Rant and rave: David Ingram (left) plays a newspaperman alongside Kimberly S. Fairbank’s grieving mother.

Racial Recognition

The Rant focuses on the murder of an African-American teen.

by J. Cooper Robb

Philadelphia has recently emerged as a birthplace of new plays. Playpenn, the city’s preeminent organization devoted to developing new work, is one of the biggest players in this movement, and three plays developed at Playpenn 2008 are currently enjoying world premieres on local stages. One of them, Andrew Case’s gripping drama The Rant, has been mounted by the InterAct Theatre Company. Case, formerly an investigator for New York’s Civilian Complaint Review Board, which probes allegations of misconduct by police officers, has written a taut one-act about police involvement in the death of an autistic African-American teenager.

The story begins with the boy’s distraught mother Denise Reeves (Kimberly S. Fairbanks) recounting her son’s death on the front porch of her home in a rough New York neighborhood. According to Reeves, the culprit is a brutal white police sergeant who patrolled the neighborhood with a bullhorn shouting, “I’m Sgt. Clark and I’m going to do what I want.” In the mother’s recollection, her son was murdered by a bigoted domestic terrorist with a badge.

Leading the civilian board’s investigation into the death is Lila (Elena Araoz). A Persian woman who grew up around intolerant whites, Lila immediately identifies with Reeves’ tale of racism. “My job is to find the truth,” proclaims Lila, but her investigation soon resembles more of a vendetta against Clark (whom she calls a “true villain”) than a fact-finding mission.

When a local newspaper reporter named Stern (David Ingram) becomes involved, the search for truth grows increasingly murky. He uncovers a number of disquieting omissions in Reeves’ account. To complicate matters further, a black officer (Aldo Billingslea) who was on the scene that night offers a version of events that differs markedly from the mother’s story.

At times Rant’s emotional intensity is almost unbearable. But director Seth Rozin’s pacing is superb and the acting is first-rate, especially Ingram’s. The character of the cynical big-city reporter could easily be seen as nothing more than a stereotype. But Ingram’s assured performance characterizes Stern as practical rather than jaded, and he emerges as the play’s most objective observer.

“The truth is just another kind of prejudice,” says Reeves. Her remark refers to the racism she’s endured, but The Rant is about much more than skin color or police brutality.

In Case’s story there are no absolute truths. The characters’ fears and life experiences influence their perceptions of what occurred. Stern asserts, “The truth itself is a kind of bias.”

In his sharp new play, Case challenges us to examine how our own prejudices affect our most firmly held beliefs.

The Rant

Through Feb. 22. $24-$28. Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom St. 215.568.8079. www.InterActTheatre.org

footlights

Cloudy Day

Of the three works currently on Philadelphia stages that were conceived at last summer’s new play development conference, only Russell Davis’ Picnic is a disappointment. In the dayroom of a retirement home Betsy (Carla Belver in an understated performance) and Denise (the engaging Brenda Thomas) are trying to comprehend a series of vaguely ominous events. A voice repeatedly calls “yoo-hoo,” a man passes by on tiptoes, forks mysteriously appear embedded in the walls and floors and ancient prophets materialize with alarming regularity. The unexplained phenomena initially intrigue, but when Davis attempts to connect such disparate elements as the Mau Mau movement in Kenya and the Hebrew Bible, Picnic loses its way. Davis should be applauded for tackling weighty issues, but the narrative is clunky and confusing and the characters never come to life. If you want to see a great play that addresses colonial oppression, try Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine. Exploring the savagery practiced by so-called civilized people is a worthy subject, but Davis’ play ends up being more frustrating than profound. (J.C.R.) » Through Feb. 15, People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern. 610.644.3500. www.peopleslight.org