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"Fairview" By: Jackie Sibblies Drury | Review and Analysis | Commentary About Race & Representation
2018 - Sitcom Style Drama
Spoilers Beware!
Fairview was an interesting play that had took me on a rollercoaster of thoughts. There are many plays out there that can be enjoyed simply by reading them, as my mind is able to develop a visual representation of the scene being displayed; however, that had not been the case for this play. Personally, Fairview did not feel like a play that can comfortably be read within the first initial reading. The first act felt like a comedic, slice of life, drama that documented the life of a black family preparing for the birthday celebration of the grandmother. Essentially, it gave the vibe of the standard TV-sitcom, acting as a sort of parody – which I really liked. However, the second act had shown viewers a completely different cast that were having a, seemingly, random discussion of “what race and/or ethnicity would you be if you could choose”. There wasn’t a clear introduction of who these characters were, leaving me confused on their connection to the story previously being told in the first act.
Nikki Crawford, Samuel Ray Gates, Shannon Dorsey, and Chinna Palmer in Woolly Mammoth's production of Fairview by Jackie Sibblies Drury.
While reading the second act, I had began wondering whether the intent of the playwright was to show the lives of different people from various backgrounds in efforts to connect to a bigger theme about race. This thought left me focused on discovering what the overall purpose of these new additional characters were, only to feel even more confused with the introduction of the third act. These new characters began assuming the role of the act one characters, which made me very confused by trying to figure out the names of the newly paired groups. Like, is Mack supposed to be Ericka? Is Tyrone now Jimbo? I feel as though, after act one, it became more so me trying to decipher the meaning of the play and the message it was trying to go for. It was clearly a discussion on race, but I was unsure what kind of message on race was being told.
However, after watching several interviews from the playwright, as well as reading a multitude of reviews, I had finally seemed to make sense of what I was reading, and the message being transcribed. That was also the moment I realized the brilliance of this play! Again, this is not one of those plays that is meant to be read. The stage directions can seem, somewhat, confusing and incomplete at times. For instance, the stage direction for the act one to act two transition was stated as, “With the end of the on-stage glitch, in medias res, conversationally, with overlapping text.” While reading, it made no sense to me. But on stage, this stage direction would better be visualized in a way that made sense to what the playwright had intended.
Taken from The New York Times - "Fairview": Watching a Play in Black and White
Moreover, I had felt the play had moments where some characters, like Keisha and Ericka, would get cutoff from speaking too much at the end. It irritated me greatly, on top of already being confused with those character names. However, having realized the meaning of the play, everything that confused or frustrated me within this play made sense. It was a moment where the playwright had purposeful intentions for every decision made, and, once you fully understood that, it made sense. Essentially, the entire point of the play was to demonstrate white people invading the space of black individuals while attempting to tell their story for them.
In the beginning, we see a black family celebrating a family member’s birthday. The second act, we see white characters discussing race in ways they would never do in front of people of color, acting as if race is something you can try on for a little bit of time. They mentioned racist stereotypes that degraded minority groups, believing that if they could be a minority race for the day, they would be “the white savior” that completely breaks away from the stereotypes placed on that group. The third act, we now see these white characters not just narrating while watching the family, but actually invading the stage of the family. They start to assume the roles of each person, with Suze, the white grandmother, interrupting Keisha by telling her who she is rather than letting her decide that for herself. The family now gets plastered with stereotypes of doing drugs, having an affair, and engaging in teenage pregnancy. This leaves Keisha, at the end, to finally snap by asking her grandmother to stop forcing her “loud voice”, “loud eyes”, and “loud guilt” into Keisha’s space.
Keisha (MaYaa Boateng) Julieta Cervantes/Soho Rep
Pretty much stop forcing your stories and voice into black spaces while these individuals try to tell their own thoughts and views. Keisha then confronts the crowd, breaking the fourth wall by asking white audience members if they’d like to come take her place. In a bold way, she challenges them by seeing how they react when offered a spot in her story/space. It was a very confrontational choice by the author that, at first, I was blind to while reading the play. But I have since become very aware, making Fairview a daring confrontation about race. Fairview raises some provocative questions that can spark serious anger and debate amongst people. Nevertheless, I thought it was satirical, unique, and a brilliant piece worthy of its awards and recognition.
