Photo by Ross Zetner/ Bronzeville Arts Ensemble
Bronzeville Arts Ensemble and Theatre LILA’s production of The Mojo and the Sayso is an astute and timely masterpiece. Inspired by the 1974 shooting of a black 10-year-old by a police officer who allegedly mistook him for a burglar, Aishah Rahman’s brilliant 1988 script explores the psychology of grief. Questions of race relations and law enforcement in America are treated indirectly by fully developing and celebrating the humanity of individuals affected by acts of seemingly unforgiveable violence. The result is a breathtaking story that places people first and forms an ideal frame for conversation about topics too often tragically abstracted.
This production shines with masterful performances. As the boy’s parents, Awilda and Acts, Marvette Knight and Gavin Lawrence bring the audience to laughter and tears with their resonant portrayal of a loving marriage on the brink of destruction. The first act is dominated by their argument over Awilda’s nearly blind devotion to a new pastor who feeds her desire to believe in her son’s immortality and Acts’ obsession with restoring a classic car in the middle of the living room.
Isáyah Phillips is superb as the boy’s older brother who channels his grief into a desire for vengeance, while showing depth through shamanic ritual and artistic expression. He is the explosive catalyst his parents need to begin working through their pain. Wigasi Brant’s Pastor is chillingly smooth, a self-serving conman robed in religiosity.
High praise belongs to director Jessica Lanius and the cast for the production’s abstract movement sequences, which are among its most striking features. Knight seamlessly blends her key monologues with elegant dancelike motion—particularly memorable is her reflection on a new pair of white gloves, which look like “dirty bits of sunlight” after just one wash. Brant shows considerable range when his character is finally stripped—symbolically and literally—and revealed for what he truly is; taking on the physicality of a demonic vulture being flayed alive, he is simultaneously raw, terrifying and rivetingly graceful.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Production values are high and greatly contribute to the show’s success. Nick Belley’s lighting and GW Rodriguez’s sound design combine to form the eerie backdrops for the mystic and trance-like sequences. Christopher Dunham’s scenic design is spectacularly elaborate—he evokes the disarray of hearts in crisis through the cluttered living room set in which each spouse contributes a great many objects that never quite connect.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s hosting engagement has come to a close, but The Mojo and The Sayso will run Feb. 18-21 at Madison’s Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St. For tickets, call 608-258-4141 or visit overturecenter.org.
