Playwright Donja R. Love has a lot he wants to say, and in” Fireflies” he tries to tell the audience everything he cares about- all in less than 90-minutes. The result is a work in which a lot of issues are raised, yet you leave Curtain Call Theatre in Latham, caring about few of them.
Which is a shame. Though “Fireflies” needs more clarity and focus, there is no doubt about the playwright’s desire to move, touch and enlighten an audience. And to be fair, there are moments when that happens in the Curtain Call production.
Indeed, you often wish the material supported the excellent performances of Angelique Powell and Michael A. Lake, both deserving of a better play. These actors sustain the credibility and sincerity of characters whose emotions lack consistency and logic. Thanks to their work you actually care about good, smart people who function well in the world, but privately submit to the demons within their minds.
“Fireflies” tells the story of a married couple who, in 1963 are leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. He is a charismatic speaker and an inspirational figure. The newly pregnant Olivia writes his speeches and coaches his delivery. Though partners in a common cause, she is not his muse, nor is he her knight in shining armor. They are a team rather than lovers who work towards a common cause.
Essentially fear is the dominating mood of the play. It asks how do you survive being isolated in a terrifying world? Olivia fears bringing a child into a world where children are murdered in bombed out churches and strong Black men, like her husband, are assassinated. Charles feels his work puts his life and family at risk. Mostly, they fear their love for each other is built on lies.
“Fireflies” wants to be a play about love. Love of duty, love of partnership, love of a cause, love for other human beings – yet it is strangely lacking in passion, which causes it to be an oddly sterile experience. Despite a lot of high-minded rhetoric, there always seems to be an emotional distance between what the characters say and do and who we believe they really are. As the play progresses, you realize instead of being about love, “Fireflies” shows the emptiness of life without the essential passion that elevates it.
This absence deprives the work of drama. “Fireflies” is an intellectual exercise that embraces so many themes that it becomes difficult to be deeply involved with any of them.
None of this is the fault of Curtain Call’s creative talent. Indeed, director Chris Foster builds tension not through dialogue, but by aloof staging and important poignant silences. He creates a mood that immediately informs the audience we are entering a world where what we are told is not the truth. Too, he emphasizes the inequities in the relationship. They support a common cause, but only one gets the glory. Foster makes clear, both exist in a world that fosters illusions and encourages temptations outside of the marriage.
Olivia, superbly played by Angelique Powell, is a woman who is desperate to be loved, needed and respected. Since it isn’t a part of her reality, she retreats to a world of fantasy. Strangely, that fantasy life is for a love that could never be and a decision about her unborn child that places her in an almost psychotic place. Powell, while hampered by a script that forces her to suggest her plight rather than articulate her dilemma, remarkably creates a portrait of a strong woman who lives a pitiful life.
Charles is less a figure of pity. Instead, he is a man dictated by duty and confused by a home life that offers little comfort. Lake is ideal in showing the man’s conflict, without trying to gain the audience’s sympathy for his poor choices. He effectively creates a man who loves his wife and is dedicated to his cause without seeming either a hero or a victim. One wonders if Lake brought a touch more arrogance and self-centeredness to the role the play might be less neutral in our feelings towards the couple. No matter how high the stakes, two nice people having difficulties does not make for compelling theater.
Lake’s finest moment is his speech towards the play’s end. He is dressed like an important figure and gets to express his own thoughts. Had the costuming shown him more formal than casual throughout the production, it might have more clearly delineated the gulf that separates the couple. However, the costumes for Olivia perfectly reflect the self-depreciating image she has of herself.
Frank Oliva’s sparse set design – the frame of a house - is a perfect metaphor of the couple’s relationship. Lily Fossner’s eerie lighting provides more tension than does the script. The stunning sounds by Alex Dietz-Kest are wonderful as they show both the threat of the outside world and the deterioration of Olivia’s mind.
“Fireflies” is a noble but flawed attempt to dramatize the personal trauma of people who live for a cause. It’s well-acted with high production values. It’s sad that the best intentions of the playwright are not fully realized in the final production.
“Fireflies” continues through January 30 at Curtain Call Theatre, 1 Jeanne Jugan Lane, Latham. For tickets, schedule and information and stringent anti-COVID procedures call 518-877-7529 or go to curtaincalltheatre.com
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
