosely strung together. The transitions weren't exactly smooth, though, sometimes they weren't supposed to be, as actors chanted phrases like "Is this America? Or South Africa?" between scenes that were reinforced by video footage of demonstrators actually shouting these powerful words.
In fact, the use of television sets heightened the theatricality of the play and demonstrated a splendid blend of different media. They displayed a variety of clips from news broadcasts to violent beatings, bringing the show to a new level of reality; what was truly terrifying was that the videos, the monologues and the characters were real. The televisions were also essential in the courtroom scenes. While some actors portrayed lawyers presenting evidence, others played witnesses presenting testimony. The audience, then, seemed to be put in the position of jury with the responsibility of passing judgment. At first, the monologues and the clips were extremely compelling. Unfortunately, just as the video of the King beating desensitized jurors, the play's constant preaching became exhausting towards the end. Without an intermission, which was understandable in order to keep the audience in the moment, "Lightning" lasted a little too long.
Still, the production was stirring with its mostly sharp acting. The members of the talented cast took on several roles each and included theater veterans from "Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls" and last semester's staged senior projects: Olivia D'Ambrosio '06, Christopher Gillyard '08, Andrew Kelsey '06, Audrey Kim '09, Catherine Macdonald '07, Tyler Mixter '06, Lupita Nyong'o (Hampshire College) and Lyndsey Scott '06. In one of the most poignant monologues, Kim movingly portrayed a firsthand witness of the abuse King received. D'Ambrosio was always on point with her roles including a lawyer who openly acknowledges that everyone is racist and an optimistic truck driver who doesn't remember his violent encounter. She also provided some much-needed comic relief, despite its painful irony, as a pregnant Hispanic woman whose unborn child caught a bullet in its arms thus saving them both. Macdonald also excelled as a Korean woman, demonstrating that the King verdict was not simply a black-white issue, but also a Latino and Asian issue. Hahn cleverly directed his actors as characters of different genders and races and, for the most part, they succeeded.
The thoughtful costumes definitely helped the audience to identify the social status of each character. Moreover, the dress was right on target, from Scott's high-class fashion to Mixter's inspired activist wear: a shirt with diverse individuals holding hands around the world.
Accordingly, "Lightning" ultimately offered some hope, thanks to some thoughtful direction. When the television screens displayed candles, for example, characters from earlier scenes brought offerings to this vigil as sounds of rainfall filled the background; the rain did not extinguish the flames. When the actors passed cement blocks to each other, they rebuilt a broken wall.
All in all, "Lightning" hit its mark and brought to light different views on the King verdict and riot violence through fine direction, acting and set design.