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Theater Review: 'Tribes' At The Mark Taper Forum

Katie Buenneke |
March 14, 2013 | 1:07 a.m. PDT

Theater Editor

Russell Harvard and Susan Pourfar in "Tribes." Photo by Craig Schwartz.
Russell Harvard and Susan Pourfar in "Tribes." Photo by Craig Schwartz.
Every once in a while, I see a show that is, in most measurable ways, very good. It is directed well, the acting is strong, the technical elements all add the story—but the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. Such was my experience watching "Tribes" at the Mark Taper Forum.

The show, which was off-Broadway last summer, and in London before that, centers on Billy (Russell Harvard), a deaf young man who has been raised in a culture of assimilation by his free-spirited parents (Lee Roy Rogers and Jeff Still) alongside his hearing siblings, Daniel (Will Brill) and Ruth (Gail Rankin). Billy is a proficient lip-reader, and has never learned sign language, having shunned the deaf community from an early age—an attitude which changes once he meets Sylvia (Susan Pourfar), a hearing woman who was raised in the deaf community.

By all accounts, "Tribes" is a Good Contemporary Play. Playwright Nina Raines has crafted a play about an important issue with well-developed characters played by skilled, emotionally-connected actors. Director David Cromer (who also directed the production of "Our Town" which appeared at the Broad last season), has a clear vision for the show, and his commitment to that vision is evident. The technical aspects of the show are well-executed, particularly Daniel Kluger's sound design, which does some really remarkable things, like making the audience experience deafness, or something like it.

Yet there's still something that hinders "Tribes." In an almost Brechtian way, the play alienates the audience. Watching the events unfold onstage, I couldn't help but feel guilty for being a hearing person, and I felt even guiltier for having any opinions at all about the deaf community. While there's certainly a valid point to be made about letting individuals make decisions for themselves, what "Tribes" did best was make me feel like a terrible person for something beyond my control (which is to say, my ability to hear). I automatically disliked the play for making me feel so guilty.

But my issue with "Tribes" isn't just that it made me feel guilty about my genetic traits—it's that it did so in a hostile and unhelpful way. I strongly believe that one of the best things about theater is its ability to make the audience examine their own views on life, and effect change, but "Tribes" just made me feel bad for being who I was, and did not offer an inkling of advice as to how to remedy the situation. The arts are supposed to inspire us and make us want to improve the world, not bully us for our inherent traits.

Reach Theater Editor Katie here; follow her on Twitter here.

"Tribes" is playing at the Mark Taper Forum (135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles) through April 14. Tickets are $20-$70. More information can be found at CenterTheatreGroup.com.



 

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