Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Charly Evon Simpson’s episodic SANDBLASTED channels Beckett by way of Black culture

• By drediman
• February 28, 2022
• No Comments

Last night, Charly Evon Simpson’s sandblasted opened Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. The production – a co-presentation with WP Theater – represents the Vineyard’s proper return to in-person performances following lockdown. The new play tells the story of Angela and Odessa, two Black women who embark on a surreal, spiritual journey through seemingly endless desert in search of meaning and fulfillment after learning that they are (literally) falling apart. On the way, they’re reluctantly guided by Adah, who can only be described as an Oprah-like “Celebrity-turned-Wellness-Maven”.

In many ways, Ms. Simpson’s work obviously channels the theatrical worlds of Samuel Beckett. Immediately, the play’s sandy set calls to mind Happy Days, and the existential journey of the two characters – a sort of modern day Laurel and Hardy – is strongly reminiscent of Waiting for Godot. The playwright conveys the piece through the lens of Black culture, which brings welcome specificity to the play’s otherwise amorphous musings. Unfortunately, Ms. Simpson’s episodic work suffers from a characteristic that’s common amongst young playwrights in that her writing seems to be better suited for film or television rather than the theater. There are far too many scenes in sandblasted, none of which benefit from the artful contributions of cinematography and film editing. That being said, there are numerous individual instances between the characters that amuse and endear, although they never amount to much more than a collection of moments.

Despite a ravishing Magritte-esque scenic design by Matt Saunders, Summer L. Williams’ direction fails to give shape to an already meandering play. Thankfully, the production’s quartet of performers – namely its three actresses – give boisterous performances that try hard at and succeed in entertaining. Indeed, Marinda Anderson (Odessa), Brittany Bellizeare (Angela), and Rolonda Watts (Adah) had the late preview audience I was a part of in the palm of their hands. Throughout the 100-minute play, they played off each other with tangy panache and uplifting goodwill that I found irrepressible.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

SANDBLASTED
Off-Broadway, Play
Vineyard Theatre / WP Theater
1 hour, 40 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 13