Kirjahaku

"Some shows have warnings for strobe lights. Some have them for loud gunshots. Some for smoke. MISSISSIPPI GODDAMN, a new play by Jonathan Norton should have one for intensity. Granted, anyone attending a play about civil rights pioneer Medgar Evers set in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi, should expect some strife. Blood in the battle for racial equality is no surprise, but friendly fire is. Playwright Norton sets expectations on edge by focusing on the fight from the living room of the black neighbors next door to the Evers' home. ...playwright Norton's novel take in an unflinching pressure cooker.... Considering the intensity, can you handle it? Considering the history, how can you not? Playwright Norton takes this historical kernel and creates a world in which only an] adolescent youth pursues an] idealistic aim and she does it with reckless abandon. Everyone else has the more measured concerns that come with growing up and growing comfortable: family, job and property. Their position tempers their pursuit of racial equality, so much so that the people he is championing perceive Evers as a threat. On this score, the play transcends race and asks, At what cost, comfort' To that end, playwright Norton turns the comfortable environ against itself. With people driving by and knocks on the door, front and back, the middle class palace becomes a prison.... In a risky playwriting move, Norton moves the action four years back in time. As confusing as it is, some of the mystery of the first act is preserved by reserving the backstory 'till the second. Patterns emerge but by inverting the sequence, it comes off as discovery instead of predictability. Call it The Prequel Effect'.... The tension mounts terrifyingly. There's even some visceral combat.... There are some changes, though. The Evers, Medgar and Myrlie, who we heard so much about in the first act, make their first appearance in the second.... The other great change is that Robbie is young and impressionable. As thrilling as the events of the second act are, a close second is watching the effect they have in forming her attitudes. It becomes its own play. This historical thriller is an ensemble achievement of the first order with long sequences building tension in both acts, but without its emotional base it would be a roller coaster ride that was fun for as long as you rode it and nothing more. Be among the first to see it, because it's going places. Just don't say I didn't warn you." David Novinski, TheaterJones

"Jonathan Norton holds nothing back in his latest script, which is typical... Pulling from his own childhood experiences and memories of his mother's job as an aide in a nursing home, the plot collects from a multitude of dark corners of the human experience--from racism and the systemic obstacles that seem to perpetuate the disparate disenfranchisement of black people, to elder abuse and the horrifying ravages of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.... Themes of loyalty, dignity, responsibility, and self-preservation color the center of this plot, while flanking on either side are the unnervingly subtle (and then suddenly not so subtle) forces of white fragility and white guilt driving the dramatic energy forward, and therein lies the brilliance of Norton's script. Its honest portrayal of how our perceptions and assumptions of one another can make or break any situation is sobering to say the least. And, peppered with moments of effortless hilarity and sheer, painful awkwardness, the 90-minute play needs no intermission as the pace scarcely lags for even an instant. ...The twists and surprises in the plot are fascinating to watch. Moreover, the uncomfortable truths elicited here are laid bare with sensitivity and marked poignancy, in a manner that is seldom seen. A love offering is a tale of the most crucial kind today--an address to our differences that does not simply insist upon itself, but rather relies on the artistic and social maturity of its audience to handle the weight of its message in productive and meaningful ways." Richard Oliver, TheaterJones "...how do you describe a fast moving 90-minute play that feels like a beautiful epic poem? I don't use that term lightly, but it's rare to find a playwright that can create characters that have a past, a present and a future as well... This is one of those plays that in a seemingly simple setup bring out a tremendous depth of story, art and character development. It is a poem that we feel like we have heard somewhere before, but want to hear another stanza and then another after that...." Brian Wilson, Katy Trail Weekly "...the brilliance of Norton's play..." Christopher Soden, Sharp Critic

penny candy: a confection, which had its acclaimed premiere at the Dallas Theater Center in 2019, follows one family as they seek to balance their responsibilities to their community and to one another. Growing up in a candy house sounds like every kid’s dream. But for 12-year-old Jon-Jon, helping his father run Paw Paw’s Candy Tree out of their run-down one-bedroom apartment isn’t quite a dream come true. As their neighborhood of Pleasant Grove, Dallas sees a surge of violence fueled by epidemic drug use and increasing racial tensions, the business begins to fail and danger looms immediately outside the family's front door.