Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – At the Rattlestick, a.k. payne’s empowering new play AMANI brings “sci-fi realism” to a cathartic coming-of-age story

• By drediman
• February 23, 2023
• No Comments

Earlier this week at the Rattlestick Theatre in Greenwich Village, I caught Amani by a.k. payne. The world premiere play — which is co-produced by National Black Theatre and has just been extended through to March 12 — tells the coming-of-age story of the titular Amani, a Black girl who endeavors to transcend society’s expectations for her. After all, what can one expect from a young Black woman whose mother was murdered when she was a child and has a mentally unstable father who spent some time in jail?

So much more than you can imagine, this play triumphantly and cathartically proclaims. The playwright employs a mode of storytelling that can best be describe as “sci-fi realism”. Like its magic realism counterpart, the work fluidly incorporates elements of science fiction in the storytelling, using space travel as an unlikely metaphor for breaking free of societal expectations. As gorgeous as some of payne’s poetical verbal flights of fancy are, they unfortunately often muddle the trajectory of the narrative, as well as the characters that propel it (aside from the title character, that is). The piece also uses ample song and musical underscoring (courtesy of composer Kathy Ruvuna, whose composition is played by live by an onstage band), which further pushes it further from the realm of naturalism. Despite some of the clunkiness of the storytelling, I was ultimately captivated by the work’s unabashed embrace of queer culture and its empowering and hopeful message of being able to claim the very best version of oneself.

Amani has been given an exuberantly immersive staging by NBT Soul Series Directing Resident Josiah Davis, who snugly fits the production within the intimate confines of the Rattlestick’s second floor theater. In terms of the design work, I was particularly impressed by the inspired lighting and projection work of Marika Kent and Brittany Bland, respectively. As Amani, Denise Manning is tremendous, effortlessly and soulful portraying the title character at various stages of her development.  The rest of the five-member cast bring zestful life to characters that register merely as outlines.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED 

AMANI
Off-Broadway, Play
National Black Theatre & Rattlestick Theater
1 hour, 40 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 5